ORIGIN South America, Venezuela,
Trinidad, Barbados,
Singapore, USA
TEMPERATURE
21 – 28C
PH
6.8 - 7.5
HARDNESS
Moderately hard to very hard
10-30 dGH
DIET Frozen, Live, Flake
Plant, Algae
BREEDING
Livebearer
MAXIMUM SIZE Male 5cm
Female 6cm
RECOMMENDED MIN
AQUARIUM 28 Litres
TANK REGION
Top third
SOCIAL
Peaceful
CARE
Easy 10/10
Blue Male Guppy
Red Male Guppy
Female Guppy
One of the most popular tropical
community fish regularly found in home aquariums today is the Guppy.
This beautiful aquarium fish features bright colour's and an attractive
coloured tail.
Originating
from South America, the Guppy was originally found in Mountain Streams
as well as brackish rivers. Feral populations of Guppies can now be
found around the world. In the wild Guppies are not very colourful and
are usually olive green. Tank bred Guppies come in many varieties of
colour's and patterns.
Guppies are a very popular aquarium fish. They are perfectly at home in
a peaceful community aquarium. They will generally inhabit the upper
third level of an aquarium.
Being
omnivores, Guppies will eat a wide variety of food. Guppies will accept
and do well on flake along with live and frozen foods such as brine
shrimp and bloodworms. Algae is an excellent food source and should be
left to grow on certain ornaments or one side of the tank, so the fish
can nibble on it between meals. It is a good source of vitamins B, C, D
and E.
Male and female
guppies are easy to distinguish. Males generally are a brightly
coloured fish, while the females are a drab grey - perhaps with a
coloured tail. Males have a modified anal fin, this is called the
gonopodium. This is the male sexual organ. Males can grow up to 4-5cm
while females can get to 6-7cm.
Guppies
are live bearers and are extremely easy to breed. Some say they are as
bad as rabbits! The females are almost always pregnant and will give
birth every 4 to 6 weeks. Often the mother will have between 30-60
babies.
Because these
fish are avid breeders, it is recommended that at least 3 females
should be kept to each male, so the females aren't continually
harassed. Also for the same reason, a tank housing both male and female
guppies would ideally contain plants so the females can hide from keen
males.
If you wish to
breed the Guppy it is recommended that a separate breeding tank be set
up to separate the mother from the community tank, taking at least half
of the existing community tank water. If the mother is not separated
and is allowed to give birth in the community tank, more than likely
the fry will not survive as the other fish (including the mother) will
eat them.
Often
birthing can be induced by raising the water temperature to 28C. After
the birthing has finished, usually after 1 to 3 hours, the mother
should be removed and returned to the community tank.
Raising the fry is reasonable simple. They should be feed on liquid fry
food for the first three days. They can then be moved onto baby brine
shrimp or fine crushed flake food. Water changes are needed regularly,
even daily as the fragile fry are very susceptible to water pollution.
Guppies are an enjoyable addition to the tank and are very easy to look after - a perfect choice for the novice aquarist.
Guppy
