Guppies are one of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby. They are known for their bright colors and their easy-going nature, which makes them a great choice for beginners as well as more experienced aquarists.
They can also be kept in community tanks, although not all species (aggressive ones) are compatible. Guppies are easy to care for making them an ideal pet fish for anyone who wants something colorful but doesn’t have time for extensive maintenance requirements or complex tank set-ups.
Basic Information
Knowing the basic information about guppy fish is very important, as it will help you to understand more about these beautiful fish.
Guppy fish are also known as million fish or rainbow fish. They are top or mid-level tank level dwellers, and they are good for beginners. They are the world’s most widely distributed tropical fish just like goldfish.
Their technical name is Poecilia reticulata and belong to the family of Poeciliidae. They are now more captive bred, and this has been the case for more than 100 years.
Guppies are one of the most popular aquarium fish. They come in many colors and patterns, making them a favorite among hobbyists.
Guppies can live between two and five years, but their life span depends on their care.
If you take good care of your guppies, they will live longer than if you do not. They need clean water, as well as a healthy environment.
Few Facts
Guppy fish are native to the Caribbean, including Barbados and Trinidad. They were first described in Venezuela as Poecilia reticulata by Wilhelm Peters in 1859.
Then in 1963, after many changes, Rosen and Bailey brought it back to its original name, Poecilia reticulata.
Guppies originate from northeast South America, including Surinam, Guyana and Venezuela including Tobago.
They have thereafter been introduced to many environments and are now found all over the world.
Appearance
The guppies are beautiful and colorful fish that are often kept in aquariums. Guppies exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning that the males have a variety of color patterns while the females are generally grey in body color.
The appearance of guppies depends on the species, but in general, males have splashes, spots, or stripes that can be of a wide variety of colors. Males grow 1.5–3.5 cm (0.6–1.4 in) long, while females are 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) long.
This essentially means that females are larger than the males. Guppies are available in many different varieties, but their appearance is generally similar. Male guppies have longer caudal and dorsal fins than females.
Some guppies have short, rounded tails, others have “V”-shaped tails and others have elongated tails that are half the length of their bodies.
The appearance of this colorful fish is quite striking, with its gorgeous tailfins filled with color and a relatively muted body. The guppy has an upward pointed snout and naturally the mouth is also upward faced.
Types
Guppies are one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish. They are very colorful and easy to care for. They have been classified both based on tail and based on body pattern.
Pattern distinction is not beginners. So, we look at tail types which is easier to distinguish.
There are totally 12 tail types.
Veil tail. Triangle tail. Fan tail. Flag tail. Double sword. Upper sword. Lower sword. Lyre tail. Spade tail. Spear tail. Round tail. Pin tail.
Let us take a look at the each of these tail types:
Veil Tail:
Isosceles trapezoid guppy fish are one of the most popular varieties of guppy fish. They are called Veil Tail Guppy Fish. These fish have a single or multiple color tail. They have elongated dorsal and ventral fins which are flowy too.
Triangle Tail:
The triangle tail guppy (also known as the delta tail guppy) has a very distinctive triangular shape to its tail, which gives it its name. The triangle tail guppy is also characterized by having small ventral fins.
Fan Tail:
The Fan Tail Guppy is a fancy variety of guppy fish. The tail is like an open fan, and it’s a beautiful addition to any aquarium.
Flag Tail:
The flag tail guppy fish is also known as the scarf tail. It has a narrow, flattened tail that lacks the wide fan shape of other guppy types. The tail looks like a regular fan blade—it’s just not as wide.
Double Sword:
Double tail or double sword tail guppy fish is totally apart from other guppies. The tail has extensions on both sides.
The double tail guppy has an elongated body and long fins, which makes it unique among other types of fish species.
Upper Sword:
The top sword tail guppy fish or upper sword tail is a beautiful addition to your tank. The upper sword tail has only one extension from the tail on the upper side or top of its body.
Lower Sword:
The Lower sword tail guppy fish or bottom sword tail is a beautiful addition to your tank. The lower sword tail has only one extension from the tail on the lower side or bottom of its body.
Lyre Tail:
The lyre tail guppy is a modified double sword guppy. It has portions of the tail slightly extended at the tip. However, it is not distinct as the sword tails.
Spade Tail:
Ever seen a deck of cards? The spade tail guppy also called as Cofer tail guppy has a tail in the shape of the spade. The tail length is half the length of the guppy’s body.
Spear Tail:
The spear tail guppy is a modified spade tail guppy. It has a mild extension to the spade and a bit wider, which makes it look more like a spear than a spade.
Round Tail:
Round-tailed guppies have very small tails, and their tails are round shaped. This makes them distinct from other types of guppies, which have more oval or pointed tails.
Pin Tail:
The Pintail Guppy is a beautiful fish that is also called the needle tail guppy. The tail has a needle-like extension, and the tip is sharp. The tail is as long as the body.
Gender Differences
You may have noticed that guppies come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. This can make it difficult to determine the gender of a guppy. If you want to know if your fish is male or female, there are some simple ways to tell.
It’s easy to differentiate between male and female guppy fish. Males tend to be smaller and more vibrantly colored, while females tend to have a brown coloration and are larger and rounder.
Guppies can be distinguished by their fins—males have a fin under their belly that looks like a stick; females have a fan-like fin just behind their belly but on top!
When you look at the anal fin of the male, it is long and thin and tapers towards the tip. The anal fin for the female guppy is triangular or fan-shaped. It is also larger than the anal fin of the male.
Behavior
Guppies are social fish and enjoy the company of other guppies. They can be kept in groups of 5 or more. Guppies are peaceful and non-aggressive.
The males tend to be territorial, but females do not mind sharing their tank with other females. Guppies are very active fish, they like to swim around the tank and explore its surroundings.
Guppies are easy-going—they make a great addition to any community tank.
The behavior of guppy fish is fairly straightforward. They are generally peaceful and social.
The only minor signs of aggression you might notice come in the form of fin-nipping. This fin nipping can only occur in over-crowded tanks or if the males are fighting for establishing dominance.
Water & Tank Requirements
Guppies are beautiful fish, and they make excellent pets for both beginners and experienced aquarists. They are relatively easy to care for and can thrive in a variety of water conditions, including those with low levels of dissolved minerals.
What are the water and tank requirements for guppies? – Guppies love planted tanks. Some decoration too. If you’re looking for some decoration ideas, try using driftwood or rocks as hiding spots in your aquarium.
The water and tank requirements for guppies are fairly simple: a ten-gallon tank or larger is best, with a pH level between 6.5 and 8.0 and water hardness between 100 and 150 mg/l. The temperature should be between 68 F [20C] and 78 F [26C].
The water temperature should be kept stable at these levels by using an aquarium heater in colder months. Guppies prefer warmer temperature and cold water can be fatal for them.
Cleaning the filter regularly, changing out 25% of the water every week, and performing water changes every month will help keep your guppies happy and healthy.
While some recommend adding some salt in guppy tanks, it is not at all safe to add salt to guppy tanks.
Sand is the most preferred substrate for guppies. Sand provides the best environment for their health and well-being. Guppies tend to swallow substrate material, so it is important to choose something that cannot be swallowed by them.
Sand is safe because it does not kill guppies. Gravel or rocks which cannot be swallowed are also ok as long as they are not sharp or jagged.
Tank Mates
Guppies come in many different colors, making them fun to collect. Guppies can be housed with other live bearers such as platys or mollies.
Smaller fish like neon tetras are also good options for tank mates. However, aggressive fish should be avoided because they could end up killing your guppies.
Ghost shrimps and swordtails make good additions as well. Guppies can also be housed in a community tank with other species of fish if they are the same size or smaller than your guppies.
When choosing tank mates, make sure that they do not have sharp spines or fins that could injure your guppies!
Care
Guppies need plants as a part of their diet. Specifically, java moss is recommended for the most optimal health of your guppy.
They also need a standard day and night light cycle, which helps regulate hormones in their bodies. This will help them live longer and healthier lives.
Guppies need a soft filter that won’t suck the guppies into it but will still filter the water efficiently. This is to handle nitrate and ammonia levels in their environment so that they don’t get sick or die prematurely.
Guppies also need dechlorinated water; cloudy water indicates that your guppies aren’t in great health because it means that there are bacteria growing in their tank (which can be caused by high nitrate levels).
Guppies also need plants because they purify the water. Java Moss is a great one for that. They also need an aquatic fern, which will help with their habitat and keep them healthy.
Aquatic ferns are also popular choices because they keep the water clean while providing a lot of oxygenation through their leaves’ surface area (which means more gas exchange).
Guppies are sensitive to shocks, so it’s important to keep their temperature stable with a heater.
Guppies are sensitive to water quality as well. They need clean water at all times. Because they live in freshwater areas, they can’t tolerate saltwater that most other fish can.
Diet
Guppies are omnivores, and algae remains their main food. They also eat diatoms, zooplankton, detrius (i.e., plant fragments), aquatic insect larvae and a variety of other items depending on the habitat and available diet.
Guppies can adapt to the diet easily, but they need some high protein in their diet at least once a week. Bloodworms or brine shrimp, whether live or frozen are all good options for this purpose.
They can also feed on mosquito larvae that may live in stagnant water gardens.
Guppies are very small fish, so it’s important to make sure you’re feeding them the right amount of food. Guppies need micro-pellets for their daily diet, with a vegetable once a week.
Vegetables are high in fiber and low in fat, so they’re good for the fish but not too much of a risk for overfeeding.
Every day, feed your guppies two meals. The meal should be enough food that it gets eaten up in one minute. This ensures that your guppy doesn’t overeat and get sick from overeating or undernourishment!
Breeding
Guppies engage in polyandry, which means that multiple females will breed with a single male. Polyandry is more common in fish species than polygamy because it’s easier for males to attract multiple females if they’re bright and colorful.
Females may compete for the attention of males by displaying their own colors and features to impress them. They may also try to chase away other females from their territory in order to keep them from breeding with their mate.
In order to find their mates, male guppies are brightly colored and attract the attention of many females. Female guppies prefer orange males over other colors. Guppies are live-bearers and will give birth to 10 – 50 fry per breeding season.
The gestation period lasts from 20 to 60 days. Females quickly become ready for their next mating. Male guppies have an anal structure called gonopodium. This gonopodium is the means by which the male transfers the sperms.
Can Guppies & Betta Be Hosted Together In A Single Tank?
It’s a common question: can guppies and betta fish be hosted together? The answer is a big no. Guppies and bettas are not compatible. Bettas need and prefer still or slow-moving water.
Guppies are small and peaceful fish, while bettas are aggressive and carnivorous. They can eat up guppies in a jiffy. They are known to kill their own kind.
If you want to keep your betta happy, it doesn’t necessarily need company—just mental stimulation! Guppies, on the other hand, are school fish that find each other to be best company.
Guppies have soft fins and delicate bodies. Bettas can rip the fins or even injure the guppies leading to death. So ideally, if you do not want your guppy to suffer and die, keeping it away from betta fish is the best thing to do.
Conclusion
From tiny mouths to large tails, the guppy is an interesting species. In recent years, this species has seen an increase in popularity. Guppies are one of the most popular fish in the world, and for good reason.
They’re small and inexpensive, but they can still be a lot of fun to watch. They’re also very easy to care for. They come in many different colors, from orange to purple to black and white.
This means that you can match your fish to any décor or theme you choose. So, go ahead and try collecting as many as your tank can hold.
