 | Freshwater > Fish > Poeciliidae |
 | | | |  | Poecilia Reticulata (Guppy) |  |  |
| |
 | Quick Ref. |  | |  Species: Poecilia Reticulata
| Geo. Location: Brazil, Venezuela, Peru
| PH: 6.5 - 8.0
| Temperature: 64 - 82F
| Water Hardness: 10 - 20dh
| Size: 2.0"
| Diet: All commercial fish foods
| Difficulty: 1
| | |  | |  |
| | | | | | Notes: Poecilia Reticulata is certainly the most common fish in aquariophilia. Its easiness to keep and breed as well as its beautiful colors and shapes make it very popular in aquariums.
Guppys originate from South America (Northern Brazil, Venezuela) where they are often found in big estuaries. They therefore often live in stagnant, slightly salted water with few oxygen in the wild. They are very hungry for mosquito larvaes and have been introduced in lakes and basin to keep the mosquito population down. They are nowdays broadly available.
Number of colors and shapes have been created by its intensive breeding in captivity. Today, there is so many different type of them (colors, shapes, tails including rounded, swordtail, flagtail, veiltail...) that it is virtually impossible to reference them all (Click here to see a partial list of guppy tails). Fancy Guppys are raised for shows and contests now take place all over the world. Wild guppys are quite less colorful and are usually smaller (1.5 to 2.0 inches).
Being quite hardy and easy to acclimate, Poecilia Reticulata is a great fish for beginners as well as experienced hobbyist looking to create their own Fancy Guppy species. Guppies are non-aggressive and do great in community tanks. One should however be careful to fish aggressive toward long fin fish(Bettas, Gourami, Barbu...) as they will nibble on their large tail. Guppies are very active and usually live in groups. A good male/female ratio is 1 for 3 as the male are perpetually harrassing the females. If the ratio is smaller than this, females can become exhausted and die.
Guppies are not exigent regarding water conditions. They like slightly salty water and can easily live in brakish if slowly acclimated. Guppy tanks have to be planted with areas for the females to hide from the males (Rocks, driftwood, java moss). They are akward swimmers and are very interesting to observe. Their breeding habits suit most tap water conditions.
| Breeding: As we saw, Guppies are very popular for their colors and shapes but they are also often kept for their easiness to breed in a very vast scale of water conditions.
The sexual diphormism between males and females is obvious as only males have the nice big fancy tail. Furthermore, males have a gonopodium (extension of the anal fin rays that the male uses to fertilize the female) and female develop a gravid patch right above the anal fin when ready to spawn. Females are also larger and less colorful.
Breeding guppies does not require any intervention from the hobbyist. If the water condition are normal (ph: between 6 and 8, temp: approx 78F) and clean, guppies will breed by themselves. The gestation period length is usually inferior to one month and can be speed up by raising temperature. Guppies give birth to formed fry that are hardy and will take crushed flakes as first food. Females will release between 20 and 100 at every spawning. As for Swordtails and other livebearers, one fertilization from the male can have the female pregnant 4 or 5 times. They usually breed every 4 to 5 weeks.
It is important to provide the tank with hidding places for the fry to hide. Indeed, parents as well as other fish in the tank love to eat the fry. Java Moss provides great shelter for the fry. Another solution is to put the fry in a small 10 gallons tank soon after birth. Raise the fry away from their parents and reintroduce them in a community tank when they reach 1".
A warning note have to be accentued on inbreeding. Because they are very prolific, guppies from a same brood will breed together. It is therefore necessary to seperate males from females as soon as the fry reach maturity. Inbreeding as lead to disphormism and weaknesses in the guppy species.
| | |  |
 Click Here or on "Add" to add a comment or picture for this Fish |   | | |  |
| | | Readers comments & pictures: Poecilia Reticulata | | |
| |
| xghfx - 2005-09-05 21:21:23 | | | | | Guppies are a good species to brees | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|
|
|
Links
