Hey all, in today's blog we're going to talk all about guppies, one of the most stunning freshwater fish you'll ever see.
So firstly, a guppy is a live-bearing, freshwater fish that belongs to the Poeciliidae family. A livebearer is a fish that gives birth to live fry, so yes, you'll find little babies swimming around as soon as the female gives birth to them. You'll find once your female has been in contact with a male, they'll give birth every month (they can even store sperm for numerous months). Most fish reproduce by laying eggs, but that's a story for another day.
*the image above showcases male guppies. Check out the anal fin (pointed) and they're much prettier than the females you'll find below in the next image.
Guppies average around 2 inches in length, but some can grow up to 3 inches. You'll find females are larger than males and are usually less colourful. You can tell the difference in a male and female by numerous ways;
A males anal fin is long and narrow whereas a females is shorter and triangular
Females have a gravid spot whereas a male doesn't.
Females are alot larger and rounder than males.
*image above is showcasing female guppies. Check the anal fin and also the dark gravid spots.
You will find guppies come in many different colours, patterns and even shapes for example, a blue grass ribbon, or a german white tuxedo, a mosaic, a snakeskin, a lace, a leopard to name a few.
The average lifespan of a guppy is around 2 to 3 years, but this will depend on many factors including water quality, temperature, diet etc... There's fishkeepers who claim they've kept guppies that have lived for 5 years!
The ideal water temperature you'll want is around 24 degrees. There has been studies to show that the warmer the temperature, the faster the growth rate. Unfortunately that does mean the shorter the lifespan so keeping it around 24 degrees is optimal. Guppies are fine with a pH from 6-8. Like all freshwater fish, guppies will appreciate a planted tank.
When it comes to diet, they will pretty much eat anything! They're omnivores which means they'll eat both plant based and animal based foods. Foods I'd suggest are:
Spirulina
Guppy Mini Granules
Baby Brine Shrimp
Daphnia
Tropical Flakes
You should feed your guppies once or twice a day but if you're looking to raise your fry quickly, I'd recommend feeding them at least 5 times a day, with Live Baby Brine Shrimp being the main food!
Guppies should be kept with a ratio of 1:3 (1 male, 3 females) due to males constantly trying to reproduce. To avoid stress of the female, it's best to have 3 or more females so the male doesn't constantly hassle the same female.
*image above is of another type of livebearer called a Platy.
