Origin
Guppy, native to South America, is a very peaceful and cute fish that does not require very large pools and is not a demanding species in terms of water quality.
They are happiest in populated aquariums, but an aquarium populated only with guppies can be a wise decision. The natural habitat of Guppies is represented by South America, Venezuela, Barbados, Trinidad, Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, northern Brazil and Guyana.
Guppy is a fish preferred by many aquarists and especially beginners, due to the ease with which it can be maintained.
Guppies are an extremely hardy species of fish, able to survive in conditions where other fish could perish. Guppies are also an excellent choice for populating a new aquarium.
Guppy Feed
Guppies can be fed both live and dry food, being omnivorous and feeding on a variety of foods (flakes, milkweed, spinach, puddle purees). Puddle purees can be offered to guppies preferably live, as those in the dried form cause water disturbance and create guppies a discomfort.
They're also crazy about live or dehydrated tubifex worms. To ease your activity regarding the maintenance of guppies, we advise you to feed your fish with flakes specially formulated for guppies that you can easily find in specialized stores and pet-shops.
The amount of food you give them should be consumed within a few minutes. They have small stomachs and can only consume small amounts of food at a time. Feed them in small amounts, about 2-3 times a day.
Overfeeding leads to overfishing of fish, with serious consequences on their health, wasting food and distorting the quality of water in the aquarium.
Guppy Appearance
Guppies are one of the most popular freshwater fish species around the world. They are alert, lively fish, always in search of food, swinging from one end of the aquarium to another. Guppies are not aggressive, but on the contrary they are very friendly.
The male is always more brightly colored (similar to the rainbow), while the female has a more faded, gray color devoid of gloss.
There are different varieties that are distinguished by the diversity of colors and color patterns, as well as by the appearance of the code swimmer (fan-shaped, needle-shaped, sword-shaped, wave-shaped, flag-shaped, shovel-shaped or round). The male guppy reaches a length of 3-3.5 cm, while the female, much larger, can reach a length of 5-6 cm.
Guppy Features
The aquarium should be spacious, rich in plants, after which the fish can hide or on which the females can lay the Cubs, but provide enough space for swimming.
It is not advisable to put snails in the aquarium with a deep and narrow hole, as they may have the temptation to hide in them remaining stuck. They tend to swim in the upper and middle third of the aquarium.
If you have chosen to populate your aquarium with guppies, you should know that they carry it best in groups of at least 3 specimens. Since males will always chase females by exhausting them, it is best that the Guppy group created consists of several females so that the males do not exhaust the female alone.
The aquarium can have about 50 liters water temperature: 20-28 degrees C. They prefer hard water, but they can also survive in neutral or softened water.
The substrate of the aquarium is represented by sand washed and possibly sterilized before, in which strands of Myriophyllum or Fontinalis can be implanted. The water in the aquarium does not have to be filtered, but it needs to be changed from time to time, not too often. Also, the aquarium will be equipped with a thermostat with thermometer to monitor the temperature of the water and keep it within certain constant limits.
Guppy Breeding
They reach sexual maturity and are able to mate around the age of 3 months. It is an extremely prolific species.
It is a viviparous species (giving birth to live cubs), which, after a gestation of 4-5 weeks, under optimal conditions of maintenance, can give birth to 20-100 fry (on average 30-60), with very fast growth. During gestation, the female is preferred to be fed live food to give birth to a brightly colored generation.
In the female that is going to give birth, there is an increase in the volume of the abdomen and the appearance of a black spot in the region of the ventral fins. It is preferable that the female that is pregnant and approaching calving is moved to a separate aquarium, as adults tend to eat newborn cubs.
After calving, the Cubs can be left alone in that aquarium, because the female does not care for her cubs like other animals do. After a few days the chicks can be introduced into the aquarium with adults, being able to feed themselves and defend themselves. Females can store sperm, so that one mating can lead to the appearance of 4-8 rows of Fry. This phenomenon is known as supergestation.
The water temperature during the breeding period should be around 24-25 degrees C.
Compatible species: Molly, Xifo, Zebras, neons, etc.larger species of fish with which guppies could cohabit can attack them and eat their young. If you do not want your guppies to become the food of other fish, then do not mix them with cichlids.
Beta fish can attack guppies due to their similar coloration and long fins. The important thing to know is that fish that will cohabit in the same aquarium must tolerate the same growing conditions.
