BACK TO FISH
Guppies are a small livebearing fish, immensely
popular as tropical aquarium fish - particularly for community
aquaria and for beginners. They are colourful, peaceful,
easy to care for and probably the easiest of all aquarium
fish to breed.
Native to several Caribbean islands and northwestern
South America, most wild Guppies are relatively plainly coloured. The
females are usually grey, but the smaller males can be quite
variable with pastel colours or some iridescent markings. Thanks
to the selective breeding efforts of countless fish breeders
over many decades, the humble wild guppy has progressively
been transformed into a vast array of colours and fin shapes. While
most of this effort has resulted in developing the colour
and finnage of the males, the females are also much more
colourful now compared to the original wild fish.
Depending on the variety, male Guppies can
grow to 3.5 - 4.5cm, and the females to about 5-6cm. They
eat any standard fish food and are not particularly fussy
about water conditions, but they do prefer neutral or alkaline
water of moderate hardness rather than soft acidic water.
With a very peaceful nature, Guppies are
ideal for community aquaria. They look very impressive
when kept in a group, and the males are much more active
if some females are kept with them. Guppies should
not be kept with any fish with potential fin-nipping tendencies. (e.g.
Tiger Barbs); and male Fighting Fish have also been known
to attack the fins of male Guppies.
Guppies can comfortably tolerate temperatures
around 19-20 C, but prefer temperatures in the mid 20's.
Guppies are extremely easy to breed, from
a single mating a female can give birth a number of times. The
gestation period varies from 4-6 weeks depending on water
temperature. When born the fry are fully developed
and can be easily raised on commercial fish foods, starting
with fry foods such as Super Baby Min and Fry Bites. The
fry need to be isolated in a small aquarium or in a breeding
trap, otherwise most will be eaten by any other fish present,
including their mother.
(The common name Guppy relates to the Reverend
Guppy who collected some of these small fish in Trinidad
in 1866 and sent the specimens to England.)
Here at Pet City Joondalup we stock a large range of tropical
and Goldfish and can take customer orders for any of the fish
listed on this page. Please phone your order through after
reading how to make a customer
order
| ASSTORTED SNAKESKIN MALE GUPPY 3.5CM |
|
Snakeskin Guppies are one of the more popular
forms of guppy, with their intricately patterned bodies
and strong colours. Also known as Cobra Guppy. |
| MALE ENDLERS GUPPY 2CM |
 |
Endler's Guppy is a wild form of guppy native
to Venezuela. Diminutive compared to most fancy
guppies, the males more than make up for their small
size with their intense (almost fluorescent) markings. Best
kept in a group with other small fish in a planted aquarium. |
| MALE RED TUXEDO GUPPY 3.5CM |
 |
One of the "old favourites", the Red Tuxedo
male guppy is a very striking fish with its dark body
and red fins. |
