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Setup Tips and Facts about Poecilia reticulata By Glen Hawkins 1. The Guppy is one the most popular species of aquarium fish in the world, and is also known as one of the cheapest fish available in aquarium stores even though some forms may be expensive. Small, beautiful, peaceful, lively, curious and hardy, there are many colorful variations. The guppy fish is one of the best choices for beginners. However, like every fish kept in captivity, these fishes also require proper care and conditions. 2. Females are much larger and rounder than males. Females are dull grey, however males are very colourful and have large fins. There are many strains of guppies and through breeding you can even create new variants. In size they are 1.6 inches long for most males and 2.3 inches long for most females. Depending on the strain this can very slightly. 3. The guppy can be fed a wide variety of foods such as flakes, spirulina, blood worms, freeze dried foods and other live foods. Though they will accept almost everything, one shouldn’t feed them low quality foods because it will negatively affect their health and lifespan. Guppies have small stomachs and can only consume a little bit of food at one feeding. It is recommended to feed them in small amounts, something that they eat in a two-three minutes at least 3 times daily. It’s okay to let your fish fast one day per week as this procedure helps them to empty digestive system, which in turn lengthens their lifespan. 4. Guppies are prolific breeders! Both parents have to be adult, healthy and not too old in order to produce good stock. Their expected lifespan is 2-3 years, thus the female shouldn’t be older than 2 years in order to reproduce successfully. Guppy females mature at approximately 3 months old, whereas males slightly sooner. The males will perform a courtship display in front of the female by spreading their fins and curving their body. Once the female is fertilized, it’s going to take between 28 and 30 days until gestation period ends and the female gives birth. Her belly will grow rapidly during gestation period, in the end she might look boxy. Additionally, gravid spot will be visible on female once she’s pregnant. Bear in mind that Guppies that are close to giving birth prefer slowly moving water, hide a lot and spend a lot of time laying on substrate or plants. Some females may refuse to eat when birth is close. 5. Once a female gives birth, the fry can be left to care for themselves immediately after they’re born. It’s a good idea to separate newborns from other fish to prevent predation. It is recommended to setup a dedicated guppy fry tank, however ensure water parameters (pH, hardness, temperature) are identical in both tanks – the “original” and the “fry” tank. Not keeping the fry tank conditions similar to the original breeding tank will result in a higher mortality rate as newborn fry are sensitive to sudden and unexpected changes in water chemistry. 6. These fish will over breed if their population isn’t controlled, always consider this reality prior to purchasing guppies for your aquarium. Having two females in your aquarium can result in as much as 80 fry every month as each female can produce up to 40 fry per month. In five months that means you could have up to 400 guppies in your tank. 7. Another important aspect of raising guppies is their ability to store sperm for months. It isn’t unusual to see a female fish giving birth even 6 to 8 months after she lives separately from males. 8. Guppies require fairly warm temperatures (23-24 °C, 73-75°F), but they can live in water between (19-29°C 66-84°F) as long as pH is stable anywhere between 7.0 and 8.5. Ideal general water hardness for is 12.0 - 18.0, however they’re known to be able to live in softer water too. A vegetated tank is perfect for raising guppies as it not only increases survival rate of newborn fry, but it also imitates their natural environment. Plants such as Vallisneria spiralis, Echinodorus amazonicus, Cabomba furcata are fantastic choice for Guppy tanks as they create beautiful sceneries if grown properly. These mentioned plant species grow quite large, so they’re suitable as background plants. 9. Since guppies are very social fish, they shouldn’t be kept alone. Raising them in a community tank with other small peaceful fish is okay too. Good tank mates for guppies include, but not limited to, Corydoras, peaceful Plecos, German Rams cichlids, Platys, Neon tetras and Mollies. 10. Since this species breeds like rabbits, a good ratio of males to females is 1:3. 11. I would never put guppies into a tank less than 10 gallons. One guppy per gallon is a good ratio to use. 12. One of the best and most popular fish. If you have never had a guppy I would highly recommend you try keeping them. © Glen Hawkins (aka GuppyGuy on the Windsor Aquarium Society forum)