Guppy

Guppy

Taxonomy

Robert John Lechmere Guppy discovered this tiny fish in Trinidad in 1866, and the fish was named Girardinus guppii in his honour by Albert Günther later that year. However, the fish had previously been described in America. Although Girardinus guppii is now considered a junior synonym of Poecilia reticulata, the common name "guppy" still remains.

Over time guppies have been given a variety of taxonomic names, although Poecilia reticulata is the name currently considered to be valid.[2]

Distribution

Guppies are native to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela.[3][4]

However, guppies have been introduced to many different countries on all continents, except Antarctica. Sometimes this has occurred accidentally, but most often as a means of mosquito control, the hope being that the guppies would eat the mosquito larvae slowing down the spread of malaria. In many cases, these guppies have had a negative impact on native fish faunas.[

Ecology and behavior

Guppies exhibit sexual dimorphism. While wild-type females are grey in body colour, males have splashes, spots, or stripes that can be any of a wide variety of colors

Reproduction
A pregnant guppy at about 26 days
A guppy fry in an aquarium at 1 week old
Guppy standards

Guppies are highly prolific livebearers.[6] The gestation period of a guppy is 21–30 days, with an average of 28 days, varying according to water temperature. Males possess a modified tubular anal fin called a gonopodium located directly behind the ventral fin which is flexed forward and used as a delivery mechanism for one or more balls of spermatozoa. The male will approach a female and will flex his gonopodium forward before thrusting it into her and ejecting these balls. After the female guppy is inseminated, a dark area near the anus, known as the gravid spot, will enlarge and darken. Just before birth, the eyes of fry may be seen through the translucent skin in this area of the female's body. When birth occurs, individual offspring are dropped in sequence over the course of an hour or so.

Guppies prefer water temperatures of about 26 °C (79 °F) for reproduction. The female guppy has drops of between 2–50 fry at a time, typically ranging between 5 and 30. After giving birth, the female is ready for conception again within only a few hours. Guppies have the ability to store sperm up to a year, so the females can give birth many times without depending on the presence of a male. From the moment of birth, each fry is fully capable of swimming, eating, and avoiding danger. If not kept separate, the older, mature guppies will eat the fry so the use of a breeder box, net breeder, or a separate 20–40 litres (4–9 imp gal; 5–11 US gal) tank is recommended. Live plants may be used as hiding places for the fry.

Young fry take roughly three or four months to reach maturity. In the aquarium, they are usually fed finely ground flake foods, baby brine shrimp or, unless they are put in a separate tank, uneaten food from the adults. In addition, they nibble on algae.

Guppies have been selectively bred to produce a variety of colors and patterns. In the wild, male guppies are dull black or brown in colour with some coloured spots while females are fully dull grey. The wild guppies that showed the most colours in each generation were bred to produce the "fancy guppies" seen in pet stores and guppy shows today.

The guppy has been successfully hybridised with various species of molly (Poecilia latipinna/velifera), eg. male guppy and female molly. However, the hybrids are always males and appear to be infertile.[7] The guppy has also been hybridised with the Endler's livebearer (Poecilia wingei) to produce fertile offspring.

Genetics

Guppies have 23 pairs of chromosomes including 1 pair of sex chromosomes.[8]

Selective breeding has produced many different strains, such as the snakeskin and grass varieties. A strain is defined as guppies that show the same characteristics

In the aquarium

The guppy prefers a hard water aquarium with a temperature between 25.5 and 27.8 °C (78 and 82 °F) and salt levels equivalent to 1 tablespoon per 5 US gallons (19 l; 4.2 imp gal).[9] They can withstand levels of salinity up to 150% that of normal seawater,[10] which has led to them being occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Guppies are generally peaceful, though nipping behaviour is sometimes exhibited between male guppies or towards other top swimmers like platys and swordtails and occasionally other fish with prominent fins such as angelfish. Its most famous characteristic is its propensity for breeding, and it can breed in both fresh water and marine aquariums.[11]

Guppies bred by aquarists produced variations in appearance ranging from colour consistency to various tail forms.

Well-fed adults do not often eat their own young, although sometimes safe zones are required for the fry. Specially designed livebearer birthing tanks, which can be suspended inside the aquarium, are available from aquatic retailers. These also serve to shield the pregnant female from further attention from the males, which is important, because the males will sometimes attack the females while they are giving birth. It also provides a separate area for the newborn young as protection from being eaten by their mother. However, if a female is put in the breeder box too early, it may cause her to have a miscarriage. Well-planted tanks that offer a lot of barriers to adult guppies will shelter the young quite well. Java moss, duckweed (Lemna minor and other Lemna species), and Water Wisteria are all excellent choices. A continuous supply of live food, such as Daphnia, will keep adult fish full and may spare the fry when they are born.

References

^ Agbayani, Eli. "Common Names of Poecilia reticulata". Retrieved April 24, 2007.
^ Agbayani, Eli. "Synonyms of Poecilia reticulata". Retrieved April 24, 2007.
^ Agbayani, Eli (January 15, 2007). "Countries where Poecilia reticulata is found". Retrieved February 24, 2010.
^ "Poecilia reticulata (fish)". Global Invasive Species Database. October 27, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Poecilia reticulata" in FishBase. April 2007 version.
^ "Guppy". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^ Ghadially, F N; Gordon, M (July 1957). "A localized melanoma in a hybrid fish Lebistes x Mollienesia". Cancer Research 17 (6): 597–599. PMID 13446844.
^ Khoo, G; Lim, T M; Chan, W K; Phang, V P E (1999). "Genetic Basis of the Variegated Tail Pattern in the Guppy, Poecilia reticulata". Zoological Science 16 (3): 431–437. doi:10.2108/zsj.16.431.
^ Hargrove, Maddy; Hargrove, Mic (2006). Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley. p. 99. ISBN 0470051035.
^ Chervinski, J (April 1984). "Salinity tolerance of the guppy, Poecilia Reticulata Peters". Journal of Fish Biology 24 (4): 449–452. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1984.tb04815.x.
^ Shikano, T; Fujio, Y (August 1997). "Successful propagation in seawater of the guppy Poecilia reticulata with reference to high salinity tolerance at birth". Fisheries Science 63 (4): 573–575. NAID 10004870806

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The Guppy Fish
Information About Guppy Fish With Forum

Brief Description
Apart from other information about Guppies, The Guppy Fish article also contains answers on the following questions; How to breed guppy fish, How to look after guppy fish, How to control guppy population, How big are guppies, How do guppy fish breed, How long do guppy fish live, How to feed guppy fish, How long can a guppy live out of water, How long does it take for guppy fry to mature, How much food to give to a guppy fish in a day, How much water does a guppy need, How warm should the tank be (or what is the most suitable temperature), How does a guppy female look like, How many males per 1 guppy female should I keep. If you'd like to share your own experiences regarding keeping Guppies, let's check the bottom of this article where you can find a form for those who are willing to share own experiences, tips and information!
The Guppy fish is probably the most popular aquarium fish species in the world, and is also known as one of the cheapest fish in shops even though some forms may be expensive. Small, beautiful, peaceful, lively, curious and hardy, there are many colourful variations (see the pictures below) that can be collected and easily bred. The Guppy fish is one of the best choices for beginners, especially children. However, like every fish kept in captivity, these fishes also require proper care and conditions. Although care of Guppy fish is easy, one shouldn't underrate it as Guppies may suffer of diseases too!

Sexing

Females are much larger and rounder than males. They even do not look like the same specie. Unlike females which are dull grey, males are very colourful and have large fins. There are many types of Guppy fish and by breeding you can even create new variants. One of many variants is the Endler's Guppy (link). In size they are: 4.0 - 6.0 cm ( 1.6 - 2.3 in).

Information about feeding

The Guppy fish can be feed a wide variety of foods (flakes, Spirulina, lettuce, bloodworms, spinach, freeze dried foods, mosquito larvae). They eat almost everything. Guppies have small stomachs and can only consume a little bit of food at one feeding. By the way, it is entertaining to watch them eat larvae, which are almost as big as Guppies. They eat them like big spaghetti. It is recommended to feed them in small amounts (something that they eat in a two-three minutes) at least 3 times daily. When I kept these wonderful fishes, I used to give them food two times a day. However, from time to time they ate eggs of Panda Cories (if eggs are in a visible place, then they're not safe).

Breeding

When males and females are together they will breed for sure (if both are healthy, adult, and not too old). The males will perform a courtship display in front of the female by spreading their fins and curving their body. The Guppies are livebearers. The fry can left for themselves immediately after they are born. As a matter of fact, the guppy fry are a delicacy to most fish. Floating plants are good hiding places for fry. A guppy female does mature in about 3 months, males mature sooner. A female’s period lasts about 4 weeks. They are quick breeders, so if you have only Guppies in the tank, they can over breed. As it is already mentioned above, one can use them as food for bigger fish (although it might sound too drastic). Unlike other fish species, the breeding process of Guppies is considered very easy in general. Guppy babies are often eaten by adult specimens. Some aquarists move the babies into another aquarium, however if water parameters are different, the fry may die easily. If you're moving babies to another fish tank, always use water from old aquarium too!

The tank and care

Guppy fish require fairly warm temperatures (23-24 °C, 82-84°F), but they can live in water between 19.0 - 29.0°C (69 - 86 °F) and quiet vegetated water is good for survival too (Vallisneria Spiralis is a good plant for this purpose since it grows from from bottom to the surface, thus allowing Guppies to play, hide, chase each other). They are community fish. It is good to have more than 5 Guppies in a tank, otherwise they feel alone and this fact can affect their health in term of lifespan. It is recommended to have 1 male to 3 females. They seem to be annoying to other fish in the tank, because they often follow other fish around incessantly, but they do no harm. Only sometimes other fish bite their fins. And some big fish can eat them (starting with Gouramis, ending with Goldfish or big cichlids such as Jack Dempsey or Texas cichlid). So be careful what fish are kept in the tank along with Guppies. The water in the tank should be the pH 7.0 - 8.5 and dH of water (dGH) 12.0 - 18.0 °N.

Since Guppies tend to live happily in a tank with more than 10-15 inhabitants, a reasonably sized fish tank is necessary for raising them. I would never put Guppies into a tank of 20 litres or less. Actually, a 20L aquarium will never contain full 20L of water thanks to gravel, filter, driftwood, and the fact that no fish tank is filled from top to bottom. Instead, at least 40 litres are required for about 10-12 Guppies.

Never put a Guppy into a small fish bowl! Fish bowls are known for causing orientation problems and fish in small fish bowls use to die in a short time! If for some reason there is no chance how to avoid a bowl, try to get one that's as big as possible. Preferably 60 litres and more. In addition, create rows in order to help the fishes to orientate.

Diseases of Guppies

Just like other fish species, Guppies may suffer of diseases as well. The better water quality, the higher chances of keeping healthy Guppies. It's important to understand that stress is one of the most important factors in any disease. Feeling uncomfortable will lead to a disease no matter it's a fish, or any other animal in general. Since there is an article devoted to the most common diseases in home aquariums, feel free to visit it: aquarium fish diseases. When keeping Guppies, maintain the water of high quality (free of ammonia and related chemicals, pH of 7 at least, appropriate hardness and carbonate hardness, stable temperature) and you'll avoid almost every disease.

Selling the fish

Since Guppies are easy to breed, one can sell them very easily too. Of course, you need buyers firstly. In order to be successful, get various males (different colours, different sources) and only 2-3 males. Let them breed and try to sell males. Females aren't as demanded as males due to colours and fins. If you're trying to sell Guppies on the internet, make sure to take pictures in order to help potential customers when deciding!

Guppies can be ready for sale once they reach 1cm in length. Experienced breeders may sale them earlier too, however bigger fish have a higher chance to survive the transport and acclimatise easily.

Additional information and knowledge about Guppies

Many people ask how to control guppy population. There is a couple of easy solutions; Using a divider, separating females from males (meant as keeping them in two different fish tanks), selling fish to your local pet store, using Guppies as feeder fish, introducing a natural predator that will eat fry, or giving Guppies to someone who keeps, say, Oscar fish, Jack Dempsey Cichlids, Paradise fish or so.

As Guppies aren't very good jumpers, it is not likely to find them on the carpet or floor, but anyway people ask how long can a guppy live out of water. The more people, the more answers. Some specimens could live 10 minutes, while other only 5, and some could make it to an hour. The problem is that the longer a Guppy is out of water, the more damage it causes. It may survive 10 minutes, but you never know if such a fish is going to make it through the following night. In my experience anything up to 5-6 minutes should be safe.

People also ask how much water does a guppy need. There is not a correct answer, but keeping 1 Guppy per 1 liter isn't good. I recommend at least 5 liters per Guppy.

Guppy fish pictures

Thanks a lot to William Yen who has allowed us to use the pictures. There are males on all pictures except for the first one. There is a female on that image too behind the male; It can be differentiated easily because males have beautiful long fins and are coloured. Unlike males, females have big bellies and aren't coloured that nicely. Females are also bigger.

Guppy fish male and female


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Poecilia Libestes Reticulata, a fish commonly known as the Guppy, is a
very popular aquarium fish. It is particularly suitable for novice
aquarists since it is easy to keep and non-aggressive. The Guppy
belongs to the Livebearer group and will give birth to free swimming
fry instead of laying eggs. The Guppy originates from fresh and
brackish waters in South and Central America, but can today been found
wild in other places of the world as well, including Florida in the
U.S. The Guppy has been deliberately set free in several Asian waters
in an attempt to combat malaria by decreasing the number of mosquitoes.

You can choose between numerous Guppy fish variations,
differencing in the shape of the body as well as the colour of the
fish. The most common colours are red, green and blue. Guppy variations
include Veiltail guppy, Lacetail guppy, Lyretail guppy, Flagtail
guppy, Bottom and Double swordtail guppy, Long fin guppy, Fantail
guppy, Red tail guppy, Triangle tail guppy, Rounded guppy, Fancy guppy,
Tuxedo guppy, Glass guppy, Grass guppy, Mosaic guppy, King Cobra
guppy, Snakeskin guppy and Peacock guppy.

Guppies are often kept in community aquariums since they are
so peaceful. They do however prefer to be kept in species aquariums,
since other fish occasionally assault them by nipping their long fins.
When several Guppies are kept together they will form a beautiful
school.

A Guppy fish can be kept in a 2 gallon aquarium, but the
Guppy should ideally not be kept alone and larger aquarium that can
house several Guppies is preferred. You will also need basic
equipments: a heater and a thermometer to keep the water temperature
stable, a filter to ensure good water quality, a fish net to use when
you need to move your Guppy, an algae scrubber to keep the aquarium
clean, and an air stone or similar to keep the water high in oxygen.
Decorate the aquarium with plants, since the Guppy fish will feel
better and experience less stress when provided with hiding places. You
can also use rocks, branches and similar to decorate the aquarium. The
bottom of the aquarium should be covered with gravel. You can buy a
dechlorinating chemical from your fish store to remove harmful chlorine
from the tap water. Your Guppies will do best if you keep the water
temperature between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the aquarium, and
the pH between 6.8 and 7.6.

Guppies should be fed once or twice a day. It is very
important not to over-feed your Guppy. All food should be consumed
after just a few minutes. If not, you are feeding your Guppy to much
food in one serving. You can buy flake food specially made for tropical
fish, such as the Guppy in your fish store. A flake food diet is a
good base for the Guppy, but should ideally be supplemented with live
food. Your Guppy will survive on flake food alone, but the live food
makes the Guppy more well-nourished and healthier. Live or frozen Brine
Shrimp is a popular Guppy fish food since Brine Shrimp is very easy to
produce at home. Bloodworms, Micro Worms, Fruit Flies, Mosquito
larvae, Daphnia and chopped up Earthworms are other examples of
suitable food for your Guppy.



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Male Guppy. Copyright



Guppies are easy to breed in aquariums and they will often
spawn without any extra encouragement from their keeper. If you want to
ensure a higher survival rate for the offspring, it is recommended
that you place the expecting female Guppy in her own aquarium and let
her give birth there. The mother Guppy should then returned back to her
normal aquarium. A lot of Guppy breeders choose to include a so called
breeder net in the small aquarium. The breeder net divides the
aquarium into two separate areas, and only the fry are small enough to
swim through the net. As soon as the fry are born, they will therefore
be able to escape from their mother. When you set up the fry aquarium, a
5 gallon tank will be large enough. The water quality in the fry
aquarium must of course be kept in supreme condition. It must be kept
clean and look clear, and water changes must be performed at least 3
times a week. If you feed your fry live food you will probably have to
change the water even more often. When mother has given birth, you can
feed the fry Micro Worms, Infusoria, newly hatched Brine Shrimp,
crushed tropical fish flakes or Liquid fry food. Guppy fry need to be
fed more often then adult Guppy fish and four or five feedings a day is
recommended. Wait until the fry are at least one inch long before you
move them and let them and let them live with adult fish.


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