Have you ever watched a children’s television series – Bubble Guppies? It is produced by Jonny Belt and Robert Scull and is mainly about the underwater adventures of a group of guppies. If you are keeping guppy fish in your aquarium, and have watched the television series, you may deeply love the guppy fish again. Then in this article, let’s explore further and understand the guppies.
Guppy fish
Guppy fish belong to the Poeciliidae family, which is also famous as rainbow fish. Guppies are one kind of popular tropical freshwater fish. They are peaceful and easy to care for, accordingly, guppies are an excellent option for beginners. Moreover, guppy fish are colorful and possess slim bodies as well as attractive fins. There are surprising types of guppy fish. On the one hand, guppies types can be classified by species. On the other hand, they can be categorized by colors, patterns, fin types, tail shape, and eye color.
Guppy types by species
1. Poecilia reticulata (Fancy guppy/Common guppy)
Poecilia reticulata are from the Caribbean islands and the northeastern areas of South America. Guppies are hardy and have great adaptability. They can grow up to about 2.5 inches, and female guppies are usually larger than male ones.
2. Poecilia wingei (Endler guppy/Endler’s livebearer)
Poecilia wingei comes from South America. The guppy can reach 1.8 inches. Also, female guppies are larger than male ones. On the contrary, the male ones are more colorful than the females. However, Poecilia wingei is not common and hard to find.
3. Micropoecilia picta (Swamp guppy/Painted guppy/Scarlet livebearer)
Micropoecilia picta is native to the Caribbean and South America. Generally, the females are larger than the males. Besides that, the guppies possess orange or red colors. Moreover, they prefer hard water and slightly brackish water.
Rare guppy fish
In addition to common guppies, let’s learn about some rare guppy fish.
1. Albino guppy
Albino guppies are appealing. However, they are not colorful like some guppies, because they can not produce black melanin pigment. Most albino guppies possess white bodies, while sometimes there are some other colors on their bodies, pink, red, or yellow for instance. In the meantime, their eyes are pink or red. Also, the face is pink. Besides that, their fins possibly are white, blue, or red.
2. Half-black green guppy
The guppies’ bodies are half-black and half-green, as well as with shades of gold. Nonetheless, it is a pity that the half-black green guppies are hard to breed.
3. Moscow guppy
Moscow guppies have long tails, featuring dark blue, black, and purple patterns. Unlike half-black green guppies, Moscow guppies are easy to breed. But the guppies are rare and expensive.
How long do guppies live
Generally, most guppies can live for 1–3 years on average. Factors, including genetics, gender, diet, and aquarium conditions, will affect how long guppies live. It is reported that males’ lifespans are shorter than females’ lifespans. However, pregnancy will reduce female guppies’ lifespans. Then, how can we extend guppies’ lifespans? We will cover it next.
Tank size and tank mates
The minimum tank size for guppy fish is 10 gallons. On the other hand, you can keep guppies with some peaceful fish, rather than aggressive ones. Or guppy fish may be stressed and even suffer death. Corydoras catfish and neon tetra are excellent options. Or you can also only keep guppies in a fish tank. Keeping two female guppies and one male guppy in a small aquarium is acceptable.
Suitable water parameters
Maintaining suitable water parameters makes guppies feel comfortable and stay healthy. In the meantime, we would like to cover some ideal water parameters for guppies.
- Water temp: 72-82℉
- pH level: 6.8-7.8
- Water hardness: 8-12
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrites: 0
- Nitrates: less than 10 ppm
Great water quality
Adding an aquarium filter is necessary, which plays an important role in keeping great water quality. Besides that, keeping regular water changes is also vital. Meanwhile, you should test the new water with the aquarium water test kit before adding the water to the guppy tank.
An aquarium heater
Adding an aquarium heater is also crucial. Since water temperature fluctuation may lead to guppy fish deaths. An aquarium heater can help to keep a stable water temperature. A smart heater can automatically heat according to the set temperature ranges.
Diet
You should make sure to feed the guppy with high-protein food. Mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworms are excellent choices. Cucumbers, carrots, and green beans can also be good food sources for guppies. But you should remember never to overfeed your guppies.
Hiding places
Yeah, your guppies are fond of hiding places in aquariums. Because it makes them feel safe. Then their stress will be reduced accordingly. Adding some aquatic plants or other aquarium decorations can do it. Java fern, hornwort, and Amazon sword are perfect choices. Furthermore, guppies can explore the fish tank decorations, and they will be happy.
How many guppies are in a 10-gallon tank
Overstock may cause bad water quality as well as pose threats to guppies in a fish tank and even be fatal for guppies. Then, how many guppies should be kept in a 10-gallon tank? To begin with, we would like to share the guppy fish size with you. Usually, a male guppy can grow up to 0.6-1.4 inches, while a female guppy can reach 1.2-2.4 inches. Specifically speaking, you can hold about 10-15 male guppies in a 10-gallon fish tank. On the other hand, you can only keep 5-10 female guppies in it. If you plan to keep males and females in a 10-gallon planted tank, it is better to keep two female guppies and one male guppy.
Suggestion from reader Tim Karr:
People need to understand that you can keep 1 inch of fish for every 10 gallons, which would mean a minimum of five females can be kept in a 10-gallon up to 10 males in a 5-gallon if they are endless, even more. Also, an additional point is we are talking about guppies here. They are highly social animals and get stressed out and can die from being lonely. So with the right filtration, you could keep probably in the range of 15 guppies in a 10-gallon tank with lots of plants and good filtration.
Can I put guppies and betta in one fish tank?
No, it is unsafe to put guppies and bettas in one fish tank. Because the guppies are Platy want hard water while a betta wants soft, besides, betta fish are semi-aggressive, so they really shouldn’t be tanked together. Thus, if you don’t have a new tank for one of them and have to keep them together in the short term, it requires appropriate care.
A suitable tank size
It is vital to provide sufficient room for fish to swim and explore. Moreover, overstock may cause disease. Take a 10-gallon fish tank as an example, it is feasible to introduce two guppies and one betta fish. For larger aquariums, you can introduce more guppies, but only one betta.
The right betta fish
Seeing that betta fish are semi-aggressive, consequently, less aggressive ones are ideal options, like Halfmoon betta and delta betta. Also, female bettas are less aggressive than male ones. Furthermore, bettas in small sizes are also a great alternative.
Limit betta population
Betta may nibble guppy’s fins. Although guppy fish can survive with damaged fins, it may lead to health issues. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the betta population. It is better to keep only one betta with guppies.
Adding aquatic live plants
On the one hand, guppies can hide and rest behind the plants. Betta fish like to hide in plants too. Accordingly, injury can be reduced. Amazon Sword, Java Fern, and Java Moss are perfect choices.
Protect guppy fry
Betta fish can eat guppy and guppy fry easily. Besides that, guppy fish are easy to breed, and they can produce small fish at one time. And it may cause overstock. As a result, it is best to set up a breeding tank. Or you can only keep male guppies with a betta. If you’re going to set up a guppy breeding tank, please go to Are You Ready for Guppy Breeding.
Dear friends, that is all for today! Have you learned more about guppies? If you have any wonderful ideas about guppy fish, welcome to share them in the comment! Finally, thanks for your reading!
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This article is inaccurate. People need to understand that you can keep 1 inch of fish for every 10 gallons, which would mean a minimum of five females can be kept in a 10 gallon up to 10 males in a 5 gallon if they are endless even more. Also, an additional point is we are talking about guppies here. They are highly social animals and actually get stressed out and can die from being lonely. So with the right filtration, you could keep probably in the range of 15 guppies in a 10 gallon tank with lots of plants and good filtration. Whoever wrote this article was either extremely conservative in there ability to keep fish or just flat wrong.
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