Overview: This order contains mixed male guppies. It could be a great addition to the tank as males are always vibrant and colorful compared to the female guppy fish. Easy to maintain and easier to breed, guppies always fascinate aquarists. At the same time, their peaceful nature and undemanding character make them perfect for beginners too. Also, they can tolerate a wide range of water parameters and ecological conditions. Guppies belong to family Poeciliidae. They can be found in varied colors as the fancy guppies are the outcome of careful and selective breeding.
Distribution and Habitat: Guppies have become one of the most fascinating livebearer aquatic animals. Today they are popular among breeders as well. They are widely distributed and can be found dwelling in small pools to large streams. Guppies are the habitant of South America, preferable The Netherlands, Antibes, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Brazil, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the U.S Virgin Islands, and Venezuela. Due to their temperature tolerance and robust nature, they can be found in all the places.
Temperature: Guppies can tolerate a wide range of water conditions. They are freshwater fish and love to swirl around in the same ecology. Properly cycled tanks with the temperature between 23 and 28 degrees C will be the best. A sudden fluctuation in temperature may put stress on the guppies. So try not to give them any kind of stress, especially in their initial days in the tank.
Water Condition: Just like temperature, guppies can tolerate a wide range of salinity and hardness too. While pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.5 is quite tolerable, the ideal pH is between 7.0 and 7.2. Make sure the tank size is not less than 5 gallons when guppies are there. Guppies love a well-planted tank that gives them enough space to hide and play.
Breeding: If you want guppies for breeding purposes, you might have to adjust the water parameters to make the water suitable for breeding. Also, including certain plants like ferns could help the fries to hide after getting delivered. Maintain cleanliness of the water and make sure you perform partial water changes weekly.
Feeding: Guppies can feed on a variety of foods as they are omnivorous in nature. They can feed on live food like plants, algae, micro worms, etc. You can also feed them baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and vinegar eels. It is important to provide enough food to the guppies, to let them live their full life healthily. From egg yolk to ground flake and liquid fish food, they can feed on anything.
Lifespan: Guppies can live up to 2 to 3 years when well-fed under suitable water conditions. Since they are undemanding and robust in nature, they can survive well in varied conditions. However, it is important to have all the parameters within the range to avoid fish coming under any kind of stress. When all the conditions are preferable, Cobra Guppies can swirl happily for 20 to 24 months or even more in the aquarium.
Did You Know?
A few aquarists say that male guppies can determine which female guppy is virgin and which ones are already pregnant.
