Guppies have been a staple of the aquarium hobby for generations. Originating in tropical pools in South America and the Caribbean Islands, these fish are now available in a wide variety of colors that have been produced by selective breeding at fish farms. Many guppy keepers may start out with only one or two fish, but being live-bearers with long-term sperm storage, you may be in for a full tank before long.
The guppy has been captive bred for over 100 years, but originally came from South America. They are named for Robert John Lechmere Guppy who collected these fish on the island of Trinidad in 1866.
Whatever color combination you can dream of, there is probably a perfect guppy for you. Males have more vibrant colors than females, such as white, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, and black, and have longer caudal and dorsal fins. Tail fins may have a marbled or striped appearance, or the fish may be all one or two colors, such as various shades of blue, black, orange, green, yellow, red, purple, and white. Depending on the variety, some guppies have short, rounded tails, some "V"-shaped, and others can have an elongated tail half the length of their body.
Guppies are omnivores and do well on a variety of commercially available feeds. Even though guppies are small in size, pelleted diets called micro pellets are the best choice since they hold onto their nutrition longer than flakes. You are welcome to add supplements, such as frozen fish foods, but no more than once or twice a week. The complete pelleted diet is best for most pet fish species.
Female Guppy Assorted
Breeding the Guppy
Many beginner hobbyists will start with only one female guppy and suddenly have a swarm. Since female guppies can store sperm, it only takes one insemination by a male for a few spawns to be born. In order to prevent your aquarium from maxing out its stocking capacity, it is always best to separate male and female guppies.
Guppies are live-bearers, so the female will give birth to 10–50 wiggling fry per spawning. Many times, the newly born fry will be eaten by other fish in the aquarium, so if you want to save any fish, keep them in a separate tank or breeding box. Heavily planted aquariums will also give the babies places to hide and survive.
After breeding together many generations of the same population, you may notice an increased number of fish with congenital abnormalities, such as crooked spines or shortened lifespans.
What are the different guppy tail types?
Guppies have been bred to have a variety of tail shapes, as well as many different color combinations. Some of the most common tail types you'll see at the pet store include:
- Fantail: This is a flowing tail in the shape of an open fan.
- Veiltail: The veiltail guppy has a longer, more flowing tail than the fantail guppy.
- Delta: This tail is similar to the fantail but a little larger and more rounded.
- Flagtail: The flagtail guppy has a slightly shorter, narrower tail than the fantail.
- Double Swordtail: This striking tail has two sword-shaped protrusions, one upper and one lower.
- Top Swordtail: These guppies have just one "sword," on top.
- Bottom Swordtail: These guppies have a "sword" on the lower part of their tail.
- Lyretail: These guppies have an upper and lower protrusion on their tail, but the lyretail is much more rounded and flowing than the swordtail.