Guppy – Poecilia reticulata
Species name: Poecilia reticulata
Common names: Guppy
Family: Poecilidae
Subfamily: Poeciliinae
Order: Cyprinodontiformes (rivulines, killifishes and live bearers)
Class: Actinopterygii
Maximum length: 1.6 – 2.4 in
Minimum tank size: 5 gallon
Hardiness: Easy
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Distribution: Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, Venezuela.[3]
Diet: Omnivore. In the wild, guppy feeds on zooplankton, small insects and detritus. In captivity they will accept almost all fish food. Even though they look hungry all the time, you should feed them once or twice a day.
Additional information:
The Guppy is certainly one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. Everybody knows about this fish. The guppy is native to South America where it occurs in various habitats, ranging from highly turbid water in ponds, canals and ditches at low elevations to pristine mountain streams at high elevations.
This fish is small with brightly-coloured, usually triangular tails, a pointed nose and upturned mouth. Many different colour and tail type variations have been selectively bred. Males have longer, wider flowing tails and dorsal fins. The bodies of males are typically more colourful than their female counterparts. Females are considerably larger than males, have a white or clear body and may display a colourful tail, although shorter and not as flowing. Aside from coloration, sex can also be determined by the presence of the gonopodium organ. Mature females also have a dark gravid spot near their vent.
The ideal aquarium should be heavy planted with open area to swim. Guppies like to be kept in groups. When selecting your guppies, try to buy about 1 male for every 3-4 female. Ideally, the water should have a pH of 7-8.5, a dGH of 12-18 and a temperature between 66.2-84.2F.
Guppies are highly prolific livebearers. The gestation period of a guppy is 21-30 days, with an average of 28 days, varying according to water temperature. 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. Guppies prefer water temperatures of about 27 °C (82 °F) for reproduction. The female guppy has drops of between 2-100 fry, typically ranging between 5 and 30. From the moment of birth, each fry is fully capable of swimming, eating, and avoiding danger. After giving birth, the female is ready for conception again within only a few hours. In fact, guppies have the ability to store sperm, so the females can give birth many times, after only once breeding with a male.
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Article written by www.aquariumslife.com
References: Wikipedia, The Aquarium Wiki, FishBase
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