guppy common

The common guppy or simple guppy, scientific name Poecilia reticulata, belongs to the Poeciliidae family. Unlike numerous breeding forms, it has a modest color, which resembles its wild relatives living in nature. For this reason, it is less common in the aquarium hobby.

Habitat

Wild populations originally inhabited water bodies in the northeast of South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana) and islands in the southern Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, etc.). It is now found in many other countries, including Europe, where it was introduced to control mosquito larvae.

They inhabit almost all biotopes, from flowing forest streams and muddy tropical swamps to brackish river estuaries. Prefer shallow water with rich aquatic vegetation.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 40 liters.
• Temperature – 17-28°C
• Value pH — 7.0–8.5
• Water hardness – soft to high (10-30 dGH)
• Substrate type – any
• Lighting – moderate or bright
• Brackish water is permissible in a concentration of up to 15 g per 1 liter
• Water movement – light or moderate
• The size of the fish is 3–6 cm.
• Food – any food
• Temperament – peaceful
• Content alone, in pairs or in a group

Description

Adults reach a length of 3–6 cm. Males are smaller in size and look slimmer. There are orange, turquoise, black spots in the body pattern. The females are larger, the color is gray monochromatic. The belly is large and silvery.

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The minimum recommended tank volume for a group of 3-5 fish starts at 40 liters. However, many are kept in more modest tanks. For example, a couple of common Guppies are able to successfully adapt to life in a three-liter jar.

Although the design is not essential, nevertheless, several shelters in the form of thickets of plants should be provided. They will become a refuge for fry, which will inevitably appear in the presence of a sexually mature male and female.

The fish can adapt to different environments and also live in brackish environments. With regular maintenance of the aquarium with a long-term maintenance of a small flock, you can do without a heater and a filtration system.

Food

They accept most popular foods of suitable size in dry, frozen and live form.

Behavior and Compatibility

Peaceful calm fish. The number of compatible species is quite large. The common guppy gets along well with representatives of other species of comparable size and temperament.

Breeding / breeding

For the appearance of fry, one condition is enough – the presence of a female and a male, they will do the rest themselves. The fry appear regularly. Due to poorly developed parental instincts, juveniles can become a victim of adult fish, so it is advisable to transplant the resulting offspring into a separate tank in a timely manner.

Fish diseases

It is considered one of the hardiest species, even among other varieties of Guppy. Cases of the disease are rare and occur mainly in neglected aquariums, due to injury or through contact with already sick fish.