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Guppy

Overall

Guppy is perhaps the easiest to care for and is considered one of the hardiest fish for any
freshwater aquarium. They are always active with the males courting the females all the time
and they will breed in large numbers often overrun the whole aquarium. Guppy will tolerate
different range of aquarium temperatures and generally they are not sensitive to changes in
water quality with regards to buildup of nitrite and nitrate. And because of this, they are often
used as starter fish for newly established community aquarium so that the aquarium waters
are fully cycled before other types of fish are added in.
Guppies can be easily distinguished from other fish species by their long trailing and wellspread colorful tails and they are often found
with combination of red, green and blue color
mix that covers the body and fins. However,
these features only exist in the male species
while for the females, they appear as dull grey
color and the overall shape is not as attractive as
the male fish. Another obvious difference is that
the size of the male fish only reaches 2-3 inches
in length excluding the tail while the female
guppies can grow up to 5 inches long.
Guppies are not picky when it comes to food. However, in order to ensure healthy and lively
fish, you should introduce a mix of live foods plus dried fish flakes as added nutrition. They
are considered a peaceful fish which are not aggressive except towards their own species
especially when you have males that outnumbered the females going against the 1:3 male to
female ratio. In community aquarium, they are often mixed with other smaller fish such as
mollies, platies and danios.
The ideal water chemistry needed to successfully raise the fish involves pH between 7.2-8.5
and the temperature range can be in the region of 18-25degC. It is always a good idea to
source for large aquarium size to accommodate the fish and usually a 20-gallon tank is more
than enough to house 4-5 guppies as a start. Having different types of live aquarium plants is
also recommended for a guppy tank setup. Usually the plants will act not only as hiding spot
for newborn fish fry but will also enhance the water quality for the growth of guppies.

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Guppy

Feeding

Foods for Fancy Guppies

Raising fry on live or frozen Baby Brine Shrimp, live microworms, egg yolk,
etc. ( see page on fry ) will build them up quickly to take on an even
greater variety of food when they are physically able to consume it.
Live food is known as the best food for fish since its nutrition is fresh, it
provides essential fats and amino acids, it survives in the tank so it rarely
fouls the water, and fish enjoy eating it. Live cultures such as those
mentioned here are rarely sold by stores, but can be obtained through
aquarium club members, fish auctions, and via the internet.
Freeze-dried foods are a close second nutrionally. The food is frozen, the
moisture is evaporated, and the nutrients are preserved. Freeze dried
foods can be stored indefinitely in a cool, dry place. Flakes are about as
good as freeze dried (FD) foods, and in many cases, better in my opinion
when there is a good mix of ingredients and vitamins. The key to
remember, though, is variety.
Beef Heart
Needs to be chopped, cleaned of any fat or sinew, and grated from frozen
when needed. Avoid feeding to adult guppies since males may develop a
fatty liver and look as if bulging in the chest. Vitamins, garlic and other
ingredients can be added using a blender. For young guppies, this is a
very cost efficient way of feeding growth food as beef heart can be found
to be quiet inexpensive in the grocery store.
Bloodworms
Live, frozen or freeze-dried, though high in fat. These are actually the
larvae of the Chironomus mosquito. Feed only in small, infrequent
quantites to adult guppies.
Grindal Worms
These are nematodes similar to microworms but somewhat larger (1/4" to
1/2") and suitable for guppies about 1/2" long to adult. They can be
raised in sterilized, moist peat moss mix or potting soil, and be fed baby
cereal. These worms, like microworms, are heat tolerant. Cultures
sometimes become infested with mites or gnats.
White Worms
These are larger worms (1 -1 1/2") similar to grindal worms, and related to
earthworms, which are high in fat. They should not be fed too often to

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guppies but is a favourite treat that needs to be chopped due to their
size. They do best in cooler temperatures; many people keep them in a
refrigerator.

Mosquito Larvae (Black)

These are the typical larvae you see at the surface of outdoor water, and
about the most natural food food available for guppies; in fact, guppies
and their relatives the mosquito fish are intentionally put in lakes and
streams to decrease mosquito populations. They are an excellent source
of vitamins and albumen and guppies eat them as long as they can fit
them into their mouths. You can "grow" them in outdoor tubs in the
summer; just seed the water with green water or other bacteria to
encourage the growth of infusoria which will attract mosquitoes. You may
even use a stagnant wading pool with grass clippings (with no insecticides
or herbicides). After gathering the larvae with a net, rinse well. Make
sure all the larvae is eaten or they will begin flying around!
Drosophila (wingless fruit flies)
You can keep your own culture of these in a medium similar to that used
for microworms, however, they seem to start developing wings and cause
a bit of a problem if kept at high temperatures. Harvesting them is
easier if they are chilled in the refrigerator first so that they move slowly.
Fruit flies can only be fed in a controlled manner, since any uneaten flies
will crawl out of the tank.
Freeze-dried Plankton
Contains high protein and fatty acids essential for health and growth;
excellent colour enhancer and conditioner; very complete food. Could be
difficult to grind up and needs pre-soaking.
Tubifex Worms
Even though fish love these and they are considered by many to be an
excellent conditioning food high in albumen, avoid feeding these live to
guppies, especially without extensive rinsing! These worms live in
sewage, where the water is so polluted that fish could not survive. They
carry with them bacteria that often kills guppies. Fortunately they are
available in freeze dried form and these should be safe - though use only
as a treat.
Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp

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Fairly high in salt content but a great source of protein and convenient to
feed fry as it crumbles easily. Brine Shrimp is also available in flake and
frozen forms.

Greens
Guppies need their greens.
Algae: An excellent food source and left to grow on certain ornaments or
one side of the tank, the fish can nibble on it between meals. It is a source
of vitamins B, C, D and E.
Spirulina: A natural micro-algae that is easily digested and rich in proteins,
fatty acids, vitamins A and B, as well as iron and calcium. These help
guppies have healthier fins and helps them resist skin infections. It also
contains carotenoid pigments that will bring out the best colour in
guppies. Available in flake and frozen forms. There is now available an
item called P.D.P. which is "Pre-Digested Plankton, a patented (Hagen) bioprocessed natural pigment."
Overfeeding
It is important to remember that it is easy to overfeed an adult guppy.
When they reach full size, they need much less food. Some older male
Guppies will develop a "pot belly" -- a chestiness that is very unhealthy if
they were raised on a rich diet including beef heart. It does seem to help if
they remain active as adults, but a fatty diet should be decreased as a fish
reaches adulthood or they could die an untimely death. Guppies seem to
always be hungry but quality is more important that quantity. You may
want to consider fasting your adult fish once a week. This helps keep the
water cleaner, and you will find your fish, as a rule, waste less food
throughout the week.

Guppy

chemistry

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Guppies originate from the rivers and brackish estuaries in Trinidad and the northern and
central parts of the Americas. Scientists have found them in warm springs and their effluents,
weedy ditches and canals. They are found in highly turbid water in ponds, canals and ditches
at low elevations to pristine mountain streams at high elevations. The wild guppy has adapted
to a variety of habitats with a variety of water conditions.

Modern tank-raised guppies are several hundred generations removed from their wild
ancestors, so it's dangerous to generalize about the water parameters they are "naturally"
adapted to. Scientific studies have shown that many fish have a genetic potential to adapt to
new and different water conditions. When the Suez Canal was built, it formed a conduit
between two very different water bodies and the fish that migrated through the canal slowly
adapted over many generations to the very different waters of the two bodies the canal
connects. While fishing in a river that empties into the Gulf of Mexico, saltwater red snapper
can be caught in the middle of the river and freshwater bluegill and bass along the edges. This
was inland over 15 miles and they could be caught anytime of the year, these fish must have
adapted.
The scientific study is supported by anecdotal evidence from guppy breeders who maintain
that guppies born and raised in local water conditions have a much better survival rate than
guppies from distant areas with dissimilar water parameters. It is also reported that some
strains are hardier than others. For example, swordtails have the reputation for being hardier
than delta tails.
In the wild, nature selects tough guppies with the genes for surviving adverse water
conditions and disease. Human select show guppies for visual appearance. Its not surprising
that guppies have lost their reputation for being indestructible, although some people blame
the increased tendency of guppies to become diseased on the introduction of exotic diseases
from Asia over the past few decades and the development of anti-biotic resistant bacteria
strains. This is an oversimplification. By virtue of the fact that the majority of people select
guppies for human aesthetic reasons rather than health, everybody is contributing to the
problem. An immediate sign of the guppys adverse reaction to water changes is fraying of
fins. Contemporary guppys long fins are often too thin and therefore fragile. For example,
moving a fish from one tank to another may result in split tails if the temperature varies more
than two degrees between the aquariums.
These guppies at a show have been placed in water that is quite different from their home
tank. They are showing signs of stress, hanging near the surface of the bowl.
Other indications of the guppys adverse reaction to sudden water changes are that they hover
near the surface or begin to shimmy. Their fins may clamp. The guppies may become shy,
although they may also just be frightened in their new environment. If shyness persists more
than a day, and it is accompanied by other signs, than it is probably poor water quality. See
the Guppy Library of Diseases and Treatments for the article on Poor Water Quality.
Stable Water Conditions

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Guppies do best in water that is slightly alkaline and moderately hard. Stabilizing the water
conditions so that they stay near these parameters is the overarching goal of a good water
management system.
The majority of guppy breeders in North America live in areas with naturally hard water, so
the most common advice you hear is to adjust guppies to local water conditions. However,
breeders who live in areas where the water is naturally soft will tell you that guppies do not
fare well in soft water. Breeders living in areas where water is soft will probably have to add
chemicals to harden their water. Given that they will often be importing guppies from hard
water areas, adding chemicals to harden the water is probably a good long-term strategy.
As a general rule, guppies will do much better in water that is a little too hard or a little too
alkaline than water that is too soft or too acidic. A corollary rule is that rapid changing the
water to conditions a guppy is comfortable in is better than rapid changes away from its
comfort zone. However, rapid change is not good for guppies, period.
People who boast that they can grow guppies in water outside their range of preferred
conditions are playing with a time bomb. All the factors affecting a guppys health, including
diet, light, natural or acquired immunity, the state of the nitrogen cycle and the tank chemistry
are intertwined. Guppies living at the extremes of their tolerances will often suddenly and
quickly fall apart. A sudden drop in temperature, a blood worm infested with a pathogen, a
new fish the spark that lights the fuse of the time bomb will blow up your tank of show fish
quickly indeed.
So here is the goal of a good water management system once again: Stabilize your tank to
water that is slightly alkaline and moderately hard.

Guppy

BREEDING

So, you want to develop a genetic breeding strategy! Perhaps even breed a new type of
guppy. The time has never been better.
Commercial breeders are bringing new types of guppies to market with distinctive colors,
patterns and finnage shapes creating a geometric increase in possible breeding
combinations. Add to this the renewed popularity of guppies demonstrated by the
literally hundreds of guppy clubs world-wide and your chance of gaining recognition or
even making a little money are better than ever.

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One reason for this new popularity is that
transporting tropical fish can now be safely
and economically done over long distances.
The other reason is the Internet. Web sites like
Guppies.com give you, the small breeder with
unusual fish, a chance to sell hobbyist-tohobbyist and even, if you are very good, to the
commercial market.
The frustrations for many that first try
breeding guppies is that it is harder than you
might expect. This is the downside of getting
into a breeding program:

You need multiple tanks in various

sizes. In fact, you will need about 13
tanks per type of guppy you seek to

develop. You can do it with fewer tanks, but you will probably not be very
successful. Give it some thought. You need to separate males from females. So
with a breeding tank and two separation tanks you are up to three tanks. Now
repeat that number of tanks for at least three other promising candidates for the
type you are seeking to breed and add at least one "grow-out" tank for the culls to
be sold inexpensively to aquarium shops. Thirteen tanks in all and you may
decide to add two hospital tanks (one for males and one for females).

Guppy females are capable of holding sperm internally from approximately six
matings. This means that you must be very alert to separate the immature males
from females. A mistake will lower your odds of success significantly. You will be
the guardian of the virginity of literally hundreds of guppy females. It may sound
amusing when put like this but the serious breeders who are reading this are
smiling because they know how true this statement is.

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In general, when two guppies mate you only have a small chance of getting a new
guppy type. In general, 25% is the best you can expect so you will be netting
about 75% of the developing fish to put into the grow-out tank.

Finally, a successful breeding program will start the breeding when the guppies
are about six to eight months of age. Guppies only live about two years and if you
wait too long the chance of a
strong breeding program is
reduced.
By now you may be giving the idea
of setting up a breeding program
second thoughts. So, here are some
reasons to think about going ahead
anyway.

The guppy breeding cycle is

short, approximately 26 to 28
days. This means you see
results quickly. You can see
results from the first trials in
less than a year. This is faster
than most tropical fish you
could choose.

You can automate most of

the process. Guppies don't
jump up on you to go for a
walk several times a day. You
can even get away for a long
weekend without too much
worry.

Then there is the challenge.

Now that you know the facts.
The choice is up to you.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead.

Getting guppies to breed is not a
problem as anyone who has kept these interesting, colorful tropical fish can attest. Using
genetics is committing yourself to developing a specific type of guppy and is a challenge
that will test your determination.

There is a
can be
for the
Now
over the
press,

popular belief that Guppies are a hardy fish which

neglected, yet still flourish, and that they are a fish
beginner.
although many fishkeepers started with Guppies,
years the species has encountered some quite bad
mainly due to overbreeding and inbreeding issues.

However,
perfectly

there is absolutely no reason why you cannot have a

healthy tank of these stunningly coloured fish. As

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Guppies are easy breeders, with a little care you can optimise your chances for a healthy, vibrant
stock.

Know your strain

Before you attempt to breed Guppies, you need to understand the characteristics of your chosen
strain - each is unique.
This can be tricky if the person you bought your fish from does not know its genetic make-up.
However, all is not lost as close observation and the keeping of breeding logs will reveal much.
The first step is to note all the characteristics of your stock. For instance, does the colour have a
uniform look or is it more intense in specific areas? What about fin shapes? Find out what the ideal
shape should be.
Fellow enthusiasts are always a good source of information. Find out if your strain carries the traits
you want on the X- or the Y-chromosome. The Internet can be very useful in helping you trace the
genetic make-up of your fish.
Obviously if you have a specific goal, e.g. solid black fish, this makes it easier to organise your tank
space and select the fish you intend to keep out of each litter, i.e. black in the body, or even a
particular dorsal or caudal shape.
Never, ever keep just the one pair of breeders: disease happens, no matter how careful you are,
and you do not want to put those years of hard work in jeopardy by losing just two fish. Ideally, aim
for two or three trios in separate tanks.

Keep those records

Your breeding log should have the following information:
Identity: Give each breeding pair or trio an identity number, so your
first pair is number 1, your second number 2 and so on. This allows
you to trace the lineage and any crosses that have been made.
Sex: M or F for male or female.
Colour/strain: e.g. half-black red delta or yellow snakeskin.
Generation: Start with P for parentage, followed by F1, F2 etc.
Cross: Are the fish being bred brother to sister (siblings), parents to
daughter or son (backcross), or to a genetically related strain
(outcross)?
Parents: What was the identity number of the parent fish?
DOB: Date litter was dropped. This is useful to work out the age of fish for breeding and to track
their progress for finnage and colour development, which varies according to strain.
Breeders produced: Did they produce any litters with potential breeders?
Notes: Allow plenty of room for observations about when the fish started to sex out, ratio of males
to females, growth rates, etc.
Always mark the tank with the ID number and the date the litter was born. Masking tape is good as
you can easily remove this and attach it to the fish's new tank if you move it.

Line breeding
The problem with successive inbreeding is that each generation loses some genetic diversity. Line
breeding helps overcome this and keeps a strain true.
Basically it combines inbreeding with a crossing from a related line every few generations, ensuring
healthy Guppies for years.
The most common method is to break your strain into two lines for inbreeding. Then after three
generations, cross the lines. A simple illustration of inbreeding is.

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Line 1

Line 2

P1

P1

F1

F1

F2

F2

Cross Line 1 F2 female (F) with Line 2 F2 male (M), and Line 2 F2
F with Line 1 F2 M.
Guppies are typically four months old before they can be bred,
so to repeat the above for three generations would take about
12 months before your first cross. Also the more lines you run, the more diversified your gene pool
will be.

Out-crossing
This refers to the mating of two unrelated Guppies. While inbreeding reduces the variations of your
offspring and line breeding helps keep your gene pool intact, out-crossing corrects or adds a gene
to your strain.
For example, you may want to get a bigger dorsal fin, improve the colour or rectify a defect in the
caudal fin. Or you may even want to create a totally new strain.
Having said that, out-crossing is best not attempted by a novice
for if you get it wrong, you could lose the strain traits altogether.
With out-crossing, it's critical to ensure strains are compatible some colour strains mix, others don't. For instance, crossing a
variegated snakeskin with a half-black red results in a very mixedup Guppy. You really need to keep the original strains pure.
Out-crossing demands plenty of tank space and patience to carry
out the required backcrosses to end up with the results you want.
You'll need to use established strains whose genetics are stable, meaning that all offspring look
identical.
Finally, try the cross both ways - female to outcross strain and male to outcross strain; you may not
know whether the trait you want is X- or Y-chromosome linked.

Backcrossing
This is where you breed, say, the male of a strain that you want to rectify
a problem back to one of his daughters from the outcross, or the female of
the strain back to her son from the outcross.
The aim is to restore the strain to its original format, but with the trait
fixed.
You may have to perform this a few times. The way to check is if the
sibling-to-sibling mating produces replicas of the parents with the trait
fixed.