Guppies: 10 Things you should know before buying guppies

GUPPIES

The list of reasons that makes Guppies so popular in the hobby is long. Their bright colors, constant activity, and the fact that they are super easy to keep make them attractive to almost any fish keeper. But before you run out and get your first group of these gems, here are things that you should know about Guppies.

WHERE ARE THEY FROM?

It really does not matter from where they originate because all of the fish that you are going to find in the fish store are going to be captive-bred. There is no fish in this hobby that this is more true than Guppies. 

Guppies originate from rivers and lakes in South America but you will be hard-pressed to find wild-caught Guppies anywhere around. They are out there but the overwhelming majority of fish that you are gonna find available are gonna be bred by breeders all around the world.

Guppies are super easy to breed and they are one of the most popular fish in the hobby. So, it is no brainer for breeders all over the world to dedicate hundreds of tanks to them. Since they have been bred in captivity by so many breeders for so long it is really not necessary to try to match the water parameter that these would have seen in the wild, they have never been in the wild therefore they really have no idea of what is the water like there.

TANK REQUIREMENTS

Guppies are kind of like Bettas. They are a small fish and a lot of fishkeepers think WOW! because they can put pretty much anything and they will be just fine. While it is true they don't need a huge tank. but it is recommended to have at least a 5-gallon tank for your guppy, but bigger is always better.

You want to keep the temperature about 78-80 degrees to keep them nice and comfortable and keep your pH on a little of the higher side of neutral that is 7.2-7.4 that will be just fine.

TANK MATES

Guppies are one of those fish that you really don't need to worry about bothering other fish in your tank. The concerned needs to be putting tank mates in there that won't bother your guppies.

When selecting tankmates for your Guppies you want to stay with the smaller community type fish that are labeled as peaceful fish and stay away from fishes that have a reputation of being fin-nippers.

  • Cory cats
  • Bristelnose Pleco
  • Shrimps

Are the fish and invertebrates that have a huge success rate with Guppies because they mostly stay at the bottom of the tank whereas Guppies are going to be all over the place.

Only Guppy 

The great thing about Guppies is with there being so many different varieties and colors out there you can have an amazing aquarium with nothing but Guppies in there and not even worry about putting tank mates in with them. 

But it is good to keep some bottom dwellers in there maybe to clean up the mess a little bit and have some of them going down to the bottom. Get a bunch of Guppies of all different colors and then put 5-6 Cory catfishes down below to patrol the substrate and you will have an amazing little tank.

INBREEDING RAMIFICATIONS

Guppies have the reputation of being bullet-proof fish, but today it is not true anymore. Yes, they are a hardy fish but they are not as hardy as they use to be. Some of the reasons for it is

  • Some are very thin-breaded. As with all breeder fish without a proper outcross, the genes just get weaker.
  • Another reason is when they are bred as farms and massive ponds they cannot regulate who breeds with who. So, any fish with bad genes can spread it throughout the pond.

So, to have the best success at keeping Guppies make sure you get your fish from reliable sources. Regardless if it is overseas your local fish store or a local breeder.

BREEDING

If you are looking for a breeding fish then definitely Guppies are the best one to start off with. The reason behind that is because you practically have to just add water to your tank, they are gonna do it all. 

DIFFERENTIATING MALE AND FEMALE

The best way to differentiate between a male guppy and a female guppy is by their colors. The males are going to be the brightly colored ones with brighter fins. The females will be a little smaller and they will not be having all of those fancy fins. 

It is best to keep them in a group when females outnumber males. Because males can take care of a lot of females than you can think of. Breeding is simple, keep the water clean, keep them a little fat, and before you know you will have tiny teeny-tiny guppies swimming around.

The cool thing about these fish is when you buy a group of them, you won't have to buy fish ever again. They will just keep reproducing and you will have an endless supply of guppies forever.

LIVERBEARERS

Guppies are livebearers, they don't lay eggs so they don't have to protect these eggs. They actually just have free-swimming frays, they just use to come one after the other. Obviously, these frays are super small so they need to have plenty of room to hide, keep that in mind because you are going to have plenty of little things in your tank whether it is plants or little decoration for them to hide in. This way they will be safe.

Or you can just take the frays out and keep them in a separate tank, that is a lot of fun to watch them grow.

FEEDING GUPPIES

Guppies aren't picky about their food at all. The only issue you are going to have is finding food that is small enough to fit in their mouths. the best way out is to stick with the good quality community flake, they are all over the place, you can find them anywhere.

Feeding your guppies really isn't something that you need to worry about. Throw food in and they will eat it, just make sure it is of good quality.

GREAT FOR BEGINNERS

Guppies are great beginner fish, for starters they are just gorgeous. Another reason is that they are super hardy and they can survive so many fish keeping mistakes that new fish keepers tend to make.

They don't require a huge tank, not a lot of beginners are going o buy a 75 or 125-gallon tank. So these fish make it a lot easier for the new fish keepers. You can buy a smaller tank, you can start off with hardy fish, simple.

Starting this hobby with guppies is almost a guarantee of being successful, they are super forgiving and they are a lot of fun. You can put a 10-gallon and put 5-6 of them, you will have a lot of color, activity, and even have breading.

COMMON DISEASES

One of the most common diseases with guppies is gonna be ick and he very specific reason for this. No, it is not because they are more susceptible to this, it's much simpler than that because a lot of fishkeepers don't properly care for them. 

Soo many fishkeepers believe that heaters are not necessary to keep Guppies, these are tropical fish folks, which means they want the water to be a little on the warmer side. If you have done a 5-minute worth of research on how to prevent ick you know it is going to be, to keep the water warmer.

Another thing you will find in a lot of guppies is fin rotting. With those big beautiful fin all over the place, other fishes will nip it out them.

Both the diseases are easily treatable with medication but its a better practice to do just what is necessary to prevent this from happening in the first place. Put a heater in your Guppy tank, keep up with the maintenance and do not put tankmates who have the reputation of being fin-nippers, and you are good.

LIFE SPAN

A well kept Guppy can live for 1-3 years and sometimes longer. If you put a good ratio of males and females together, these fish are going to breed like crazy. So, you will think they will live a couple of years, but if you do your job in keeping up with maintenance and keep the environment right for the fish, you basically are going to have an endless supply.

They are going to be coming and going all the time and you will never be without them

MAKE A STATEMENT!

How many fish tanks have you seen that only have 1-2 fish in them? Everybody likes to have more fish in your tank all the time.

With the Guppy fish, you will get all, you will have tons of colors, tons of activity, you don't need a huge tank, they don't cost a lot and they are easy to keep.

If you are new to fish keeping and you are thinking about what fish to get for your first fish tank, then give Guppies a chance they are so hardy and they are a lot of fun.

 

 

 

About author

Comments

Tagged Articles