Chief_waterchanger

Credits

The main body of the caresheet was prepared by Chief_Waterchanger and Dino. Contributions by other members are clearly stated.

The caresheet was standardised and editted by Armadillo.

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Geographic origin

Poecilia Reticulata (aka fancy guppy) are originally from an island northeast of South America. They are produced largely in asiatic farms.

Lifespan

The average lifespan for Poecilia Reticulata is 2-3 years. Their reproductive lifespan is at its peak from 6 months to 18 months of age.

Reproduction and sexing

They are livebearers. The majority of males reach 2 inches in length. They are much more colorful than the females, generally with larger dorsal fins and caudal fins. Female fancy guppies tend to be 2.5 inches in length.

The females are larger around the abdominal area, with the tell-tell purple cresent moon shape in the area directly above the vent.

The vent being the opening in which waste is excreted as well as fry are dropped from. Purple cresent moon, also referred to as gravid area, denotes the containment of fetii, or developing baby fish.

Gestation period for poecilia reticulata averages 28-32 days depending on several factors. Water temperature, population density, availability of hiding places, quality of food, stress level, and other species in the tank all can be contributing factors to gestation period's length.

80-82 degrees farenheit water temperature has been known to cause a shorter gestation period. Population density, lack of availability of hiding places, and differing species in the tank all contribute to stress level, which can prolong gestation period, or holding of fry.

Fry become sexable at about three weeks of age, given proper conditions. Then become sexually mature around 3 months of age. Females that begin spawning at 3 months of age will have small spawns, but get progressively larger as the fish ages, until about a year of age. At one year of age they will hold steady for a few months and then begin to decline in fry per spawn, until they stop spawning all together. Males will begin breeding as early as 45 days, and continue until death for the most part.

Line breeding, or inbreeding, is often used to set desired traits. Line breeding is defined as breeding fish and their offspring back to each other, so that specific desired (desired by the human in control of breeding) traits become the dominant traits in any offspring of the fish. Generally when line breeding, new, unrelated stock needs to be added no less frequently than every 4th generation.

We've seen some adults learn not to eat their fry, some not have the issue at all, and some that we have agreed will never learn. We theorize the eatting of fry to be strain specific. Any of our primarily black guppy strains eat their fry everytime they have the chance. We've had a cobra strain learn not to eat their fry, much the same way angelfish learn. Of the strains that do not eat their fry, the mothers seem to keep an eye on them for several months, or until they become sexually mature. Females have been seen to go as far as to defend the younger juveniles from adult males in our tanks. The defending was seen more in the platinum or pastel strains than any other.

Guppies have been known to be able to interbreed with mollies. While this is a curiosity, I would not recommend it, as you will likely have stunted, runt of fry which you will not be able to pass on to a petstore. [Armadillo]

Feeding

Good quality well balanced foods would be a positive, whereas low quality foods could put them in an imbalance of certain needed ingredients. In the wild they consume small insects and bugs that have plant material in their digestive tracks as well as other things, which balance them out.

pH

I would suggest a pH of 7.0 - 7.8, harder water rather than softer, and slightly to moderately alkaline


Finrot

Guppies can fall victims to finrot, so please keep your water parameters very clean to give them the best chance. [Armadillo]