Poecilia reticulata
Guppy
Guppies are colourful, hardy and prolific, making them an excellent introduction to keeping a balanced planted aquarium.
PoeciliidaeLifespan 2–3 yearsCare complexity 2/5Suitable for beginners
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Poecilia reticulata
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Origin
- Northeast South America and the Caribbean
- Lifespan
- 2–3 years
- Adult size
- 3–6 cm
- Weight
- Under 2 g
- Temperament
- Peaceful, active and constantly on the move
- Activity level
- High
- Social needs
- Keep in groups; one male to two or three females to reduce harassment
- Intelligence
- Recognises feeding routine
- Noise
- Silent
Housing and environment
- Housing
- Minimum 40 litres, cycled, heated and gently filtered
- Space requirement
- Plants and floating cover for fry and for resting females
- Temperature
- 22–28°C
- Humidity
- Not applicable
- Exercise
- Open swimming space with planted margins
- Grooming
- Weekly water changes and testing
Diet and feeding
Small flake or micro-pellets plus frozen brine shrimp and some vegetable matter
Behaviour and compatibility
Display, courtship and constant grazing
- With children
- Very good first aquarium fish
- With other animals
- Compatible with other small peaceful species; avoid fin-nippers
- Training difficulty
- Not applicable
Health
- Ich
- Fin rot
- Columnaris
- Camallanus worms
- Inbreeding-related weakness
Quarantine new fish for two to four weeks before adding them to a display tank
Special care requirements
They breed constantly — plan for population control or keep single-sex groups