The Popular Guppy

The Popular Guppy

Where do Guppies originate from?

Guppies natural habitat can be found in North, East and South America but have been introduced to many habitats and are now found all over the world.

They are highly adaptable and thrive in many different environmental and ecological conditions.

Male and Female Guppy

Male guppies are smaller than females but are very colourful, males will have a long gonopodium this is there reproductive organ, it’s shaped like a rod and pointed at the end. Males will also have long caudal and dorsal fins.

Whilst females are duller in colour they are a lot larger when fully grown.

female-guppy

Breeding

The male Guppy will chase the female around the aquarium trying to get along side her so he can gain best access to attempt to fertilise. The males will also display their fins this will act as a warning to other males in the aquarium.

Once the male has successfully mated with the female guppy the Gestation period may last from 21 to 30 days, although 22-26 days is about average for the female guppy. The female guppy has the ability to store extra sperm packets from the male, so it’s possible for her to give birth about 3-4 weeks after initial mating for several months after the birth of the first set of fry.

How do I know if she is pregnant?

One of the easiest ways to identify a pregnant female guppy is to look for dark spot above the anal fin just after the stomach; this is called the gravid spot. In the final stages of pregnancy the gravid spot will become more black and some times you can see the eyes of the small fry, the guppy will also look very fat or bloated.

FACT: Did you know that it can take up to 12 hours for the female to push all the fry out, but normally it’s no longer then 6 hours.


What should I feed my Guppy?

It’s important to feed them once a day with a flake or granule food but it’s important to make sure they also have a Spirulina granules or Spirulina flake in there diet as well.