Guppy Fish
Anyone who has been to a pet shop will have seen the guppy in their time. They are easily bred and popular with fish keepers around he world. The males in particular are brightly patterned with long tails and fins to match.
Guppy Varieties
Fanciers of guppies can list a range of types named for their color, pattern or fin shape. To keep the strains pure different types should not be mixed. Instead males should be chosen for their even erect fins, well defined patterns and color intensity. When a quality fish is recognized it is only placed with females of it's own type. It is harder to select females since their color is less dominant so just let them all become brood stock unless there is an obvious defect.
Fancy breeds are most often a fantail variety. These guppies have large triangular tails that can grow as long as the body. The top fin is also elongated and should be colored the same as the tail to maintain a standard. Where the pectoral fins are also long and trailing back to the tail this is the ribbon tail form. Shorter tails with swords in the middle or top and bottom have also been selectively raised.
Color morphs are often seen amongst the different fin shapes. The tuxedo guppy with it's dark body and lighter fins is likely to have a blue, red or patterned tail. Snake skin guppies have intricate colored lines all over their body and tail fin. When different guppy breeds are interbred the result can be varied but a mix of the colors will usually result. There will also be notable differences amongst the individual offspring.
Breeding Guppies
As a livebearer these fish give birth to tiny versions of the parents. Every 30 days a new batch of 30 - 60 fry will be produced by just one mother. The fish keeper only has to feed good quality food and provide plants for the fry to seek refuge in. The foliage will also be used by the female to seclude herself during labor.
If quality is of importance then you will be most interested in stock from the International Fancy Guppy Society or IFGA. This body places good guppy breeding at the top of it's priorities so fish quality is paramount. Breeders often select their parents from the IFGA meetings and place the offspring guppies for sale in later IFGA auctions.
Why People Choose Guppies
Guppies are cheap to buy and interesting to watch. Males will continually display their colors as they court with females. This leads to the inevitable babies that will be produced. Watching these tiny fry grow up and develop into adults will often be someone's first experience with raising fish.
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