GUPPY / MILLIONFISH / RAINBOW FISH TAXIDERMY
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Tetra Goldfish Care
![]() CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD ---------------------------------
KINGDOM : Animalia
PHYLUM : Chordata
CLASS : Actinopterygii
ORDER : Cypriniformes
FAMILY : Poeciliidae
GENUS : Poecilia
SPECIES Poecilia Reticula
National Goldfish standards ![]() CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD |
GUPPY / RAINBOW FISH The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish,
and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the Poeciliidae family and, like almost all American
members of the family, is live-bearing. Guppies, whose natural range is in northeast South America, were 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 guppies, which are smaller than females, have ornamental caudal and dorsal fins, while females are duller in colour. Wild guppies
generally feed on a variety of food sources, including benthic algae and aquatic insect larvae. Guppies are used as a model organism
in the field of ecology, evolution, and behavioural studies.
Guppies are native to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Jamaica, the Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and Venezuela. However, guppies have been introduced to many different countries on every continent except Antarctica.
Sometimes this has occurred accidentally, but most often as a means of mosquito control. The guppies were expected to eat the
mosquito larvae and help slow the spread of malaria, but in many cases, these guppies have had a negative impact on native fish
populations. Field studies reveal that guppies have colonized almost every freshwater body accessible to them in their natural ranges,
especially in the streams located near the coastal fringes of mainland South America. Although not typically found there, guppies also
have tolerance to brackish water and have colonized some brackish habitats. They tend to be more abundant in smaller streams and
pools than in large, deep, or fast-flowing rivers.
Two or three generations of guppies per year occur in the wild. Guppies are well developed and capable of independent existence without
further parental care by the time they are born. Young guppies school together and perform antipredator tactics. Brood size is extremely
variable, yet some consistent differences exist among populations depending on the predation level and other factors. Females of matching
body sizes tend to produce more numerous but smaller-sized offspring in high predation conditions. Female guppies first produce offspring
at 10-20 weeks of age, and they continue to reproduce until 20-34 months of age. Male guppies mature in 7 weeks or less. Total lifespan of
guppies in the wild varies greatly, but it is typically around 2 years. Variations in such life historic characteristics of guppies are observed in
different populations, indicating that different evolutionary pressures exist.
Guppies prefer a hard water aquarium with a temperature between 25.5 and 27.8 °C (78 and 82 °F) and salt levels equivalent to oneà
tablespoon per 19 l (5 US gal). They can withstand levels of salinity up to 150% that of normal seawater, which has led to them being
occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Guppies are generally peaceful, though
nipping behaviour is sometimes exhibited between male guppies or towards other top swimmers like members of the Xiphophorus genus
(platies and swordtails), and occasionally other fish with prominent fins, such as angelfish. Guppys should not be kept as a single fish in an
aquarium because both males and females show signs of shoaling, and are usually found in large groups in the wild. Its most famous
characteristic is its propensity for breeding, and it can breed in both freshwater and marine aquaria. them being
occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Guppies are generally peaceful, though
nipping behaviour is sometimes exhibited between male guppies or towards other top swimmers like members of the Xiphophorus genus
(platies and swordtails), and occasionally other fish with prominent fins, such as angelfish. Guppys should not be kept as a single fish in an
aquarium because both males and females show signs of shoaling, and are usually found in large groups in the wild. Its most famous
characteristic is its propensity for breeding, and it can breed in both freshwater and marine aquaria.
onized some brackish habitats. They tend to be more abundant in smaller streams and
pools than in large, deep, or fast-flowing rivers.
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