Guppy aquarium fish - care and maintenance

Guppies mean a small translucent aquarium fish, which has long been known to all aquarists. Representatives of this family are kept in packs. Fish do not spawn; they are viviparous; therefore, replanting aggressive or large individuals in the aquarium is extremely undesirable. Otherwise, you simply will not get offspring, because all the fry will be perceived as live food. Today we will consider everything that affects the care, as well as the content of these nondescript inhabitants.

Description

1. Guppies prefer to settle in Brazil, South America, as well as on the islands of Tobago and Trinidad. These named places are considered the birthplace of guppies. They prefer clear, purified from impurities water.
2. They can live in brackish springs, but not too salty, like sea water. By natural characteristics, bloodworms, larvae, worms, and also small insects that fall into the water eat.
3. Due to the ability to eat mosquitoes, guppies artificially started to settle in the habitats of malaria mosquitoes, because the fish eat their larvae. By their characteristics, the male guppies are bright, females are more plain and large.
4. The color of these fish is the result of the work of the discoverers, who were supposed to create the inhabitants, as close as possible in color to the natural biotope. Often fish become victims, they need to hide.
5. As for the dimensions, we have already mentioned. Females are large, males are smaller. They can reach 4-5 cm in length, but this is rare. The average lifespan of small water pets hardly exceeds 3 years.
6. It is difficult to describe the appearance of these representatives. Since guppies have long been used in breeding and creating new species, their color and shape cannot be described. There are individuals that are completely different from each other.
7. Fish breathe the oxygen that is in the water. They do not capture atmospheric air, so a guppy needs a carefully prepared aquarium. It is important to install filtration and aeration.
8. Many are interested in what maximum life these fish can live. Due to the fact that they love warm water, all metabolic processes are accelerated. Fish die quickly. Therefore, the duration of existence directly depends on the indicators of water. The higher the temperature, the shorter the life.

Is guppy difficult to keep?

1. The fish is suitable for beginners in aquarium conditions. It is small, moderately active, does not require special preparatory measures for reproduction and care. It would seem that the list of positive qualities can be continued for a very long time.
2. However, it is important to know that not all guppies are so easily kept at home. It is important to choose the right option for yourself during the purchase process. If all the fish, like a carbon paper, then they should be abandoned. To identify breeding fish, you need to carefully examine them. If they look the same as clones, and even fins of a single shape, then these pets will be difficult to care for.
3. In cases where all the fish are somewhat different, it means that they were naturally born, and will feel great in the aquarium. It is important that members of the family have a completely different color, body shape and fins in particular.
4. Such difficulties are caused by serious crossbreeding, which is why pets become more beautiful (possibly), but also lose their immunity. They are sensitive to changes in water and its quality, react negatively to vegetation, etc.
5. Therefore, if you are only trying yourself in the role of an aquarist, get the simplest and most different guppies.Such fish are no worse than pets bred by multiple crosses.

Feeding

1. Guppies are unpretentious in food, they do not require gourmet food. Usually adults are fed dry, frozen or live food. The fry eat milled the same food. You can choose food in the form of flakes, granular composition or other varieties. As for live food, they usually give a tubifex, bloodworm, coronet, artemia.
2. It is worth remembering forever that for these representatives of the aquatic family, the oral cavity is small, the same can be said about the stomach. Therefore, you need to feed the fish often, but in small portions. Usually food is given three times a day, for one meal the guppy should take 3 minutes maximum.
3. Guppies have poor digestive system motility, therefore, additionally, foods with a high concentration of plant compounds must be given. Twice a week, such foods are given that are saturated with vitamins and all necessary.
4. It is worth isolating dry food in a separate order. Give daphnia, which is sold in bulk in stores and markets. Such food is given no more than 1 time per week, because by their very nature, daphnia is only dry shells. To the best of their usefulness, but in large quantities can significantly harm.
5. If you feed your little guests three times a day, and one of the meals remains uneaten or the fish do not completely eat it, then the feeding must be changed. Give the fish food twice a day in the same servings. Try to feed the guppies at the same time, so that they get used and are not in search of food. Otherwise, these fish will eat their fry.

Compatibility

1. Fish does not cause trouble to the neighborhood, has a good-natured temperament. It is impossible to plant representatives of the aquatic family who are famous for their predatory instincts. Guppies are constantly perceived as food, therefore, the choice of partners is approached with all responsibility.
2. Also, you can not choose as neighbors those fish that bite fins. This category includes kissing gourami, Indian knives, fire barbs, etc.
3. Best of all, guppies get along with Congo, neonchiks, parses, catfish, cardinals and other small fish. Because they are non-conflict, problem-free.
4. In some aquariums you can find catfish living safely in the neighborhood with guppiks. From the catfish, small representatives of the family are selected, because large ones are predators. The exception is the taracatum, it gets along with these pets without eating them in two.

Content

1. Fish are tropical species that prefer to swim in warm water. The temperature regime should not go beyond 22-25 degrees, this is enough for the fish. However, in nature, pets live at 19–29 degrees, which negatively affects the duration of existence. In hot water, fish die quickly, and in cold water they become ill.
2. For non-breeding guppies, the parameters of the aquatic environment are not critical. They quickly adapt to vibrations, so they can easily move from one tank to another. Stick to hardness indicators within 12-18 units, and acidity - 7-8.5 units. However, the parameters may differ, this will not prevent the guppy from multiplying.
3. Another positive feature of this species of fish is unpretentiousness in terms of tank volume. They need 20 liters. for 5 individuals. That is, 4 liters. for one fish. However, these pets love to swim, so any additional space for maneuver will be perceived positively.
4. Fishes do not always need plants; by nature, guppies swim in dark places. The plants that are in the tank need light to prevent them from getting sick. Plant the aquarium with plants, because they will create the necessary shade. At the same time, take care of the scattering lamps so that the vegetation does not die.
5. If an external filter is used, the guppy will do. But with a small number of individuals in the aquarium, the fish feel great with an internal filter equipped with a sponge. If the filtering mechanism is powerful, then cover the holes in it with a mesh so that the fish are not tightened.
6. It makes no sense to contain guppies in the amount of a pair of individuals, and even more so one at a time. It looks sad, aquatic inhabitants are almost invisible among the vegetation and shelters. They look beautiful in packs, so buy a lot of fish at once.
7. The aquarium environment must be equipped in such a way that it has shelters. Because guppies cannot survive without this, especially fry.

How to distinguish a male from a female

1. Sexual differences of the considered individuals are obvious. It is for this reason that you will not have any difficulties with this.
2. Males are much smaller than females. They also differ in noticeable harmony. In males, you can see a large caudal fin.
3. Females of this species are quite large. They have a fairly large and rounded stomach. Females also have a less bright color.
4. Even younger individuals can already be distinguished. Everything is pretty obvious. Fry that previously began to acquire a brighter color grow males.

Breeding

1. The presented individuals reproduce without any problems in the aquarium. You do not even need to create special conditions for this. Breeding will be very simple. Guppies are viviparous representatives of the water world.
2. After birth, the fry are immediately able to swim independently. In rare cases, young animals appear in the aquarium in the eggs. The baby immediately tears it apart and begins to independently exist. The bottom line is that the female hatches eggs inside. Further, viable fry are born.
3. Just a few hours later, the young growth begins to eat on its own. Until this moment, they will hide and adapt. In order to start breeding such fish, you just need a male with a female. Nothing more is required from you.
4. Breeders recommend starting several females per male. No problems at all. In this case, the breeding will be more than successful. If desired, more males are allowed. Same-sex individuals do not fight among themselves.
5. Do not panic ahead of time if you notice that the male is chasing the female tirelessly. This behavior is considered normal. This can be characterized by the fact that the male fertilizes the female. It’s just worth knowing that young animals will appear in the aquarium soon.
6. To make the fish feel as comfortable as possible, it is necessary to provide them with clean and fresh water. Also in a favorable environment, reproduction will be better. During this period, it is especially important to provide individuals with abundant and high-quality feeding.
7. For breeding, heterosexual individuals will be required. Moreover, the representatives in question do not even need to be transplanted into a separate aquarium. They reproduce well in the total capacity. Only here there are subtleties. Malkov will eat everything and sundry. Even parents eat their own offspring.
8. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to transplant a pregnant individual for a while in a separate container. If you do not know how to determine the pregnancy of a female or when she is about to give birth, it is necessary to rely on some facts.
9. As a rule, females produce fry once a month. In addition, the timing can vary greatly. The reason for this may be different conditions of detention and water temperature. You need to remember the moment when the female gave birth for the last time. After this, periodically observe the individuals.
10. A female who is preparing for a new birth will have a dark spot. Thus, the eyes of the fry begin to be seen. Each time, the stain will darken more. Be prepared for the fact that the female will soon be born.
11. Your task is to transplant the female into a separate aquarium. Keep in mind that the conditions in the tank must be exactly the same as in the general aquarium. Fry should hiding in algae without any problems and feel safe.
12. After the female gives birth, transplant her into a common aquarium, if this is not done, she can eat her own offspring. The content of fry is practically no different from adult individuals. Feeding young animals is allowed with chopped feed that you gave your parents.
13. Breeders, of course, recommend purchasing special food for fry or dry egg. Such food is dried cyclops and daphnia. The product can be purchased at any pet store without any problems.
14. In addition, in the aquarium of young animals, it is often necessary to clean. Otherwise, waste from fish and feed will quickly contaminate the water. Alternatively, snails are allowed to be fledged to fry. Individuals will not conflict with each other. In turn, the snails will clean the aquarium.
15. Keep in mind that fry water should always be clean. Only here there are subtleties. It is forbidden to immediately replace a large amount of liquid. Such conditions can be dangerous for the fragile organism of young animals. Keep the water temperature within 25 degrees.

Guppies are one of the most common aquarium fish. It is very easy to keep such individuals in a common container with other representatives of the water world. When breeding, it is recommended to use a separate aquarium. To ensure that individuals live comfortably and for a long time, try to provide the most comfortable conditions.

Video: Guppy aquarium fish