Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
FishFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Recommended tank
- 54 L
- Maximum size
- 5 cm
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6.8–8
- Group size
- ≥ 3
- Diet
- Omnivore
Care at a glance
The guppy earned its nickname of millionfish through sheer reproductive enthusiasm: it is a livebearer, and a small starter group grows into a sizeable population within months. Males are small and colourful, females larger and plainer; if you don't want fry, keep males only.
Guppies are easy, active and tolerant, thriving in medium-hard to hard, slightly alkaline water. When buying, look for robust, locally bred stock: heavily line-bred show forms with enormous tails are far more fragile. Keep them away from fin-nippers and feed a varied diet of small foods.
Best not combined with
BettaBetta splendens
Tiger barbPuntigrus tetrazona
Serpae tetraHyphessobrycon eques
OscarAstronotus ocellatus
Paradise fishMacropodus opercularis
Black skirt tetraGymnocorymbus ternetzi
Buenos Aires tetraHyphessobrycon anisitsi
Red-bellied piranhaPygocentrus nattereri
Peacock bassCichla ocellaris
Saulosi mbunaChindongo saulosi
Auratus cichlidMelanochromis auratus
Kenyi cichlidMaylandia lombardoi
Stuart Grant’s peacock cichlidAulonocara stuartgranti
Sulphurhead peacockAulonocara maylandi
Benga peacock (sunshine)Aulonocara baenschi
FlowerhornCichlasoma × hybride
Texas cichlidHerichthys cyanoguttatus
Red-tailed catfishPhractocephalus hemioliopterus
African butterflyfishPantodon buchholzi
Senegal bichirPolypterus senegalus
Pea pufferCarinotetraodon travancoricus
Figure eight pufferDichotomyctere ocellatus
Green spotted pufferDichotomyctere nigroviridis
Silver arowanaOsteoglossum bicirrhosum
Jewel cichlidHemichromis bimaculatus
Blue gularis killifishFundulopanchax sjoestedti
Electric blue hap (fryeri)Sciaenochromis fryeri
Venustus (giraffe cichlid)Nimbochromis venustus
Midas cichlid (red devil)Amphilophus citrinellus
Amazon pufferColomesus asellus
Electric blue crayfishProcambarus alleni
Giant freshwater shrimpMacrobrachium rosenbergii
Redclaw crayfishCherax quadricarinatus
Related species
Keep Guppy in the BlubHub app
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Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.