How to keep guppies? A detailed guide to breeding methods

The guppy, also known as the rainbow fish, is generally 3-5 cm long and is the most common species among tropical fish. The fish body is small and delicate, swimming agile and lively, with colorful body colors, deeply loved by people. Especially the male fish is more beautiful than the female fish; on the green-brown body are mixed red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple colors, just like a rainbow in the sky, hence the name. The fish body generally has several small blue round spots, and around the round spots are lighter-colored rings, very much like the eye-like spots on a peacock's open tail, hence the laudatory name of guppy. Below is an introduction to the breeding method of the rainbow fish:

The guppy has a relatively gentle temperament and will not fight with other fish, so it is suitable for mixed culture with other fish; moreover, it is not very selective about food and can eat egg yolk, steamed bun crumbs, etc.; but when artificially raised, it is best to feed live bait such as fish worms and nematodes. After long-term breeding by people, the guppy now has many varieties. Some have particularly wide and large tails, some have forked tail fins like swallow tails, some have whole bodies turned golden yellow, and some have colors like brocade. Therefore, people divide them into different varieties according to their different characteristics, such as common guppy, swallow-tail guppy, long-tail guppy, lyre-tail guppy, yellow guppy, etc. It is relatively easy to distinguish female and male guppies. Among individuals of the same age, the female individual is longer and plumper than the male individual, with a relatively monotonous body color and without the gorgeous colors on the male fish's body; the male fish has a more brilliant body color. The guppy is an ovoviviparous fish. For breeding, a rectangular glass tank with specifications of 60 cm * 20 cm * 20 cm is generally used. The pH of the breeding water is required to be 6.8-7.4, the hardness 6-11 degrees, and the water temperature kept at about 26°C. A variety of aquatic plants should be planted in the tank, preferably duckweed or aquatic plants with lush leaves. As parent fish, individuals of the same variety with a total length of 3-4 cm should be selected. The ratio of female to male is 1:1. Put the selected parent fish into the breeding tank for rearing. Before long, the female fish's abdomen gradually swells, and the gonads mature day by day; at this time, the male fish will chase the female fish, or intercept the female fish from various directions, and finally the male fish's copulatory organ is inserted into the female fish's cloacal pore to release sperm, completing internal fertilization. After the female fish is fertilized, the abdomen becomes even larger, and black gravid spots appear; before long she will give birth. After giving birth, immediately remove the parent fish and raise them separately to prevent them from swallowing the fry. After the fry are born, they sink to the bottom and immediately hide among the aquatic plants. On the day they are born, the fry generally do not feed; they begin to feed on the second day, and plankton, fish meal or egg yolk water should be fed in time.