11 Amazing Facts About Guppies (Interesting & Fun)

Guppies are among the most widely available aquarium fish, and they can be found in nearly every aquatic pet store. These small and colorful freshwater fish are a favorite for beginners because they are highly adaptable and can live peacefully with many species of small fish.

Since guppies are so common, many interesting facts about them are overlooked. However, the guppy has plenty of amazing facts you probably never knew that have made them popular pet fish.

The 11 Most Amazing Facts About Guppies

1. Guppies Are Tropical Fish

Many people assume guppies are cold-water fish, but that is untrue. Guppies originated from tropical waters in northeast South America, where they inhabit small ponds and streams with shallow water.

People often mistake guppies for cold-water fish, and some are incorrectly labeled in pet stores. Some people make the mistake of not providing their guppy with a heater when purchasing them from a store. As a tropical or warm-water fish, the guppy requires a heater to thrive.

The fluctuating room temperatures that can become too cold for guppies can lead to disease, slow breeding habits, and even early death. Guppies are most comfortable at a temperature ranging from 71 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (22-28 degrees Celsius). Although guppies can indeed tolerate slightly colder temperatures than other tropical fish, it is not ideal in the long term.

2. One of The Best Fish for Beginners

Guppies are adaptable, easy to care for, and generally healthy fish, which makes them perfect for beginners. Their small size also allows them to be kept in smaller tanks, and a 10-gallon aquarium can be perfect for a group of 3 to 6 guppies.

Guppies are more forgiving of sudden water parameter changes, which gives beginners time to fix any mistakes that would otherwise kill more sensitive species. Aside from their adaptability, guppies are quite cheap depending on the color and fin type, which makes it affordable to purchase a group of them.

3. Guppies Give Live Birth

Instead of laying eggs like other fish, guppies give birth to live young. The baby guppies are known as fry, and female guppies can give birth to 20 to 120 fry from a single spawn.

They are sexually mature as early as 4 months of age and can begin mating with other guppies in the aquarium, which makes them prolific breeders who multiply fast.

4. A Fish of Many Names

The guppy is a fish with many names, such as the millionfish, rainbow fish, or even the mosquito fish. These names are commonly used by pet stores and breeders, but they all describe the guppy.

The name “millionfish” is derived from their ability to breed quickly and triple their numbers in a span of a few months. The name “rainbow fish” comes from the endless colors that guppies can display, from orange and red to a light neon green color.

The name “mosquito fish” comes from their ability to eat mosquito larvae from the water’s surface. They have quite an appetite for the pests.

5. Guppies Were Used to Help Fight Malaria

Back in 2014, there was an anti-malaria movement in southern India where guppies were used to combat malaria caused by mosquitos. This is another reason they earned the title “mosquito fish,” and the schools of guppies happily consumed thousands of mosquito larvae.

This was useful because mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of the water, where the larvae spend their first days developing. Since mosquitoes transfer malaria, guppies controled the mosquito population by eating the larvae before they could develop into adults.

6. Guppies Are Available In Endless Colors, Patterns, and Fin Types

Guppies might be cheap and readily available in pet stores, but that doesn’t make them plain or dull fish. Guppies are available in a range of colors, fin types, and patterns.

Guppy breeders are always coming up with new variations with different fins, colors, and patterns that cost more than standard guppies. From the fancy, swamp, Endler, and fantail guppy, the variations are endless, and breeders create new varieties daily.

7. Male Guppies Are Smaller Than Females

Like most species of fish, the male guppy is significantly smaller than female guppies, and males are known to be more colorful. Female guppies can reach a length of 2.4 inches, whereas male guppies are 1 to 1.5 inches.

Female guppies are most likely to be larger than males because they develop a large belly when they are pregnant. It is common to see female guppies developing faster than females, but they don’t have many interesting and unusual color patterns like the males.

8. Guppies Were Used To Test Drinking Water In India

Guppies were used to test the quality of drinking water in India. Some people were dying from drinking polluted water, and since proper laboratory equipment to carry out this test was pricey, the government began using guppies as testers instead.

The guppies were placed in the water well and checked on after a few days had passed. If the guppies died, it meant the water was polluted and contained pollutants that killed off the guppies, but if they were still alive, the water was safe for the people to drink.

9. Female Guppies Can Store the Male’s Sperm and Mate Several Times

Guppies are prolific breeders, but even if you try to separate male and female guppies, you could still end up with a batch of fry and pregnant females months later. This occurs because female guppies can store the male’s sperm for several months before using it to become pregnant.

This can happen multiple times, and it is the reason your female guppies suddenly become pregnant even without a male. If you purchased female guppies from a pet store, they could have mated with males in their tank.

Female guppies can mate with different males in the tank, and the fry can come out in all sorts of colors or fin types, depending on the type of male guppies.

10. Guppies Are Schooling Fish

As highly social fish, guppies enjoy staying in groups of their species. They form schools to carry out their social behaviors, and they can become stressed if kept in small groups or by themselves.

Usually, when keeping a school of guppies, you must have a good male-to-female ratio, as male guppies are notorious for harassing female guppies by chasing them around to mate. If you have too few female guppies in an aquarium, all mature males will begin to chase and harass the smaller group of females, causing the females to become stressed.

It is better to have more female guppies than males in an aquarium, or you can maintain a separate aquarium for both genders if you do not want any fry.

11. Guppies Can Live for Up To 5 Years

As adaptable and easy to care for as guppies are, fish-keeping mistakes can lead to your guppy’s early death. The average lifespan of a well-bred guppy is anywhere from 2 to 5 years.

Poor water quality, improper temperatures, high nitrate or ammonia levels, an inadequate diet, and stress can cause an early death in guppies, which is why many people see them as disposable and short-lived pets when, in truth, they are not.

Conclusion

Guppies are popular pet fish for a few reasons, including their ability to adapt easily to an aquarium and beginner-friendly care requirements. Even though guppies are seen as common fish in the hobby, the facts mentioned in this article show how misunderstood yet amazing these small and colorful fish are.

Featured Image Credit: panpilai paipa, Shutterstock