FAQs on Guppy Identification

FAQs on Guppy Identification

Related Articles: Guppies, Poeciliids: Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies by Neale Monks, Livebearing Fishes by Bob Fenner,

Singapore Fish Carnival 2012 12/11/12
Bob
<Hey Per!>
Guppy prize winners from their respective categories.
Perry
<Thanks for sending these along. Will you be in Sing. during the May/Aquarama show this coming year? Am going to attend, be on out ahead and/or after on a dive adventure trip. Would be great if you could make it. BobF>

Mystery Guppy Theater - 10/27/2005 Hi Crew! <Good morning to yah!> GREAT!!! site MANY thanks! <Thank you for these kind words!!> Two issues today. First I was hoping you could help me identify the fish in the photos I attached! <Can't tell from the photos which fish I am to identify....> He/she/it is SUPPOSED to be a feeder guppy. <Okay.> From my limited experience it seems that this fish has male anal fins, and a female gravid spot??? I figure that since the fish were all off food for three days (as advised by LFS owner) the dark spot on my mystery fish wasn't likely to be food? <Could be just coloration.> I bought the fish in a group of feeders. (BIG mistake!) I ended up with a fungus that I was told to use Binox on, and I am now battling high nitrates. (I assume it is because the Binox killed the good bacteria??) <Entirely possible.> I managed to catch the owner of the fish store the day my water conditions were checked and he advised that I should not have used Binox in a new tank (I guess his employees should have been told this!) <Best to reserve medications for quarantine/hospital tanks only, if in any way possible.> and told me to cut food for 3 days, and do daily 5 gal water changes. I have a 15 gallon. <Sounds great.> This tank is only a month old to begin with so I am concerned about the large daily water changes. <Not a concern. Bacteria reside in the substrate, filter, on decor.... not in the water column itself.> From what I have picked up both from your site, and a "fish only" store over a hundred miles away I have decided on adding plants, <Excellent!> 1 gallon changes every other day, an air stone and using salt. <Sounds good.> The only fish in the tank are guppies and a Cory cat. <Mm, you might want to omit the salt.... and get a couple pals for the Cory.> So the second question is am I doing the right thing to lower nitrates? <Yes.... just test/observe as you go.> All my other levels are fine. The LFS owner tells me the high nitrates are the end of my cycle period and to keep my fingers crossed that I don't lose any fish before it completes. <Just keep testing, changing water. You should be okay.> HELP!! :o) Thanks so much! -Doug Alley Cat <Wishing you well, -Sabrina "Bruno" Fullhart, who will probably never live it down once it's posted.... Still, it's older and better than "Tiny Bladder".... Yikes....> <<Bruno...??? Yes, it is better than "Tiny Bladder", or "The Piddler". MH>> <<<Tinklebell? -SCF>>>

Mystery Guppy - Just a Sweet Transvestite From Guppselvania? - II - 10/29/2005 Hi again! <Hello!> Thanks for your prompt response! Sorry I forgot to point out the fish I needed help with! He/she/it is the all orange one. <I see....> I hope these pictures are a little more helpful. <Um. Well. Confusing, for certain.> I am sorry for the quality, but my digital cam is new to me, as are my aquarium photography skills. I would REALLY like to know what is up with this fish! <Me, too. I would name this fish "Dr. Frankenfurter".> Is it just a unique colored guppy? <Mm, I've seen plenty of gold-colored guppies, have a couple myself. Though this fish does look somewhat more like a small swordtail.> Is it male or female? <Uhh.... Yes? I make the same observations as you on this - the animal has a rounded, robust belly common in females, a "gravid spot", does NOT have the slender body shape of a male, but very distinctly has a gonopodium. I think this fish's genes are a little confused.> I have observed that it is the most shy fish in the tank. <I would be, too, if I were so confused on my gender! But I don't think fish are so picky about such things.> It often likes to sit in the Java Moss that is rooted in the driftwood and sometimes vanishes completely for hours. It seems to show no mating behavior, and is not aggressive at all. The dark spot in the belly NEVER goes away or varies. I sent a pic to a fish store owner an hour away from me, and he agrees that it seems to have both male/female characteristics, and feels that it may be a swordtail because they are known to change sexes(!?!). <Mm, I agree with the observation that it might be a swordtail, but I think the idea that they "change sexes" has been discredited; late-developing males may look like females for a while, but not so very much so as this fish, I think.> I found an article where somebody thought they had a wild platy, and it was suggested that they had a Gambusia, but I looked at the available pictures posted on http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm and I don't really think that is the fish I have. <No, this is not at all a Gambusia. I have quite a bit of experience in dealing with mosquito fish.... have seen/handled thousands.... your fish is not one, I assure you.> Is it a mystery to me to be sure! <And to me. I honestly think this fish is exhibiting both male and female characteristics. It can happen in other animals, why not fish?> Also, you suggested I get my Cory cat a couple of pals. <Yes - they're schoolers.> I have always been told that too many cats in a tank could lead to one of them starving? <I've never seen/heard such a conviction.... To give you a bit of an idea how much of a schooling fish this really is, they live in groups of hundreds or *thousands* in the wild. Really. I like to see them in groups of six or more, with three being an absolute minimum.... You'll see much more active, happy behaviour out of them if you choose to do this.> The one I have is doing a GREAT job keeping up with the uneaten food, and I assume he is the one eating the snail eggs.(?) <Could be.> Are these neat little cats the kind of fish that prefer uneven numbers in their "school"? <The uneven numbers thing is kinda bunk, in my mind.... I promise you, they don't count each other in the wild and kick someone out if there's an even number of fish. They don't really care how many there are, as long as there are "several".> And should I just add extra flake food if I get 2 more cats? <That'd be just fine.> I read what I could find about hospital tanks, and I have one set up. 5 gal. No gravel, no light, large clump of Java Moss, external biofilter, heat between 76/78f. The tank has been up just under a week. No fish. When/if I need to medicate fish, should I put only the visibly ill in the hospital/QT tank, or all of 'em, and then do a water change on the main tank? <It really depends on what disease you're medicating. If it's a disease that might be isolated to a single fish, then just the single fish would need to be medicated. If it's a disease that may have spread to everyone else, like Ich, then everyone would need to be treated.> Thanks for your help, and thanks most of all for this GREAT resource! <And thank you, again, for these kind words!> Doug Alley Cat #89 <Wishing you well, -Sabrina.... It's just a jump to the left!>

Sexing Guppies Hi there, Could you please explain the difference between male and female guppies? I can't seem to find anything concrete, Thanks <Females are larger, less colorful, and have a fan shaped anal fin. Males are smaller, more colorful, and have a pointed anal fin. All young look like females until they mature. A mature female will also have a black spot just above the anal fin. Don>

Please visit our Sponsors