Guppy fish are ideal for the novice aquarist. They are unpretentious, happy to eat a wide variety of food and are not too demanding on the conditions of detention. Male guppies are very beautiful - they are distinguished by bright and long tails, and their bodies are covered with multi-colored spots. The colors of these fish are very diverse. One of the interesting features of guppies is that they are viviparous fish. They do not lay eggs, but immediately produce mature fry.
It is necessary
- - an aquarium with a capacity of 3-4 liters;
- - a separate smaller container for growing fry;
- - a pair of guppies;
- - gravel for creating soil;
- - several aquatic plants;
- - fish food, live or dry;
- - a landing net for fish transfer.
Instructions
Step 1
To keep a pair of fish, a 3-4 liter container is required, since the guppy does not require a large oxygen content in the water. You can use ordinary gravel as a soil, but it is better to take care that the soil is collected from an environmentally friendly place. Remember to rinse the gravel thoroughly and boil it for 15-20 minutes to disinfect it. If you want to add driftwood and large stones to the interior of the aquarium, place them on the bottom before filling the gravel. Plant the plants in the ground before filling the tank with water.
Step 2
Place one or two opposite-sex pairs of fish in the aquarium. Females and males of guppies are quite different from each other: the female is larger than the male, she has a more modest short tail and a greenish-gray color. You need to feed the fish once a day. They happily eat dry food such as gammarus or live food such as bloodworms. Bloodworms should be given at the rate of 1-5 worms per fish, depending on the size of the fish.
Step 3
Keep track of the size of the abdomen of female guppies: as soon as it begins to grow, use a net to catch and place the fish in a separate vessel with water and plants. The water temperature in this vessel should be 1-2 degrees higher than in the general aquarium. Wait for the guppy to give birth to offspring. Depending on the age of the female, the number of her fry per litter ranges from 10 to 100 pieces. The older the fish, the more fry it can give birth to. Return the female to the general aquarium - the fry will not need her care. Let the small guppies stay for 2-3 weeks separately from the rest of the fish, otherwise the adults may mistake them for live food.
Step 4
Guppy fry grow very quickly: after three months they will reach maturity. Males stop growing after reaching this age, but with each passing month they become brighter and more beautiful, their fins and tails continue to form. The full bloom of the beauty of the male guppy occurs by the year. Females only grow in size. Until the fry reach the size of adult fish, it is better to feed them dry food, carefully rubbing it between your fingers or "live dust".
Step 5
If you do not plan to distribute or sell young fish, take care of purchasing a larger aquarium so that the fish are not crowded. Under good conditions, guppies breed about once a month.
