Introduction to Guppies

YFS General Learning Material

Created 5/5/16
For Use in YFS Chapters Only

Note: We own none of the pictures.

What are Guppies?

The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish, and one of the
most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is found in every pet store, and usually run around $2-3
at Petsmart or Petco.
Guppies are very popular, and are selectively bred, and some fishes at Guppy shows run in the
hundreds of dollars.

More on Guppies
It is a member of the Poeciliidae family and, like almost all American members of the family, is a live
bearer.
Live bearing fish, instead of laying eggs, give birth to live young.
Guppies naturally are from North-Eastern South America, but are introduced in tropics around the world.

Male Vs. Female

Male Guppy

Female Guppy

Fin Size

Bigger fins and more fancy fins

Much smaller fins

Body Size

Smaller, and more streamlined

Larger, but with a big

belly.

Color

Brighter, with more colors

Duller

Black Spot on the

Rear (Pregnant or
not)

N/A

Sometimes; if the female is

pregnant and going to give birth,
her black spot is bigger.

Natural History
Predators

Many fish, such as large cichlids, eat guppies in

the wild, as do turtles and large shrimps.

Food

Guppies eat mosquito larvae, small worms, water fleas, algae, tiny shrimps, small insects.
They also are cannibals, and eat their young. In the aquarium, they eat fish flakes.

Habitat

Guppies live in ponds, creeks, ditches, lakes, and slow moving rivers.

Life Cycle

Guppies have a lifespan of 2 years.

Guppies are well developed and capable of independent existence without further parental
care by the time they are born. They live
Female guppies first produce offspring at 1020 weeks of age, and they continue to
reproduce until 2034 months of age. Male guppies mature in 7 weeks or less.
They breed very often, and are often called millionfish.

History
A Spanish man called De Filippi discovered the wild guppy on the Barbados Island in 1862 he named it the Lebistes Poeciliodes. But
a German called Julius Gollmer is said to have discovered the guppy even earlier, in 1857.
In 1866, a man named John Guppy sent the first guppy to London. It was collected from the streams in Trinidad, off the coast of
Venezuela. It was named after him.
The first live Guppies ended up in Germany in December 1908, imported by Carl Siggelkow, and soon it caught on the aquarium
trade.
The first common strain amongst the guppy hobbyist was the sword tail. The sword tail can be found in the wild but the double sword
tail isnt and was developed around 1928. The first veil tail guppy was the first show guppy to be shown in Germany in 1954. It received
a great deal of attention. From here the hobby of show guppies continued to grow and explode.
Hundreds of fish farms and hobbyists sold guppies into the aquarium trade. Being so easily bred, it soon caught on in the aquarium
trade, and now it is a fish found in almost every aquarium.

Your Goal
Your goal is to design a system for the mass production of guppies, which you will
do in your groups. You must give me the expected estimate of guppies produced.
You must find materials under $40 in total, and give me the budget. Dont count
fish in your budget. Give me the expected stocking densities, and I will get the fish.