Description
Pink Tuxedo Male Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
Overview
The Pink Tuxedo Male Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a popular and striking selectively bred color strain of the hardy livebearing freshwater fish native to northeastern South America.
- Appearance: Features a vibrant, shimmering pink or magenta coloration combined with a dark “tuxedo” pattern across the rear half of its body. As males, they display elongated, flowing caudal (tail) and dorsal fins that flare out with bright iridescent pink, orange, or multi-colored highlights. Females of the strain are significantly larger, fuller-bodied, and lack the intense coloration and long fins.
- Size: Grows to approximately 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.5 inches) in length for males (females reach up to 6 cm).
- Lifespan: Typically 2 to 3 years under optimal care conditions.
Care Requirements
- Aquarium Size: Because of their active nature and high reproductive rate, a minimum aquarium size of 50 to 70 liters (approx. 15 to 20 gallons) is recommended.
- Water Parameters:
- Temperature: 22°C to 28°C (72°F to 82°F)
- pH: 7.0 to 8.5 (they thrive best in hard, alkaline water and dislike soft, acidic conditions)
- General Hardness (GH): 10 to 25°H
- Filtration & Flow: Gentle to moderate filtration with mild water movement. They appreciate clean, well-oxygenated water. A secure aquarium lid is recommended, as guppies can occasionally jump.
Maintenance
- Aquascaping: Recreate a lush, planted environment using dense background vegetation (such as Vallisneria, stem plants, or floating plants) which helps provide essential cover for females and newborn fry.
- Water Quality & Changes: Perform routine partial water changes (20% to 25% weekly) to keep nitrates low and maintain water stability. Adding a small amount of aquarium salt can sometimes be beneficial for hard-water livebearers, though not strictly mandatory if general hardness is already high.
Diet
- Nature: Omnivorous surface feeders that readily accept almost any food offered.
- Staple Diet: High-quality micro-flakes, spirulina flakes, or small granular foods.
- Enhancing Color & Vitality: Supplement their daily diet regularly with live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and micro-worms. Including vegetable matter or spirulina is also helpful for their digestion.
Behaviour and Compatibility
- Temperament: Exceptionally peaceful, active, and constantly cruising the middle and upper levels of the water column.
- Social Needs: Guppies are social schooling fish. If keeping both sexes, maintain a ratio of at least 2 to 3 females for every male to prevent males from constantly harassing individual females. (All-male groups can also be kept successfully to prevent uncontrolled breeding).
- Tank Mates: Ideal for peaceful community setups. Good companions include small rasboras, peaceful tetras, corydoras catfish, loaches, and freshwater shrimp. Avoid housing them with aggressive fin-nippers or large predators that might view their flowing fins as a snack.
Breeding Behaviour
- Spawning Setup: Guppies are prolific livebearers and do not require a separate breeding tank; however, a heavily planted tank with floating plants (like Java moss or hornwort) is essential so newborn fry have places to hide from hungry adults.
- The Process: Fertilization is internal. Females can store sperm and produce multiple broods of free-swimming fry every 30 days from a single mating.
- Raising Fry: Adults (including the parents) will readily eat their own young. To ensure high survival rates, heavily plant the main aquarium or transfer gravid females to a breeder box just before birth, returning the female to the main tank afterward. The tiny fry are born fully formed and immediately accept powdered fry food, crushed flakes, or newly hatched brine shrimp.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Either come in store to view available stock or request pictures to be sent to you.
Please Note: Due to variations within species resulting from age, region, sex, etc., the actual livestock may not look identical to the image. Approximate size range may also vary between individual specimens.
