Guppies are tropical freshwater fishes that are native to South America where the most number of variants can be found in the rivers of Amazon, Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. They’re commonly found in small streams, slow-flowing rivers, lakes, ponds, pools, and occasionally in brackish waters.
They’re popular as aquarium pets chiefly they’re easy to grow and because of their attractive colors. They’re not fussy eaters and gets along well with other kinds of fish. Guppies have also been used in different experiments for the study of ecology, behavior and evolution.
Types
Guppies by Species
Micropoecilia picta
This species originated from South and Central America and lives in brackish fish water, although they also do well in freshwater. Other names for the Micropoecilia picta include the scarlet livebearer, swamp guppy, and the painted puppy.
Poecilia reticulata
Of all the guppies distributed throughout the world, these guppies are the most common. They originated from South America, and they are also known as fancy guppies, rainbow fish, and million fish.
Poecilia wingei
Fairly rare compared to the other species, they were first discovered in Venezuela in 1937. They are known as Endler guppies.
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Guppies by Color
Metal guppies
With a unique type of pigment called iridophores, metal guppies can actually change their color and therefore hide from their predators. Unique pigments are secreted which help them mimic their environment, and they can adapt and become unnoticeable to predators.
Solid-colored guppies
The body and fin of these guppies are one solid color, and the most common colors include blues, yellows, and reds, although some blacks have also been found due to breeding.
Albino Guppy
Just like the name implies, this type of guppy is all white, and it even has a soft-pink color around its face and soft-pink or red eyes. In fact, there can actually be tints of other colors all throughout an albino guppy, but most of its body is colored in white.
They get this way because there is a lack of black pigment melanin in their bodies. Albino guppies are attractive, in part because the white color gives them a soft, delicate look.
Although most albino guppies are solid-white in color, there are also albino guppies that are yellow and red. They usually have red eyes and a body that lacks the black pigment called melanin, which is where they get the color from.
AOC (Any Other Color) Guppy
Guppies are classified according to a chart established by the IFGA, and the AOC guppy is a guppy with colors that are unassociated with any other type or class of guppy. In fact, they can be in a variety of colors, including black, yellow, pink, and many others, so they are very eye-catching and attractive fish.
AOC Bi-Color Guppy
These guppies do not fit in any of the other red or blue-green bi-color categories. There are five criteria that must be met in order to be classified as an AOC bicolor guppy, and those are:
- It must have a very clear and distinct base color.
- The secondary color has to be 25% or more of their tail color.
- The secondary and base colors have to be different from one another.
- If a third color is included, it has to be 15% or less; otherwise, they are classified as a multi-colored guppy.
- The dorsal has to be the same color and pattern as the tail.
Black Guppy
As you can guess from its name, the black guppy is solid black in color, which includes their caudal fin. Most are solid black from the body to the tail, and it is a deep, almost bluish-type of black color.
However, the bigger the guppy is, the less solid-black they have in their body and the more variety they have between their body and their dorsal fin. This means that some black guppies actually have other colors in them besides black.
Blue Guppy
This guppy is solid blue in color, and it is a beautiful shade of blue; a striking, electric blue most of the time. In fact, the shade of blue can vary from sky blue to dark blue, and females have blue highlights in their fins. These are beautiful fish that are certainly noticeable inside a pet store.
Blue-Green Bi-Color Guppy
Although blue-green in color, this guppy can actually come in a variety of shades and tones. They, too, have criteria that must be met to be officially classified in this group, and those criteria include:
- The dominant color in the tail has to be blue, green, or blue-green.
- Both the color and the pattern of the tail fin and the dorsal have to match.
- The main color and the secondary color have to be different from one another.
- If a third color is included, it cannot be more than 15% of the fish; if it is, the guppy is classified as a multi-colored guppy.
Bronze Guppy
To be put in this category, a guppy has to be a minimum of 25% gold in color and have black scales. The bronze guppy is considered a variation of a gold guppy, which like the bronze guppy, has to have a body of at least 25% gold color. Both the gold and the bronze guppies have a vibrant, very attractive color that truly stands out from other colors.
Female Guppy
Female guppies sometimes have fin colors that are very attractive, and they have very large fins. To compete in the IFGA female class, the female guppy has to have a gravid spot in its tail. Female guppies are bigger than male guppies and have colors that are a lot less vibrant and beautiful.
Green Guppy
Green guppies are very hard to develop, which is why they are in very high demand and also come with a hefty price. In most cases, their green color is interspersed with a blue iridescent color, and the females can even have green highlights in their fins. They are also a very attractive shade of green, which is somewhere between medium and dark in color.
Half-Black AOC Guppy
With a half-black body, they can have several other colors besides the black, and they often have tails and fins that are multi-colored. The black is a deep-black color, the same color as a black cat.
Half-Black Blue Guppy
This type of guppy has a body that is half-black, with most of the rest of the body being blue in color. The blue can be various shades of blue, so any blue-lover will be able to find a guppy with the shade of blue they like.
Half-Black Green Guppy
Just like the green guppy, this type of guppy is difficult to find. They have a beautiful half-black body and the rest of their body is green, although they can have tints of gold or other colors near the face area.
Half-Black Pastel Guppy
The body of the half-black pastel guppy is at least half black, but the pastel in their caudal tail can be any color except for yellow. Most often, these guppies are found with a caudal fin that is white pastel.
If you decide to get a half-black pastel guppy, it is good to note that the caudal fin could be affected by the type of food you feed them, so it is best to handle these fish with caution. The store you purchase them from should be able to give you additional information.
Half-Black Purple Guppy
With a beautiful half-black body and deep-purple fin and tail, this fish makes a beautiful addition to the “half-black” category of guppies.
Half-Black Red Guppy
The half-black red guppy has at least half its body in black and the rest in red. To compete, they have to have a one-to-one proportion of body length to tail length, but in fact, this is more difficult to find than most people realize. With its black body and bright-red tail and fins, it is quite a striking fish.
Half-Black Yellow Guppy
These guppies have a half-black body and a yellow tail and fin. They are also one of the types of guppies that is difficult to obtain, but they are beautiful and eye-catching nonetheless.
Multi Guppy
Almost everyone is familiar with the multi guppy, and to be classified in this category, the guppy has to have a minimum of three distinct colors in its caudal fin. By “color,” it is meant a color that is at least 15% of the caudal fin area.
Furthermore, the dorsal should match the caudal fin in both color and pattern. Some multi-colored guppies look like rainbows, and because of their three-color minimum, they are a very beautiful fish.
Purple Guppy
Just like the name suggests, the purple guppy has a fin and tail, and at least half of their body, that is purple in color. It is usually a very vibrant color that will catch people’s attention and cause onlookers to sit up and take notice of it.
Red Bi-Color Guppy
These are essentially red guppies but have several color variations in their bodies and their fins. Like some other types of guppies, there are certain criteria for being included in this category, and they are as follows.
- In the tail, the secondary color has to cover a minimum of 25% of that tail.
- The dorsal and the fin need to match exactly in color and in the pattern.
- The base and the secondary color must be distinctly different from one another.
- If a third color is included, that color has to be 15% of the body of the fish or lower. If they are more than 15%, they are classified as multi guppy.
