Guppies are the most incredibly popular freshwater breed, belonging to the family Poeciliidae and are widely distributed in the tropical region.Guppies have originated from North, East, and South America and have colonized most freshwater streams that are accessible to them in their range like the coastal fringes of mainland South America. Guppies were first discovered in 1860 in South America.Guppy fishes are used as a means of mosquito control because these fish have been spotted feeding on mosquito larvae for food, slowing down the spread of malaria. However, they often have a negative impact on the native fish populations. Poecilia reticulata was the name first assigned to guppies by Wilhelm Peters in 1859. Male guppies can grow up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) whereas, females can grow up to 2 in (5.8 cm) on average. Sexual dimorphism is seen in guppies. Female guppies mate with multiple male partners and shows polyandry. Brightly colored males, especially with orange dots, attract female guppies more.Adult guppies vigorously compete for one of the carotenoid fruit from cabrehash trees, named Sloanea laurifolia. The orange color in male guppies is due to the carotenoid ingestion and parasite load. The wide range of bright colors in male guppies mean they possess the risk of being noticed by predators such as Aequidens pulcher, Crenicichla alta, and Anablepsoides hartii. Guppies exhibit predator inspection behavior which means some guppies face their potential predators to assess danger. Guppies can withstand 50% of salinity that of normal sea water.Males have ornamental dorsal and caudal fin and they are smaller than females. The top half of the guppy fish body has a pale color whereas the back part has a brighter color. Iridophores are present in guppy fish that reflex light and are colorless. This reflected light generates iridescent energy.If you enjoyed this article why not take a look about how often to feed fish or how to get rid of algae in fish tank here on Kidadl!How big do guppies grow in size?The guppy fish is also known by the name rainbow fish or million fish. The origin of guppy fish is northeast South America but they aren now found all around the world. Their adaptation rate is commendable and they can survive in harsh environmental conditions. The diet of guppy fish consist of invertebrates, diatoms, mineral particles, fragment of plants, aquatic insect larvae, and algal remains. Algal remains makes up the majority portion of their diet but it can vary depending on environmental conditions and the availability of foods. Guppies are used as model organisms in the studies of evolution and ecology.Providing the correct water conditions or parameters, enough space, and high quality food will lead to the development of beautiful, healthy guppy fishes. Genetic factors govern their growth but there are some other external factors too. Variations are found between the male and female guppy fish sizes. Male guppies can typically grow up to 0.6-1.4 in (1.5-3.5 cm) whereas a female guppy can grow up to 1.2-2.4 in (3-6 cm). Jumbo guppies can reach a height of 5 in (12.7 cm) and are considered an exception. Male guppies are typically measured after seven weeks. Female guppy fish continue reproducing until 22-34 months of age. Three to five guppies can be placed and fed together in a single tank.When do guppies reach their maximum size?Guppies can have two to three generations every year in the wild. Young guppies, when born, are taught anti-predator tactics. Guppies’ body sizes increase with age. Their maturity in terms of size varies greatly depending on the predation danger of the populated settings. Males and females residing in high-predation areas tend to mature faster and begin reproducing earlier than those from low-predation areas. At six months of age, female guppies can experience a significant increase in their mortality rate because of residing in a high predation environment.The lifecycle of guppies includes four phases, namely guppy fry, juvenile guppy, young guppy, and adult guppy. After birth, it takes usually six months for guppy babies to fully develop into adults. This is when their growth rate declines and eventually stops. After this, their body growth will stop but the growth of their tails and body limbs continue. In some cases, the males are born with longer fins or tails. Genetics and a well-balanced and high quality diet plays an important role in the continuation of growth even after maturity stage is over, that is after six months. The size of guppy fish should stretch between 1.5-2 in (2-6 cm) according to genetics.Guppy fish babies use swimming as their source of survival from predators. In addition, 16 hours of sunlight exposure every day also helps the babies to develop. Initially, guppy fry are deformed in shape, but after a few hours they start becoming strong for feeding. The size of guppy fry is about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) in length. The biggest fish along with adult guppies can eat baby guppies. To prevent this from happening, the pregnant guppy female must be separated from the rest of the baby guppies and other fishes to provide enough hiding spaces like live plants.Guppy fry tends to eat the same food as adult guppies. Baby brine shrimp is considered to be a very nutritious food for baby guppies. People keeping guppy fish in their aquariums should also feed them crushed food flakes, as well as the yolk of a hard-boiled egg because this will promote their growth. The aquarium water should be changed frequently and the babies should be fed multiple times a day. Guppy fry become juveniles after one month of their birth. The juvenile stage marks the appearance of color which helps to distinguish the different sexes. The size ofguppies in the juvenile stage ranges between 0.25-0.75 in (0.6-1.9 cm). Male guppies start forming gonopodium.During the juvenile stage, it is very important to feed the guppies with high quality food like blood worms, spirulina, plankton pellets, beef hart brine shrimp, and water. At three months of age, guppies start becoming sexually active. It is in the juvenile stage when guppy breeders separate the males from the females as this will promote their growth. In case of young guppy fish, fat intake must be lowered and more proteins and greens should be included in their diet. Brine shrimp shouldn’t be excluded and spirulina and plankton pallets should be included as they will help these fish to become exceptionally colorful.After six months of birth, guppies reach their adult stage. Guppy fish live a life of two to five years. At one and a half years of age, guppies become infertile and cannot reproduce anymore.Common Reasons Why Guppies Stop GrowingGuppy fishes are considered to be the least costly tropical fish. This attracts a fish keeper to keep guppy fishes in a community tank. Guppy fish enjoy swimming in the water, so it is better to buy a bigger aquarium. The tank size should be a minimum 5 gal (22.7 l) and this sized aquarium is considered to be standard for guppy fish from the industry point of view. The tank can also be as large as 10 gal (45.4 l). Spacious aquariums will be a better option to promote growth and for these fish to reach their optimal size. A large aquarium accommodates this as they have plenty of room to swim.. Several species of guppy fish have a natural metal texture. Though, guppy fishes are peaceful, they prefer to live in a group. It is believed that guppy fish tend to hide for a long time when they are feeling stressed, sick, or an indication of a disease.There are many reasons which suggests the inhibition of growth of guppy fishes. Guppy fish growth stops in their developing phase when there is a lack of space. The recommended aquarium size is 10 gal (45.4 l) to raise a pair of adult guppies or guppy fry. A larger aquarium helps guppy fishes to swim actively, even in their developmental stage. Swimming in the water serves as a form of exercise for them. Too much space is also not beneficial as a high water volume becomes challenging for guppies due to lot of energy and time being wasted in finding food.Faulty water parameters such as off temperature, harmful gases, or depleted oxygen levels have a negative impact on guppy fishes, eventually hindering their growth process. It is important to remove the accumulated waste and toxins from the aquarium everyday. Also, there is a high risk of chilling for pregnant females. Therefore, a heater, filter system should be attached to the aquarium and water should be changed regularly to keep the pH 7.0-8.0 and at a temperature of 71-81 F (21-27 C). This is the optimal range. Make sure to remove the toxins along with the harmful gases, if present. The center of the tank should be open.Natural light should be provided in an appropriate amount to help the guppy see well and to stimulate food intake. Both guppy fry and adult guppies need 8-10 hours of light on average every day. Again, guppies are non-nocturnal or diurnal, so they need to sleep at night. To ensure that guppy fishes get enough nutrients, proteins, and vitamins, their diet should be of high quality. A fair amount of phosphorus, calcium, iodine, sodium, magnesium, and flake based feed should be present in the diet of guppy fishes. Meals should include frozen foods, live foods, and freeze-dried alternatives. Guppies need to be fed four times a day at least.Guppies can absorb phosphorus and calcium through their gills as they resides in brackish water. This is needed to build a good immune system and to fight against diseases. The growth of guppies are majorly governed by genetics. The size may vary depending on the strain of the breed produced through selective breeding. One such genetic condition is a bent spine which results in stunting the growth of guppies. Genetics also has an influence on other characteristics like pattern, shape, and color ofguppies.A crowded tank can also hamper their growth. This is due to high toxin levels being generated and the stress of being in a crowded space. A small space with a high rate of guppy breeding results in an overcrowded tank. Attention should be paid to the male and female ratio that is 1:3 to prevent breeding. Filial cannibalism is practiced by them as they eat their own babies after birth. This could be because of many reasons like replenishing on fat storage, stress, and overpopulation. If guppy fry and adult males and females are put together in the tank then eventually, there will be no guppy fry left to raise. If the fry survives by chance, then the growth rate will be severely hampered by the fear for their life.How to breed guppies for size?A good breeding experience along with a lot of patience is required for breeding guppies. Multiple generations of selective breeding can increase the size of guppies. Selective breeding is done to avoid haphazardness. Breeders usually take fancy guppies that are healthy and whose lineage is known. Generally, two males and three female guppies are taken for breeding but not randomly. Fancy guppies are more sensitive than their regular counterparts.At first, breeders select several guppies with the desired characteristics that are used to produce true breed strains. The characteristics may include distinctive coloration, unique patterns, and longer fins. In order to save time, the female of the same strain selected before should be brought when choosing a different variation. For example, mating of two leopard guppies will produce a leopard offspring but the breeding of tuxedo guppy and leopard guppy will produce offspring of mixed characteristics derived from each parents.After the guppy fry are born, the female should separate immediately. On average, eight aquariums of 10 gal (45.4 l) each are required. One for the parent guppies, two for the first male and female generation (this is done to avoid harem breeding which will not produce desired characteristics), two for second generation male and females, and two for selected male and female species. An extra tank is required for backup in case of mishaps.Ethics Of Breeding Guppies For SizeThe healthier the guppy strains are, the faster they will grow. The first and foremost thing is to create a breeding environment in a separate tank or communal tank. Separate tanks allow more control over the guppies and you can keep a notice on their behavior. Parents can be selected easily whereas in communal tanks, any two fish can mate to produce babies. The water conditions should maintained because they prefershard water.The males extend their gonopodium towards females when they are ready to spawn. Sperms are stored inside the female bodies for three months. Baby guppies should have numerous places to hide for comfort. Java moss will be a great option for hiding. Soon after they are born, the fry starts feeding on everything they can find.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how big do guppies get then why not take a look at how to take care of a fish or guppie facts.
Guppies are the most incredibly popular freshwater breed, belonging to the family Poeciliidae and are widely distributed in the tropical region.
