Breeding Guppies: 7 Steps To Healthy Fry & Striking Adults – Guppy Care
Breeding Guppies – key takeaways from this article:
1. Male guppy colors in their original habitat are used to attract female guppies into breeding with the males. The more colorful the male guppy, the more likely the female will mate with him.
2. How to tell male from female guppies. Females are larger than male. Highly bred males have a larger, colorful tail and gonopodium, a specialized organ used for reproduction.
3. The breeding tank should be at least 10 gallons (38 Liters). Any good water filter will do. Correct temperatures should be between 73 and 79 degrees F, (23-26 degrees C). pH should be between 7.0 to 7.8.
4. You can tell your female guppy is pregnant by the gavid (dark) spot near the belly. This dark spot gets larger and darkens noticeably during pregnancy.
5. Reproduction: Guppies are livebearers which means that the mother grows the fry inside of her and will give birth to fully formed independent fry (baby fish).
6. Female guppies can carry live sperm in their bodies long after being impregnated. This means that before breeding females may need to be kept apart from the males for a few months so that they can finish giving birth to the several batches of fry she is probably already carrying.
7. To create their own strain of guppies, a breeder will need to be careful about which males and females they choose to use as breeding stock to ensure the desired colors are passed along to the next generation of guppies.
Breeding Guppy Strains and Genetics (or “Where Did These Colors Come From, Anyway?”)
Wild guppies come in a variety of colors and patterns. Males living in areas with fewer predators are often more colorful than those living where being brightly colored might get them eaten.
Female guppies often prefer colorful males, which helps explain why these little fish developed such striking colors in the first place.
Breeders have taken things much further. Through selective breeding, they’ve developed guppies with unusual colors, patterns, and fin shapes. Popular strains include Snakeskin, Moscow, and Tuxedo.
The challenge for breeders is producing guppies that pass those same desirable traits on to their offspring, generation after generation.
Much of the variety we see in aquarium stores today is the result of decades of selective breeding by hobbyists around the world.
Deeper dive on guppy color:
The Science of Guppy Coloration: A Complete Breakdown
Guppy Planet: Where Guppy Enthusiasts Connect and Learn
Synopsis of this article:
“Guppies start nearly transparent and gain color within weeks, reaching full patterns in about a month. Genetics, hormones, diet, light, water quality, and stress all influence coloration. Males are usually more vibrant, while environmental care helps maximize brightness and ensure healthy, eye-catching guppy colors.”
How Can You Tell Male from Female Guppies? (Sexual Dimorphism)
In adult guppies, the differences between males and females are easy to recognize. Males are smaller, but usually have more colorful bodies and showier fins. Male guppies have a modified anal fin called a gonopodium, which they use for mating.
Females are typically larger and less colorful. They have a small gravid spot near the belly, close to the tail, which darkens noticeably during pregnancy.
In terms of size, females can grow to over 2.5 inches (about 7 cm), while males usually reach only 1.5 inches (3–4 cm).
Deeper Dive on how to tell male from female guppies:
Male vs Female Guppies (How to Identify Each By Color, Size, Shape…)
Synopsis of this article:
“Male and female guppies differ in size, color, fin shape, and behavior. Males are smaller, more colorful, and have longer, more elaborate tails. Females are larger, rounder, and display a gravid spot when pregnant. Males are more active and persistent, while females are calmer. Both sexes typically have similar lifespans, averaging 1–3 years. In community tanks, males are often preferred for their vibrant display, but females are equally valuable for breeding.”
Zenaquaria – Male vs Female Guppies (How to Identify Each By Color, Size, Shape & More)
Reproduction Overview
Guppies are one of the easiest fish to breed. In fact, keeping their population under control can be harder than breeding them. Given enough time, your tank could be totally filled with guppies.
Guppies are livebearers, meaning fertilization occurs inside the female, unlike most fish which lay eggs and then fertililize them. Instead of laying eggs, females give birth to fully developed fry (baby guppies).
Females can store sperm for several months. This means a single mating can result in many pregnancies, even without further contact with a male. Female guppies from mixed-sex tanks may already be pregnant when you buy them.
Pregnancy usually lasts around 3 to 4 weeks, although temperature and other conditions can affect the timing. Each pregnancy typically produces 20 to 40 fry, each about 0.25 inches (6 mm) long at birth.
Once born, fry are independent immediately. I’ve heard that adult guppies, including their mothers, may eat the fry. I’ve never seen guppies go after new born guppies. This isn’t to say it doesn’t happen. Any other fish in the tank will gladly chow on baby guppies.
Dense plants give new born guppies places to hide. Breeding boxes are another option, although leaving females confined in them too long can cause stress.
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The Guppy Breeding Tank
If you’re planning to breed guppies, a 10-gallon aquarium is a reasonable starting point for one male and three females. Beaware that a 10-gallon tank can become overcrowded quickly once the guppies start reproducing. A 20-gallon tank would give you more room to manage the growing population.
Guppies are very active swimmers but also appreciate places to hide. Live plants give guppies places to hide, especially females trying to get away from persistent males.
Guppies don’t require any particular type of substrate, so sand or smooth gravel or even a bare-bottom tank will work.
Tank Parameters for Breeding Healthy Guppies:
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Tank size: At least 10 gallons per trio of guppies (two females and 1 male).
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Filtration: I would use a sponge filter or a filter with a sponge-covered intake to prevent newborn fry from being sucked in..
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Temperature: Keep 73–79°F. I think that’s a reasonable range.
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pH level: Slightly alkaline is perfect. From 7.0–7.8 to around 7.0–8.0. Guppies generally do well in neutral to moderately alkaline water.
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Maintenance: Water changes and tank cleaning frequence will vary by how many guppies are in what size tank. Sometimes cleaning the tank will need to be done daily.
Actually Breeding Guppies
Getting guppies to breed is easy. Keeping up with all the babies can be another story.. Start by selecting one healthy male and two or three females, then place them together in a dedicated breeding tank. Having multiple females in the tank reduces stress, since the male’s attention is spread among them.
Female guppies that have been kept with males may already be pregnant. They can also store sperm for months, so separating them won’t necessarily prevent more babies.
Use a fully cycled aquarium of at least 10 gallons, with a heater and a filter that’s safe for newborn fry.
With good care and good food, breeding will occur without help from the fishkeeper.
A female’s gravid spot may become darker during pregnancy, and her belly usually gets larger. Gestation usually lasts 26–31 days. Feed pregnant females a varied diet, but don’t overfeed them.
Just before giving birth, females may hide or shudder. At this stage most sites say to remove adults from the tank to protect fry from predation. Personally I wouldn’t. As I mentioned I haven’t seen the adults go after the fry. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, just hat I haven’t seen it.
Newborn guppies can eat finely crushed flakes, baby brine shrimp, or other appropriately sized live and prepared foods. Keep the water clean with regular partial water changes. Once the fry are large enough to avoid being eaten, they can join the adults.
Deep dive into guppy breeding:
Small Scale Guppy Breeding – Diana Walstad Revised Feb. 2022
PDF – Diana Walstad’s article, Small-Scale Guppy Breeding, outlines her approach to breeding fancy guppies in a low-maintenance, plant-based system.
She utilizes nine tanks, each under 20 gallons, incorporating portable plants to facilitate easy fish handling. Walstad emphasizes the importance of genetic diversity, advocating for breeding strategies that celebrate guppies’ natural color polymorphism rather than pursuing strain uniformity.
This approach aims to enhance the fitness and longevity of the fish, addressing concerns over inbreeding and genetic weaknesses prevalent in modern fancy strains.
By focusing on fitness and natural behaviors, Walstad demonstrates a sustainable and effective method for small-scale guppy breeding.
How to Choose Male Guppies for Breeding | 5 Things to Look For
1. Avoid unhealthy fish – Remove males that are small, thin, malnourished, or have undersized dorsal (back) or caudal (tail) fins.
2. Look for the colors and patterns you want – Exclude males with irregular or non-uniform colors and markings.
3. Avoid deformities – Don’t use males with physical defects such as arched backs, flat heads, humpbacks, or crooked bodies.
4. Choose strong body structure – From the remaining fish, select those with well proportioned bodies and healthy, undamaged fins.
5. Prioritize health and vitality – Finally, pick the males that show a good appetite, swim normally and are active.
How to Choose Female Guppies for Breeding | 4 Things to Look For
1. Choose healthy, well-developed females. – Choose mature females in good condition.
2. Avoid females with obvious physical deformities, like crooked spines or abnormal body shapes.
3. Remove undesired colors – Choose females with the traits you want.
4. Prioritize health and behavior – Choose females that eat well, smooth swimming, and have active, healthy behavior.
Very Deep Dive: Wikipedia – Guppy Reproduction
Guppies are polyandrous, where females mate with multiple males.[34] Multiple mating is beneficial for males because the males’ reproductive success is directly related to how many times they mate. The cost of multiple mating for males is very low because they do not provide material benefit to the females or parental care to the offspring. Conversely, multiple mating can be disadvantageous for females because it reduces foraging efficiency and increases the chances of predation and parasitic infection.[35] However, females gain some potential benefits from multiple mating. For example, females that mate multiple times are found to be able to produce more offspring in shorter gestation time, and their offspring tend to have better qualities such as enhanced schooling and predator evasion abilities.[35]
Wikipedia – On guppies mating – Guppy – Wikipedia
34: Barbosa, Miguel; Magurran, Anne E. (2011). “Evidence of female-promoted polyandry in Trinidadian guppies”. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 90 (1): 95–102. Bibcode:2011EnvBF..90…95B. doi:10.1007/s10641-010-9721-y. S2CID 27300353.
35: Evans, J. P.; Magurran, Anne E. (2000). “Multiple benefits of multiple mating in guppies”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (18): 10074- 10076. Bibcode:2000PNAS…9710074E. doi:10.1073/pnas.180207297. PMC 27698. PMID 10954750.
How to Create Your Own Guppy Strain | Breeding for Colors and Patterns
It’s possible to develop your own guppy strain—perhaps even something unique like “Bubba’s Blue Guppies.”
Start with guppies from established strains that already have some of the colors or patterns you’re hoping to develop. Healthy fish with known breeding histories will give you a better starting point.
If you buy adult females that have been kept with males, there’s a good chance they’ve already mated. Because female guppies can store sperm for months, the best way to control parentage is to raise young females separately from males before they become sexually mature. Once you’ve selected your breeding pair or group, keep them separate from other guppies so you know which fish produced the offspring.
One of the most important parts of developing a guppy strain is choosing which fish you’ll breed. Each generation, select healthy guppies that show the colors, patterns, or fin shapes you’re trying to develop.
The time required to establish a stable strain depends on the difficulty of the color or pattern. Some traits may become consistent after several generations, while others can take years of selective breeding before the offspring reliably resemble their parents.
Even with all the guppy varieties available today, there’s still room for someone to come up with something different.
Good information from Reddit about breeding guppies here. Tap anywhere.
References used in creating this article:
Anna Lindholm, Felix Breden, “Sex Chromosomes and Sexual Selection in Poeciliid Fishes”, The American Naturalist 160(S6), pg. S214, (2002); doi:10.1086/342898 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18707478/
https://moscowguppies.com/2018/12/17/gene-variations-in-breeding-guppies-by-j-hakan-turesson/
Khoo, Gideon; Lim, Tit Meng; Chan, Woon-Khiong; Phang, Violet P. E. (1999). “Genetic Basis of the Variegated Tail Pattern in the Guppy, Poecilia reticulata”. Zoological Science. 16 (3): 431–437. doi:10.2108/zsj.16.431.S2CID73606453. http://www.igees.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/genetic_basis_veriegated_tail_pattern.pdf
Masamichi Nakajima, Nobuhiko Taniguchi, “Genetic control of growth in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata)”, Aquaculture 204(3-4), pg. 393, (2002); doi:10.1016/S0044-8486(01)00826-2
Nuyuca, F. Genetic Studies of Melanic Color Patterns and Atypical Sex Determination in the Guppy, Poecilia reticulata, Copeia 1979, 2 pp. 225-231, and Cytological Aspects
Author Bio: Don Glasgow - creator of this site
* I've been keeping fish for 24 years, including Discus, Angelfish, Betta Fish, Tiger Barbs, Bristlenose Plecos, Zebra Danios and many, many more.
* I've have been keeping planted aquariums for 23 of those 24 years. Plants I've kept include Java Fern, Sword Plants, Rosette Sword and more.
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