Female Guppy

Description

• Size: Female guppies grow to around 4–6 cm, noticeably larger and rounder than males.

• Color: Usually less colorful than males, with more muted shades of grey, gold, or pale colors, though some strains are selectively bred for color.

• Behavior: Very peaceful, active, and social. They do best in groups, and females can be kept together without aggression.

Aquarium Care

Tank Size

• A small group of females can live in 30+ litres, though larger tanks (50+ litres) are better for long-term health and stability.

Water Parameters

• Temperature: Best kept at 22–26°C.

• pH: Tolerant, but prefer 7.0–8.0.

• KH (Carbonate Hardness): Ideal range is 5–10 dKH.

• Hardness: Prefer moderate to hard water, around 10–20 dGH.

• Water Quality: Hardy, but still need good filtration, regular 20–30% weekly water changes, and stable conditions.

Diet

• Guppies are omnivores and easy to feed:

  • Quality flakes or micro pellets

  • Frozen/live foods like daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms

  • Blanched vegetables like zucchini, peas, or spinach

Feed once or twice daily, offering only what they can eat in a few minutes.

Tank Setup

• Substrate: Any type works — gravel, sand, or bare-bottom.

• Aquascaping: Use plants (live or artificial), driftwood, and decor for hiding and comfort.

• Lighting: Moderate lighting is fine. Live plants benefit from consistent light cycles.

• Water Movement: Gentle to moderate flow works well.

Tank Mates

• Female guppies are peaceful and mix well with:

  • Other guppies

  • Tetras, rasboras, platies, corydoras, snails, and shrimp

• Avoid fin-nippers like tiger barbs or overly aggressive fish.

Breeding

• Livebearers — they give birth to live fry.

• Females can store sperm and continue to have babies even without males present.

• Gestation is around 25–30 days, and each birth can produce 20–50 fry.

• If you don’t want fry, avoid keeping them with males.

• If breeding, use floating plants or a breeding box to protect fry, as adults may eat them.

Summary

• Female guppies are peaceful, hardy, and great for community or species-only tanks.

• Best kept in groups of 3+ in 30–50+ litre tanks.

• Thrive in 22–26°C, with pH 7.0–8.0 and KH 5–10 dKH.

• Easy to feed and care for, with sociable, calm behavior.

• Can breed easily — be prepared if housing with males!