Description
Poecilia reticulata, or the guppy, is inarguably the most popular fish that exists in the fishkeeping hobby. With their multitude of different colors, patterns, and fin types, it is easy to see why, since no matter what your taste, you will be able to find a guppy that you think looks spectacular. These little fish give live birth, which contributes to their proliferation in all environments. These fish are originally from northeastern South America and the southern Caribbean, and are now introduced to each and every one of the other continents, save Antarctica. These days, you would almost never find wild collected guppies, due to how easy they are to breed, but that does not mean that the wild populations do not exist, since these nano livebearers are known to thrive in almost any water condition.
In the wild these fish inhabit a wide variety of water conditions in a variety of places, from ph 6 with very low hardness to ph 8.5 and over 500ppm, and even into brackish conditions, where they continue to be bulletproof! Even though they can thrive and even reproduce in different conditions, guppies do prefer water on the harder side, which is at least about 100ppm hardness. Because they breed often and the babies grow quickly, these fish really appreciate some calcium in their water to help their development along. You will want to avoid heavy flow in your aquarium as well, since most hobby bred strains of guppies have much larger and drapier fins than their wild counterparts which do not help their mobility. As such, the larger finned individuals especially will appreciate a slower flowing water column so that they can swim and feed comfortably. These fish will also really appreciate being put into a densely planted tank, and will even do some work for you cleaning certain types of algaes! You will also want to avoid any sharp pieces of decor that could catch and rip their large fins, which they are sometimes not in full control of as they trail behind them, in contrast to the graceful look they give.
These little fish are a great addition to any peaceful community tank, but keep in mind that their long fins make them slow, as well as are a big target for any other fish species that are nippy. As such, pay close attention to the size and personality of any other fish you might include in your tank. As long as there is nothing too big in the tank, and you have about two females for each male, you are almost guaranteed to get a new generation of guppies in your tank in no time! Be careful, sometimes you can even be overwhelmed by how quickly they make babies, and how quickly the babies grow.
The red iron topaz guppy is one of the strains that has been selectively bred over generations to achieve a specific look. This strain was actually developed by a US domestic breeder, and are a very special strain whose naming scheme does not reflect most standardized guppy strain names. They have metallic blue bodies with brilliant red and orange fins, which are reminiscent of the topaz gemstone, which in itself varies in color from clear sky blue to golden brown to yellow orange. The red iron further highlights the billowy dorsal and tail fins that these guppies have, a highly reflective rusty red. These fish ship individually bagged.
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