I recently bought 2 guppies...I dont know if they are male or female. How can I tell?(Just wondering-not looking to breed)
They are living in a bowl. Should I keep a strong light on them to keep them warm?(Not able to keep light on all the time) Do they like light and heat? Also, one keeps biting the others tail, and will not stop. the other just swims away. what is it doing?
Answers:
The males have larger fancier tail fins, and the females are really very plain looking, usualy grey with black tails. It is best to keep more females to males to reduce aggression amongst the males and to limit the harrassment on a particular female. It sounds to me like you have 2 males. If I were you I would get a 2.5 gal bare minimum tank, 5gal would be better, with some filtration and a light, and I would by at least 3 females to go with your 2 males. These fish are not particulary picky about having heated tanks and can really do well in a range of temperatures, but a light would help to heat the tank somewhat into the 70's at least which is good enough for these fish. Also they do pretty well in small tanks, but I really would give them more than a bowl, especially if you add some females.
im not sure how you tell guppies apart but from the sound of it the males the one whos biting the female.
Guppies are tropical fish and require a heater, They also need a fiter/pump in there tank and a 5 gallon tank MINIMUM, You really should have researched these fish before going to a pet shop and buying 2 fish, It sounds like you have 2 males,
Heres a picture, Look at there anal fin, The males is pointed and the females is fan like,.
http://sogua.mamakcorner.com/uploads/pla...
Also not to mention that males are colourful, Like this one:
http://www.onset.unsw.edu.au/issue1/gupp...
And females are usualy gray with a little colour, Like this one:
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/preview...
~ GG
i'll start with the male and female question. its really easy. males are really colorful and bright compared to females. females are often a lot larger. depending on breed, males are often about 1 in and females are usually twice as long. the colors of the males are caused by melanophores which are microscopic and located at the skin. it varies between breed. you didn't mention if they are feeder or fancy...so i'll explain both. feeder females are all gray but very big. certain types of fancies have color on their tails and fins despite being a female.
fancy female guppy: http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gu...
fancy male guppy: http://www.fullredguppy.com/gup3.jpg...
don't worry if your fish aren't like either of them. (the 2 aren't even the same breed!) they are a different type of guppy.
male (top) and female (bottom) wild guppy: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/file.php/164...
males also have a fin gonopodium which is a long fin at the bottom used to inject sperm. females have a gravid spot which is a dark spot near their anal fin. (it looks like it is right next the stomach)
you don't have to keep the light on. when i had my aquarium problems, they said that sometimes light would bring stress. keeping it on for a time is ok. if you have fancy guppies, they would need a heater. (feeder doesnt'; they are a lot more hardy. btw: feeder is almost the same as wild) guppies should have the tank around 70掳F. heaters are usually suggested, esp for fancy, becuase there are drastic change between night and day. this can cause stress and some diseases such as ich. for more info go to this site: http://guppyplace.tripod.com/faqs.html...
them bithing one another's tails is a sign of aggression. . sometimes iits to fight for a female, for attention (like male bights females), or territorail.
hopes this helps :)
Guppies are small, peaceful and colorful fish. They do best in filtered aquariums with other guppies, or with other small peaceful fish. Their tank should have a heater, some live or plastic plants, and some aquarium salt. They should be fed small, frequent feedings.
Here is the best I can do as far as information about Guppies.
Minimum Tank Size: 20 Gallons
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 64-82F, 5.5-8.0pH
Maximum Size In Aquarium: 2 1/2"
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Excellent choice for beginners. Plants should be hardy varieties such as Java Fern and Java Moss that can handle the increased hardness in the tank. Other peaceful fish would make good tank mates.
The males are smaller in size, have brighter coloration, along with a bigger tail fin, and pointed anal fin. The females are larger in size with a duller coloration, have a rounded anal fin, as well as a pregnancy patch on the lower portion of the body. Ideally, the environment should have a covering of floating ferns and a breeding box to protect the fry. Adults may eat the fry if left to fend for themselves without the breeding box. The fry should be fed brine shrimp, micro food and pulverized flakes.
An algae-based flake food, along with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp will provide guppies with the proper nutrition.
i have guppys and they do not need light .you can tell buy there fins the male has the one that looks like a fan nice a pretty
