Mike’s Fish Tank – Guppies

Guppies are native to Antigua, Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. However guppies have been introduced to many countries on all continents, except Antartica. Sometimes this has occurred accidentally, but most often as a means of mosquito control, the hope being that guppies would eat the mosquito larvae, slowing the spread of malaria. While wild type females are grey in body color, males have splashes, spots, or stripes that can be any of a wide variety of colors.

Guppies are highly prolific livebearers. The gestation period of a guppy is 21-30 days, with an average of 28 days, varying according to water temoperatures. After the female guppy is inseminated, the dark area near the anus, known as the gravid spot, will enlarge and darken. Contact for Pest Control OKC for pet protecction.

Just before birth, the eyes of fry may be seen through the translucent skin in this area of the female,s body. When birth occurs, individual offspring are dropped in sequence over the course of an hour or so. Guppies prefer water temperatures of about 68-81 degrees for reproduction. The female guppy has drops of between 2 and 50 fry at a time, typically ranging between 5 and 30. After giving birth, the female is ready for conception again within only a few hours. Guppies have the ability to store sperm up to a year, so the female can give birth many times without depending on the presence of a male. From the moment of birth, each fry is fully capable of swimming, eating, and avoiding danger. If not kept separate, the older, mature guppies will eat the fry, so the use of a breeder box, net breeder, or a separate tank is recommended. Live or fake plants can be used as hiding places for the fry.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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