6 Interesting Facts About Guppy Fish all Beginners Should Know

We can all agree that the commonest pets are cats and dogs. However, it is often overlooked that there are a lot of us who are simply not interested in having these animals as pets. There are a lot of different reasons why this is the case.

For instance, the lack of commitment needed to keep these inside your household. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t love animals. In fact, we just have other perceptions of how pets should be. That’s why there are a lot of people who are interested in fish keeping. The level of commitment for keeping fish as pets is certainly not as high as with some other ones. Check out theaquariumguide.com for more types of fish species you can get for beginners.

There are only three factors we need to have in mind to keep them. First, we need to have a fish tank that’s big enough to keep all of them inside. Second, it is important to provide them with conditions that will keep them alive as much as it is possible, like preventing any diseases. Lastly, we need to feed them.

To find the proper food for your guppy fish, we would advise you to check this. Since guppies are one of the most popular ones at the moment, we would like to provide you with some interesting facts about this species.

1. Efficient Against Malaria

The first fact we would like to discuss is going to surprise many people out there. We are talking about the fact that guppies are used to battle against malaria in a wide array of different countries in Africa. The reason why they are so efficient is that they eat mosquitoes. If you conduct online research, you will see that there are many rivers in Africa where they have been grown for a long time now.

Some would say that them consuming mosquitoes is strange because they are much smaller than those insects. Still, it is important to understand that they don’t eat grown mosquitoes. Instead, they are eating the eggs, which are 0.1 inches big, which is just enough for guppies to eat them.

2. Colors Make the Difference

Since guppies are so small, it would be impossible to determine their gender if it wasn’t for the colors. When we say that, we mean that their colors will show you their gender. Males will have much brighter colors, and they are usually slightly bigger than females. At the same time, females will not have all the stylish addition to their color we can find among males.

So, when you’re buying a group of guppies you will have a great advantage many people are not aware of. If you pay attention to the equal number of males and females within the group, they will reproduce all by themselves. Basically, you will not need to buy any new fish in the future.

3. They Live Long

Not only that the reproduction process is quite fast with guppies, you will see that they can live for a long time, for a fish at least. Their lifespan goes between 1 and 3 years. If you keep them in a habitat that will apply to their habits, you can expect them to live for somewhat longer than that. So, when we said that you will probably not need to buy new ones, we meant it literally.

4. Test Water’s Quality

In some parts of the world, guppies are used to test whether the water is drinkable. In most cases, you will find this situation in India and Sri Lanka. It happens in situations when the water was polluted for whatever reason, mainly floods that bring a lot of items from the surface. While there are more complex ways we can see whether the water is drinkable, this is some sort of natural way of doing things.

But that doesn’t mean that we would describe this sort of test as a humane thing to do. The reason is quite simple, those fish that die while they are in the water are proof that it is not safe enough for human consumption. Not only that, but their reproduction is quite fast.

5. They Live in Tropical Waters

It needs to be said that they are native to the rivers in South America. Furthermore, we can see that there are more than 300 different groups and sub-groups of this species. Some of them can be in the Amazon River. As you know, the climate in this part of the world tends to be tropical. For that reason, you will need to keep them in tropical conditions.

Meaning, your fish tank needs to have at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to the ideal conditions, these are a couple of different theories, but all of them are debatable. To provide them with this sort of condition, you will need to purchase some sort of heater and put it in the room where your aquarium is.

6. Low Maintenance

Last but not least, it is important to point out that they don’t require too much maintenance. Surely, those people who tend to have a lack of commitment will be happy to hear this. When it comes to their food, you can feed them with practically anything you have. Furthermore, they are, let’s say, durable since they are not prone to catching too many diseases.

Not to mention that you can purchase them at practically any shop you step into, due to their growing popularity in the last two decades. Plus, they tend to be cheaper because they can be raised quite simply because they don’t require special conditions. There is only one major factor, and it is to keep the tank clean.

Summary

Since guppies are one of the most widespread species of fish these days. It would be beneficial for us to understand than on a much higher level. Here, you can take a look at some of the most interesting facts about this species. We are sure you will find all of them both informative and entertaining.