Male Vs. Female Fancy Guppies

The Facts

• Guppies are small fish, regardless of their sex, and top out at about 1 inch in length. They are widely available through pet stores and adapt to most freshwater tanks. Fancy guppies are the most decorative type of guppy.

Features: Female Fancy Guppies

• Female guppies have a slightly larger body than their male counterparts, with smaller fan tails. Although they display a wide array of colors--reds, blues, yellows, pinks, greens and purples--the colorations on a female fancy guppy will be slightly grayed out compared to males. Guppies have two fins on their bellies--the pectoral fin in front and a triangular anal fin slightly further back. Behind this anal fin, female fancy guppies have a dark spot. This is where they will carry eggs.

Features: Male Fancy Guppies

• Male fancy guppies, like many male creatures, are more colorful than the females. Their coloration is brighter and more varied, and their fan tales are much larger. Their bodies are slightly smaller than the females' bodies. Male guppies have looser anal and pectoral fins; instead of being clearly triangular, as with females, these fins are flowing and narrower on male guppies. A male guppy's anal fin is also his sex organ.

Needs

• Guppies are freshwater fish, but can handle slightly brackish water, which is water with a small salt content. Guppies are social, but can also be territorial, so they should be kept in an adequately large aquarium. Male guppies are more likely to be territorial than female guppies.

Breeding Guppies

• When male and female fancy guppies are kept together, there is a good chance that they will breed. If breeding happens, the baby guppies should be separated immediately; parent guppies can and do eat their young.