Kingdom: Animalia / animals
Trunk: Chordata / string players
Class: Actinopterygii / arthropods
Order: Cyprinodontiformes / Toothpicks
Family: Poeciliidae / live-bearing toothed carp
Genus: Poecilia
Species: Poecilia reticulat a
(Peters, 1859)
Basic data:
Scientific name: Poetic reticulata (Peters, 1859)
Interpretation of the words: ( Poecilia = colorfulness, diversity), ( reticulata = reticulate - pattern visible in females)
Slovenian name: Gupi, million fish, missionary fish
Group: Livebirds
Source: Central America ; Venezuela, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago
Size: Males: 2-4cm, females: 3-6cm
Biotope / Habitat: Standing and slow-flowing waters of northern South America.
Social behavior: Peaceful, fish flocks (10+)
Diet: Omnivore (worms, insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, flakes, algae, dry food, ...)
Cultivation: Easy
Aquarium: Minimum 50 liters
Population: 6 fish per 30 liters of water
Decoration: Plants, stones, roots, ...
Temperature: 18-28 ° C
pH: 7.0-8.2
Hardness: from 5 ° dGh to 25 ° dGh
Salinity max. 87 1,0 (1,036)
Lifespan: 3 years
Synonyms
Poetic reticulata Gupi
Acanthophacelus guppii / Günther, 1866
Acanthophacelus reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Haridichthys reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Heterandria guppyi / Günther, 1866
Girardinus guppii / Günther, 1866
Girardinus reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Lebistes poecilioides / De Filippi, 1861
Lebistes poeciloides / De Filippi, 1861
Lebistes reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Poecilia reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Poecilioides reticulatus / Peters, 1859
Cultivation
Gupi is really easy to raise and breed, but there are a few things you need to know.
The water should have a temperature somewhere between 18 in 28 ° C, the hardness is adjusted to its origin (everything from extremely soft to hard and somoric), the Ph is adjusted to the hardness. We stock at least 20 or more fish with an emphasis on female dominance in abundance.
Settle it in an aquarium with a volume of at least 50 l, a lot of vegetation ( Zosterella dubia, Eichornia azurea, Crinum purpurascens, Potamogeton gayi, Egeria densa, Nymphoides humboldtiana, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Ludwigia arcuata, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Vallisneria americana, Sagittaria latifolia, Echinodorus tenellus, Vesicluaria dubyana, Riccia fluitans , ..), quality light (the sun's spectrum emphasizes its beautiful colors), we do not put roots in the aquarium containing humic acids, to the bottom pebbles honey of medium thickness substrate / sand. Most guppies come from medium-hardy habitats (find out about this) and we can use limestone sand and stones from our streams without hesitation. Ensure good filtration with moderately strong water flow.
Guppies are inhabited together with smaller live-bearing animals and ground fish ( Ancistrus, Otocinclus, Corydoras , ..)
Food
Gupi is an omnivore, it feeds on mosquito larvae, crabs, water fleas, soft algae, snail larvae, ..
In the aquarium, we provide him with as much variety as possible and the prepared food in the form of scales should be only a daily supplement,
if there are no algae in the aquarium, add plant food (spirulina). (Recommended: live, frozen or dried food - pickers, mosquito larvae, water fleas, artemia, peas, etc.)
Reproduction
The fish will reproduce under favorable conditions and good overgrowth on their own, and always survives a few pups even in a group aquarium.
We use a special aquarium for planned reproduction.
A container of 20-40 l of water is enough, where we put the mother fish.
We use one male for 3 females, preferably fish of the best quality.
Females are sexually mature after three months, males after two. They are single tireless in their wedding dances and constantly running after females. Males perform the so-called "sigmuid" dance, which means that it bends in the shape of the letter S, raises its back and with its fins spread increases its color to seduce the female. Females are quite selective and do not let go of every male, the chosen one fertilizes the female with the help of a gonopod (in the sexual organ transformed dorsal fin).
A once fertilized female can give birth to several consecutive broods. It sheds after 28 (21-40) days, 20-40 pups.
The time depends on the water temperature, the number of pups from the age / size of the female. When the female lays her, we do not return her immediately to the group aquarium, as she needs time for rehabilitation, let's just put her on for at least a few days.
Fertilized females get a dark spot (pregnant spot) on the abdomen. (picture)
When the abdomen is quite round, we can see in this place the eyes of the pups sifted through the transparent skin of the abdomen, now is the time to isolate the female from the rest, taking care not to expose her to stress during this period.
Newly hatched fry are a delicacy for adult fish, so we provide many hiding places where they will retreat
(small - leaved plants, Javanese moss and floating plants).
Puppies are raised in a special aquarium and fed at least 3 * a day varied diet (nauplii artemije, samooki, spirulina, flakes, ...). After a month, the sex of the pups can already be separated.
Trivia
The female is able to store the sperm and so may have several offspring without the presence of a male.
Gupi has 23 pairs of chromosomes, including one pair of sex chromosomes, in the same number as humans.
Something about history
Around 1866 English naturalist, geologist and priest John lived and worked in Trinidad Lechmere Guppy and sent home samples of fish with a detailed description, which he in 1868 at the London Museum ichthyologist prof. Dr. Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Gunther named according to him - Girardinus guppyi (Girardinus after the French biologist Charles Girard and the guppy after the bearer), they later found that to type years already described before him prof. Wilhelm KH Peters (in 1859, Poecilia reticulata ), however, the fish took the name Gupi after him.
Historically, the species was discovered as early as 1856 in the "Rio Guaviare", a river in Venezuela, the culprit is a German amateur biologist and pharmacist Julius Gollmer. Interesting, it's a fish also brought to Europe first German Carl Siggelkow December 1908 in Hamburg.
The first form of the sword was developed as early as 1928, the first encounter and the scoring of guppies as far back as November 1922 in Laipzig, Germany.
Taxon guppies can be found here .
Why are guppies more successful than most other species in settling new hard-to-reach areas? The trick is in the fact that a single female who has managed to find herself in a new environment can independently create a colony using stored sperm (previous encounters with males), in a few weeks the first litter of pups will be here. And because guppies are very fertile and sexually mature quickly, they will produce 3-4 generations in one year.
Links
An example of the habitat of a species
Learn about natural habitats and wild fish
Despite being widespread across the planet (in tropical regions where water temperatures range between 18 ° C and 32 ° C), the origin of Guppies was much more limited, especially before it was spread around the world in terms of combating malaria or mosquitoes in some countries.
Prior to man-made spread due to its "stupidity", Poecilia reticulata was confined to a large area between Venezuela's Lagoa Maracaibo region and the Solimões river basin in the Upper Amazon, including neighboring coastal regions such as Guyana, Suriname and the border region. the territory of Brazil, namely the states of Roraima, Pará and Amapá.
The Caribbean islands closest to South America, such as the small islands north of Venezuela, such as Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Margarita, La Tortuga, La Branquilla, Los Testigos, Coche, Kubagua and the Caribbean, are also considered part of the original distribution. such as the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia. The island of Barbados, which many sources say still belongs to Guppy’s original distribution, is controversial in some scientific circles.
Due to the widespread spread caused by humans, there is evidence of adverse ecological impacts of its presence on local animals in one country or another, and about its actual usefulness as a natural exterminator of mosquito larvae.
As you can read further, it is one of the most representative locations for the Trinidad and Tobago range. The country consists of an archipelago located in the Caribbean Sea, relatively close to the northeast coast of Venezuela and relatively close to the mouth of one of the most representative hydrographic basins in South America, the Orinoco River.
They also believe that much of the genetic heritage of most native strains points to ancestors originally collected on the island of Trinidad, as mentioned by many historical sources.
This archipelago has a tropical climate with high relative humidity, which lies just below the hurricane belt, these islands are occasionally affected by these violent storms.
Trinidad is an island, the highest temperature rarely exceeding 32 ° C or falling below 19 ° C, especially due to prevailing winds and the influence of the sea (which makes the climate very pleasant and varies slightly between the coast and the interior of the island.
The most pleasant months are January and February. The average minimum temperature is 20 ° C, the value ranges between 16 ° C and 27 ° C even in the coldest period of the day. The highest temperature on average in the coldest winter months is 28 ° C, which can range between 24 ° C and 32 ° C in the warmest part of the day.
The warmest months are April, May and October. The minimum temperature is on average 24 ° C, and the values are between 19 ° C and 28 ° C during the coldest period of the day. The highest average temperature is 31 ° C, which can range between 27 ° C and 35 ° C in the warmest part of the day.
The main dry season takes place between January and May, the next between September and October. The rainy season occurs between June and August and again between November and December.
Given the scarce information that can be obtained and the data on the type of environment that the species uses, two important conclusions can be drawn.
The first (and very clear) is that the populations originating from these islands are subject to certain temperature differences on the same day and continuously throughout the year. Therefore, it should be remembered again that these fish should not be kept at a constant temperature for several months!
The second conclusion is its evolutionary adaptation to a tropical climate, where the minimums are relatively high. Despite the greater or lesser tolerance gained by some special populations, Guppies do not stay below 17 ° C for long periods of time, although in special cases they can survive for several days at 15 ° C.
The native species is mostly found in rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, puddles, swamps, coastal lagoons, and in the transition zone between rivers and the sea, such as estuaries and mangroves.
Due to the survival of guppies, it is sometimes found in very isolated places of small depth. In these limited environments, fish are protected from their most immediate aquatic predators and multiply in large numbers, but are re-exposed when seasonal floods bring some of these remote biomes into contact with the water mass.
Populations living in large rivers or lakes seek protection along the banks, especially in places with dense underwater vegetation.
Another common habitat feature that most wild populations have is a shallow depth that rarely exceeds 1 meter. In some parts of its geographical distribution, Gupi spent most of the year colonizing small watercourses only 10 cm or less deep, so that it was without pressure from most of its natural aquatic predators, but was more exposed to air hazards.
The waters where they originally settled range from the clear and sparkling waters of mountain streams to the turbid environment of some rivers, canals and lakes (turbidity during the rainy season due to sediment transport downstream or due to the spread of microalgae at certain times of the year).
Some populations, namely in places where Gupi was introduced by man, are also found in waters with high salinity or often in the ocean at the ends of mangroves and estuaries, although the marine environment does not offer good living conditions.
Due to geographical dispersion, populations are increasingly occurring in waters where this species should theoretically not settle. This is the case in some areas that are already relatively polluted or in acidic wetlands (pH around 6, o).
Due to its exceptional flexibility, we can say that Gupi, with its great ability to colonize new environments, is extremely adaptable to new requirements and very resilient. Its biggest vulnerability is actually temperature.
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Source: http://www.viviparos.com/
Biology of this probably the most widespread species
Common guppies are one of the most interesting examples of variability and polymorphism within a species.
In the same watercourse, groups with larger or smaller individuals, more or less colored males, and with patterns characteristic of this section that differ from the rest of the hydrographic basin can be found.
The colors and patterns displayed by males sometimes vary depending on their location and the type of environment or predators that can be found there.
In addition to morphological aspects, behavioral differences between different populations can even be found.
In many places found fish of the same species live permanently in flocks, and not far from them in the same river can be found individuals looking for food on their own.
Males found in the wild show important parts of their body and fins with a certain variety of colors, spots, or patterns. The most common colors are red, yellow, blue, green, and white, followed by various spots, stripes, or even black areas.
Guppies living in watercourses where predatory pressure is higher reach sexual maturity earlier and males reach smaller dimensions as a result. Unlike their relatives who live in low-risk locations, they have smaller offspring in addition to fluctuations in fertility (David N. Reznick et al, 1996).
The diversity is such that in some cases a possible embryonic specification can even be discussed.
Gupi from Cumane or Endler's Guppies has been an interesting example of passionate debate among lovers and even scientists for decades. Some experts believe that they have not found enough research material to classify Endler's guppies as a special subspecies of Poecilia reticulata (Alexander and Brenden, 2004).
This issue was finally resolved in 2005. In July 2002, two European scientists - Fred N. Poeser and Michael Kempkes - surprisingly discovered the Laguna de Campoma near the lagoon de Buena Vista (Cariaco) and found several populations of what became known as Campoma endler or Campoma gupi, shown as a special species for science, called Poecilia wingei (Poeser, Kempkes, & Isbrücker, 2005).
Due to the high geographical distribution and long-term isolation of some populations that have lost contact with other species for a long time, there are two main reasons for this phenomenon of diversification and even cases that are close to embryonic specifications.
The stimulus caused by sexual selection encourages the development of secondary characters that favor males in competition for female attention, but the colors that favor mating are also a magnet for predators.
Numerous morphological adaptations are evolving, pressured on the one hand by sexual competition and on the other by underwater and air predators.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe Guppies in the wild, in some waters of its origin, is aware that the lauded work of domestic strain breeders is not as fantastic and glorious as it seems. Interestingly, a number of basic specimens have already been found in wild animals and which have immediately been questioned as the origin of some of the most famous forms of captivity - which is by no means true.
Some fish found in Trinidad and Tobago and in the border regions of continental South America.
Some fish, such as Airus spp, stand out from this natural selection due to their predatory activity in the wild populations of Guppies. Aequidens pulcher, Astyanax bimaculatus, Cichlassoma spp., Crenicichla alta, Crenicichla saxatilis, Dormitator maculates, Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus, Hoplias malabaricus, Rhamdia sebae, Chuvulus hartii s in Symurbrans.
Invertebrates such as shrimps of the genus Macrobrachium and some larvae of aquatic insects stand out from the list of countless animals that Gupi feeds on.
There are air predators that are very common, namely bats (Noctilio spp.) And waterfowl of the genera Ceryle, Chloroceryle, Pitangus, etc.
Not all of these species are present in the same biomes and do not exert the same type of pressure, regardless of the type of mortality they cause.
It should be noted that the potential number of predators is much higher given the very large natural distribution, not to mention all the places where these fish were introduced.
The activity of predators causes large differences in social and reproductive behavior and in demography between different populations according to their specific composition and their number in the habitat in question.
In populations that are subject to very little pressure from predators, guppies feed even at night. Proven changes in the absence of this behavior at night due to the presence of predators (fish gather at night and take refuge in underwater vegetation or on shores) ultimately have proven consequences in terms of growth and reproductive behavior (Douglas F. Fraser et al., 2004) .
Another situation caused by environmental issues is the fact that there is a certain discrepancy between the maximum size in adulthood and the sexual maturation of fish of this species with different origins.
Unlike most domestic strains, wildlife is often distinguished by its differences and richness of diversity.
Contrary to the arguments generally related to by crossing in aquaculture animals, the reduction in size and growth rate in their natural environment occurs in response to needs.
Because males of these species virtually stop developing their bodies after sexual maturity, this affects their final size, which is why there are so many differences in the measurements of adult fish between natural populations, and even greater between wild and farmed genera.
In general, individuals from populations under lower predator pressure have slower growth, later maturation, longer lifespan, and smaller litters than those subject to severe predatory stress.
During the rainy season, there are usually major environmental changes that slightly change this dynamic and usually lead to the need for seasonal shifts in fish migrations in search of better living conditions or simply survival.
Although it is a species with continuous reproduction, it is confirmed that the number of newborn pups is the lowest during the year when precipitation is highest.
In northern Venezuela or Trindad, this is particularly the case between May / June or November / December.
With regard to reproduction, we can say that males have two different types of behavior.
Some males introduce themselves to the opposite sex and develop a series of ritual movements with which they primarily want to show their colors. Faced with this dance, females react by accepting courtship and allowing mating (insemination) or simply rejecting and quickly moving away from the beauty. Gender selection is based primarily on this strategy.
In contrast, other males opt for a completely different method.
They try to sneak up on females. In almost every one of these situations, the answer is the same ... an escape attempt.
This covert mating is less safe and effective than the first, but still allows a considerable number of inseminations.
Although the jump-and-run mating system generally goes beyond the courting system, the balance between these two tactics in nature is closely related to the type of predatory pressure and the type of environment in which the fish live.
Multiple paternity is more common in those populations in which covert mating predominates, and paternity of the same male in association with multiple embryos from the same litter is generally associated with ritual mating.
Pregnancy in optimal conditions in nature lasts from 22 to 27 days.
In captivity, this period can be greatly prolonged, especially if pregnant women are subject to prolonged pain or anxiety. The use of hatching cages, very popular with uninformed aquarists, is one of the most obvious sources of stress that causes a lot of damage during pregnancy. In addition to unnecessary extensions, complications can occur that will result in increased mortality at birth, difficult childbirth, or miscarriage.
Under favorable conditions, however, this species becomes very fertile.
Young females have 6 to 8 offspring, and in ideal breeding conditions up to 60 in fully developed females.
The number of puppies per litter can also vary depending on the special situation. There are not only direct consequences between environmental conditions and fruit development. The number of births per litter and the size of newborns are also affected by special conditions.
Under certain circumstances, such as in the presence of predators, Gupi has different birth rates depending on the demographic requirements for the survival of the group.
Newborn cannibalism is a common practice in environments where there is no shelter for young people, and especially where adults are malnourished.
The animals observed in their natural environment are distributed along the banks in groups of hundreds of adults and young animals at different stages of development.
Depending on the type of predators they have to deal with, and the abundance of nearby shelters or without, these communities can form dense flocks or randomly scatter across available space, either swimming below the surface or even looking for food near the bottom where the water doesn’t exceed 1 meters of depth.
In larger groups that are less prone to constant attacks, there is more competition among males, revealing more obvious courting efforts.
Where attacks by adult-eating predators are more common, males do not have as rich a color and are more likely to opt for covert copulation.
Females are generally more attracted to males in their population or genus. In a scientific paper on the sexual preferences of specimens collected from 11 different locations from Trindad Island in terms of color patterns, body shape, and dimensions, this hypothesis was demonstrated by the existence of well-defined patterns of choice among females of different wildlife. (Endler in Houde, 1995).
If, on the one hand, males tend to become more attractive to females at the expense of increasingly lush coloration, on the other hand, more extravagant individuals are easy targets for their attentive predators.
As a result, in the wild, when they choose to avoid covert mating and harassment, they expose themselves to deeper and more unprotected waters, alienating their fiancés because of the fear they show in facing all possible attacks if they leave the vegetation safe or shallow.
Such behavior is impossible to observe in a very limited space of a home aquarium, which is why females born and raised in captivity will never be able to avoid males (even at times when such a separation would be completely inevitable). This magnificent strategy can often be observed in open-air lakes, especially if other larger fish or even predators are present.
Wild animals feed mainly on zooplankton, small insects, insect larvae, microalgae and plant debris.
The percentage of these components varies during the year depending on the region, ecosystem and availability.
In some regions in nature, the diet changes during the seasons and fluctuates occasionally due to special weather conditions.
With such a wide geographical distribution, especially after introductions, it is not possible to distinguish a typical uniform diet. Nevertheless, taking into account some research conducted with Poecilia reticulata in the ecosystems of its original distribution, we have come to interesting conclusions.
Seasonal fluctuations occur where climate change is greatest. Even in the most unchanged tropical climate, the diet may differ at certain times of the year depending on the availability of this or that food.
During the rainy season, in addition to causing a reduction in live prey, such as insect larvae, flood currents disperse living beings over a much wider area and make it difficult to capture food due to reduced visibility due to turbid water.
The consumption of plant foods is extremely high, especially micro algae (they can reach 75% of the substances found in the digestive system) and aquatic insects or their larvae (Diptera, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera).
Several scientific studies specifically designed to assess the value of Guppi as a biological agent in the fight against disease-transmitting mosquitoes indicate the type of food consumed by this species, in particular by analyzing the digestive tract contents of animals caught as sampling.
Samples caught in Venezuela (Laguna de Urao, Mérida) revealed gastrointestinal contents containing larvae mixed with other foods (in 62% of individuals) or consisting only of mosquito larvae and cellulose (in 33% of individuals), (Rojas et al., 2005).
In the same study, Poecilia reticulata had the following contents in its digestive tract: algae, fish (offspring), chironomids, coleoptera, copepods, bipeds, appendages, odonates, hemiptera, larvae, pulps and debris (Rojas et al., 2005). ).
Normal captive feeding does not cause problems.
Algae, which give water a green color, are an excellent, nutritious ingredient in the diet. Algae that grow on glass and decoration are also a great source of food.
Guppies eat almost everything. They tolerate dry, fresh, frozen and live food very well. Some homemade recipes for aquarium fish are also popular. Proper nutrition is very similar to the diet of other live births, which are prone to a vegetarian diet, in which we should not forget spirulina-based foods.
In addition to lyophilized food in flakes, artemia, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, microworms, tubifex, water fleas, all live or frozen, and of course the right size for the mouth, are also highly recommended. As a supplement, they accept minced meat from mollusks or most fish.
Newborns can be fed industrial powdered food up to a length of 7 mm, eating particles of food eaten by adults, as well as nauplii artemia, microwaves and infusions.
Due to their rapid metabolism, especially at high temperatures, it is recommended to feed them in small quantities, but several times a day with a certain frequency (between 3 and 8 times and only at a time when the light is on).
We dose the food as much as the fish eats in a few minutes without leaving any leftovers.
A more varied diet, better effects on fish health and development.
The problem that arises during maintenance due to their metabolism is the creation of conditions that require frequent water changes in the aquarium. The more fish there are, the greater the need for partial water changes, all to avoid problems caused by extremely harmful and deadly bacteria.
No matter, a 40-liter aquarium that has been in operation for 5 months or a 200-liter aquarium that has been in operation for 11 months requires a partial water change of about 25% of the total volume each week.
Captive fish have a lifespan of about a year and a half, but it is not uncommon for some specimens to live more than twice as long.
