great for beginners

Guppy and Platy - popular beginner fish for young and old

Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and Platies (Xiphophorus maculatus) belong to the group of live bearing tooth carps and are very popular because of their bright colors and the ease with which they are kept. The birth of young fish and their rearing is a special experience, especially for children.

The guppy can reproduce rapidly - that's why it is also known as a fish of millions. Its home is northern South America and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, it can be found in tropical and subtropical countries around the world in order to reduce the mosquito plagues there by eating the larvae.

The guppy is a schooling fish and should be kept in an aquarium with at least 54L. They love good and herbaceous planting where they can withdraw at night. A thicket of plants is an ideal place for birth and also later offers the young fish a shelter.

Guppy lovers and breeders exist all over the world with an incredible variety of cultivated forms of fin shapes and fin colors.

In addition to Poecilia reticulata, Poecilia wingei - the Endler Guppy - is another interesting fish for the nursery. It was only discovered in Venezuela in 1975, but it was not so well known afterwards. Only the trend towards smaller aquariums and aquascaping led to a significantly higher level of popularity. At 2-4 cm it is significantly smaller than the "normal" guppy breeding forms, but no less interesting in terms of color.

In both guppies, only the males are colored! The females are uniformly white gray in color with a metallic sheen.

Platies (Xiphophorus maculatus) are also popular beginner fish and are kept with other fish species in many so-called community aquariums. At 3-6 cm, they are slightly larger than the guppies and the physique is also stronger.

The home of the platys is Central America, where they inhabit flowing waters. The platys are less likely to be found in shallow standing waters.

The variety of colors of the cultivated forms is almost unlimited with many red, orange and yellow tones. But mixed colors are also very popular with attractive drawings and patterns. Platys also love dense planting as a retreat and hiding place for young fish.

Guppies and platies like to eat algae - they pluck and often munch on threads of algae all day.