Welcome to the world of Fancy Guppies. This portion of the International Fancy Guppy Association (IFGA) site is provided as help to those new to fancy guppies. It is not intended to be a complete guide to the care and propagation of Guppies. It is intended however, to give the beginner a start in the right direction. You are urged to contact either an affiliated club or an experienced breeder if you have any questions or need help. You will find that as you become involved in this hobby, there are no secrets among "Guppy People." So, if you need information, it is always available from fellow hobbyists. Through the "Member Clubs" page of this site, you will find a complete list of affiliated clubs and the point of contact for each club.
CONGRATULATIONS! if you are reading this because you are thinking about breeding FANCY GUPPIES. You are sure to enjoy the hobby and the experience. Hopefully, you have researched the wide variety of color strains that are available and have contacted a reputable breeder for breeding stock. Do not make the mistake that most beginners make. You go to a breeder and see many beautiful strains that you would like to keep. The number of strains that you can keep is determined by your tank space. As explained later, you can maintain a strain in 8 to 10 tanks. Don't take home more strains than you can handle. Disappointment is sure to follow. It is best to start with one good strain. Get experience and if possible, expand and enjoy yourself. The fish you should be looking to purchase should be young and healthy and about 3-4 months of age. Fish at this age ship better and acclimate easier than mature fish. What's more, you will reap the benefit of having them during their peak breeding period, which runs from about three to seven months of age. The next few paragraphs will address your equipment and setup. It is very important that you prepare for the arrival of your new fish. Last minute rushing around and stop gap preparations usually lead to disappointment and failure.
TANKS
Beginners in this hobby are many times discouraged when they hear about breeders with very elaborate fish rooms, with numbers approaching 200 tanks. You do not need an elaborate set-up to raise good guppies. Bare 10 gallon tanks are very practical. Five and 20 gallon tanks are also a good choice. It all depends on the room that is available. For example, some breeders use 10 gallon tanks for growing babies and 20's for show fish. Breeding trios are housed in 2 or 5 gallon tanks. In order to achieve success in raising good show guppies, one needs to have a minimum of 8 to 10 tanks per strain. In order to accomplish this you will have to do some serious culling. Just think.. .each female drops 30 to 50 babies every 28 to 30 days. If you kept all of these offspring and the numbers of fish grows geometrically, soon enough 200 tanks would not be enough.
FILTRATION
One should use filters that are inexpensive and easy to clean. The two types that are popular among breeders are box filters and sponge filters. Box filters are better mechanical filters. They should be filled with floss and use dolomite and/or marbles for weight. The sponge filter is the easiest to maintain and is one of the favorites among breeders. It is a simple filter made of sponge with an air lift tube. All you do to clean it is to squeeze the sponge in warm water once a week. The sponge holds millions of bacterial organisms that help clean and purify the water. Either type of filter must be cleaned at least every other week.
AIR PUMPS
The amount of air you need will depend on the number of tanks in your set-up. A good vibrator pump will handle 10 to 15 tanks with no problem. The most efficient way to supply air to your tanks is to run PVC piping with branches off to each tank through flexible airline tubing. This type of system is easy to install and you can probably use a smaller pump than if you run all of your air through flexible tubing.
LIGHTING
If you have a lot of tanks, it's best to use four foot fluorescent ceiling lights, rather than trying to light each tank individually with more expensive hoods. The lights should be kept on for 10-14 hours per day. Lights should be set to go on one hour before the first feeding and off one hour after the past feeding.
WATER
Good, clean water is the most important element for growing large guppies with long, flowing fins. Call your local water company to find out if chloramine (combination of chlorine and ammonia) is being added to the water. If it is, it will have to be treated, because it is lethal to tropical fish. If chloramine is present in your water, it is easy to remedy. Use one of the commercial products with sodium thiosulfate and treat as per directions. This chemical will separate the chlorine from the ammonia and eliminate it leaving the ammonia. The ammonia can then be removed by running a box filter with ammo-chips in your water holding vessel. If you just hav