Glow Up Your Guppies: Secrets to Stunning Colours in Your Aquarium

[00:00:00] Welcome to this episode of The Aquarists Edge, a podcast for home aquarists just like you.

[00:00:06] Learn more about how to keep a thriving aquarium and discover ideas and tips to give your aquarium the edge.

[00:00:12] And now over to our host, Arthur Preston.

[00:00:19] Amazing colourful guppies. Most of us have had these incredible little fish in our aquariums at some points in the hobby.

[00:00:26] Some of us still do and absolutely love their colours and the vibrancy they bring to our tanks.

[00:00:34] Many of us want to make sure that our guppies have the best possible quality colour

[00:00:39] and we want to experiment with creating new colours in our tanks.

[00:00:44] So this episode is going to share ideas with you about enhancing the colours of these amazing little fish.

[00:00:52] So let's start with what makes guppies colourful in the first place.

[00:00:55] To truly understand how to enhance guppy colours, you need to know what drives their vibrant appearances.

[00:01:02] And it really boils down to three key factors.

[00:01:05] Firstly, is genetics. This is the absolute baseline.

[00:01:09] A guppy's genetic makeup sets the potential for its colours, its patterns and the intensity of those colours and patterns.

[00:01:16] Then of course there's the environment.

[00:01:18] And it's true to say that a healthy, stress-free environment is essential for guppies to fully express their genetic potential.

[00:01:26] And lastly, is diet.

[00:01:29] Nutrition plays a critical role in boosting colours and maintaining overall health.

[00:01:33] And each of these factors, the genetics, the environment, the diet, they work in harmony.

[00:01:38] It's a bit like tuning a musical instrument.

[00:01:41] And you know, even the best violin won't sound great if it's out of tune or poorly maintained.

[00:01:46] So what about some practical tips if you're looking to breed guppies for colour and you want to enhance their colour?

[00:01:52] Here are some practical steps to get started.

[00:01:56] The most obvious is that you need to start with quality stock.

[00:01:58] So, invest in guppies from reputable breeders or from reputable importers.

[00:02:04] Look for fish with vibrant, well-defined colours and healthy fins.

[00:02:08] Buying some cheap fish from a random pet shop may well lead to disappointment.

[00:02:13] Then you need to selectively breed the guppies for their colour.

[00:02:17] So you need to track which guppies produce the most colourful offspring.

[00:02:20] You can do this by pairing fish with complementary trays.

[00:02:23] For example, if one guppy has a stunning orange tail but a dull body, try pairing it with one that has a bright and vivid body colour.

[00:02:33] Don't be afraid to breed selectively.

[00:02:35] Don't be afraid to take fish out of your aquarium that don't match the requirements of your colour tray that you're trying to breed.

[00:02:41] Then of course, you need to avoid over-inbreeding.

[00:02:45] It's true that line breeding intensifies certain trays, but too much inbreeding can weaken your stock.

[00:02:52] So it's important to introduce new genes periodically to maintain the, let's call it the authenticity or the strength of your line and to avoid deformities.

[00:03:02] If you've been breeding guppies for a long time and it's the same stock you've been breeding from and you start seeing fish that have default spines,

[00:03:09] their bodies look skew, then it's time to remove those fish and also to bring new genes into your aquarium.

[00:03:17] You can also experiment with cross-breeding.

[00:03:20] So once you're comfortable with what you're looking for, consider crossing different strains.

[00:03:24] For example, mixing a mosaic guppy with a snakeskin guppy can produce stunning new patterns.

[00:03:30] Just keep detailed notes so you can replicate what has worked and what hasn't worked.

[00:03:36] Understanding and enhancing guppy patterns can in fact be a game changer.

[00:03:40] You can use backdrops to highlight their patterns.

[00:03:43] If you're wanting to showcase guppies, you can put them against a plain black or a plain white background in your tank.

[00:03:49] The colors will really pop when you do that.

[00:03:51] You can also make sure that you have the correct lighting.

[00:03:54] For guppies with metallic scales like some albino strains or metallic snakeskin and so forth, you can use LED lights with a higher Kelvin rating, about 6,500 to 10,000 Kelvin.

[00:04:05] Because this stimulates natural daylight and enhances iridescence in their scales.

[00:04:11] You can also select for unique trays.

[00:04:13] So if you're breeding, prioritize patterns that are rare in your tank.

[00:04:17] Such as spotted tails or gradient color shifts.

[00:04:20] You really can create some amazing color patterns.

[00:04:24] And you can start breeding them consistently with time if you selectively breed.

[00:04:29] Obviously the environment is important to making sure that the guppies colors truly come to life.

[00:04:34] So here are some practical ways to optimize their tank.

[00:04:37] You need to make sure they have a decent tank size.

[00:04:40] Because a larger tank will reduce stress and give the guppies room to display their natural behaviors.

[00:04:46] You need to make sure your water parameters are correct.

[00:04:48] Keep the temperature at about 24 to 28 degrees Celsius.

[00:04:52] And maintain a slightly alkaline pH of about 7 to 8.

[00:04:57] Use crushed coral or a pH buffer if your water tends to be acidic.

[00:05:01] Guppies also thrive in moderately hard water.

[00:05:04] And you can use aquarium salts to enhance hardness if needed.

[00:05:07] If you want to make colors pop in your tank, use aquascaping that's going to help with this.

[00:05:12] For example, you could use a dark substrate.

[00:05:14] Black sand or gravel makes bright colors really stand out.

[00:05:18] You could also use plants with contrasting greens such as java moss, amazon sword or anubias.

[00:05:24] Floating plants like water lettuce or even duckweed provide shaded areas and reduce stress.

[00:05:29] Of course be careful with those floating plants.

[00:05:31] Duckweed in particular can take over your tank if you're not careful.

[00:05:34] Natural decor like driftwood or lava rock adds complexity and reduces open spaces where guppies may feel exposed.

[00:05:43] And now we come to nutrition, which really in many ways could be said to be the secret source to vibrant colors.

[00:05:49] What you feed your guppies directly affects their coloration.

[00:05:54] Make sure that you incorporate color enhancing foods such as spirulina, astaxanthin and carotenoids.

[00:06:01] Now spirulina is an algae that produces blue and green hues.

[00:06:04] You can buy it in powdered form.

[00:06:06] Astaxanthin is found in foods like krill and shrimp and enhances red and oranges.

[00:06:11] And carotenoids, they're often, this is often found in flakes or pellets that are labeled as color enhancing.

[00:06:16] You can also add live or frozen foods.

[00:06:20] Daphonia and brine shrimp for example are like superfoods or guppies.

[00:06:23] They're packed with protein and color enhancing nutrients.

[00:06:27] And of course then there are blood worms.

[00:06:29] These are a great occasional treat for boosting red hues.

[00:06:34] You can also make your own food if you wanted full control over your guppies nutrition.

[00:06:38] You can blend cooked spinach, spirulina powder, unflavored gelatin and other ingredients to make homemade fish food.

[00:06:46] You can freeze it into cubes and use that for easy feeding.

[00:06:49] I'm not going to get into how that works now.

[00:06:51] There are plenty of tutorials online on YouTube and other places that you can go and watch and learn how to do this for yourself.

[00:06:58] Feed small amounts of food, 2-3 times daily.

[00:07:01] We all know that overfeeding not only harms water quality but also leads to bloated and unhealthy fish.

[00:07:08] Get your nutrition right and your guppy colors will certainly begin to stand out.

[00:07:14] Now stress is one of the biggest enemies of vibrant guppies.

[00:07:18] Avoid overcrowding.

[00:07:20] Choose peaceful tank mates.

[00:07:22] Avoid those aggressive fish like tiger barbs or large cichlids.

[00:07:26] Instead consider species such as neon tetras, chorydoras or even snails.

[00:07:31] You could also put shrimp with your guppies.

[00:07:35] Make sure you accrement new fish properly.

[00:07:37] You can float the bag on the water.

[00:07:40] Let the temperatures match.

[00:07:43] You could if you really wanted to.

[00:07:45] If you had high-end guppies, I know some people would do the drip acclimation method as well

[00:07:49] to avoid shocking the guppies with sudden changes in water parameters.

[00:07:53] I mentioned lighting earlier on.

[00:07:56] If you have the capacity to do this, use lights with adjustable intensity to mimic sunrise and sunset.

[00:08:02] This will reduce stress and enhance natural behaviors.

[00:08:06] It's not an essential but it can help.

[00:08:08] For tanks with live plants, aim for full spectrum lighting that supports photosynthesis while also highlighting the fish colors.

[00:08:16] Now there are three myths I want to quickly mention that have to do with the colors of guppies.

[00:08:21] And the first one is that feeding only color enhancing foods will dramatically change the guppies colors.

[00:08:27] This in fact is not true.

[00:08:29] Genetics set the baseline.

[00:08:31] The foods you feed will boost existing colors but they certainly can't create new ones.

[00:08:35] The second myth is that guppies colors are fixed after they mature.

[00:08:40] That's also not true.

[00:08:42] Their colors can improve with better care and reduce stress even in adulthood.

[00:08:47] And the third one is that mixing all guppy strains together will lead to more colorful offspring.

[00:08:52] I cannot tell you how many times I've heard this.

[00:08:54] People will tell me, I've just thrown guppies together and I'm getting some amazing colors out of there

[00:08:59] and I'm doing that because I just want to keep creating new colors.

[00:09:02] Well, if you just mix all the strains together all the time, over time you will end up with dull mixed guppies.

[00:09:10] It's really important that even if you're going to mix your guppies together you selectively breed them.

[00:09:15] That will create the best results for you.

[00:09:20] Now if you want to go a little bit beyond you could also add water additives, products like liquid vitamins or trace element supplements.

[00:09:26] They can enhance health and color.

[00:09:28] Go ahead if you want to do that.

[00:09:29] You could also experiment with different biotopes.

[00:09:32] You could replicate a natural environment such as a South American river setup.

[00:09:36] So do reduce stress and promote natural behaviors of the fish.

[00:09:40] At the end of the day achieving vibrant guppy colors is about balance.

[00:09:44] Combine the right genetics, the best environment, a high quality diet with a stress-free setup

[00:09:50] and you'll have guppies that are the envy of any fish keeper.

[00:09:54] Well folks, that's it for this episode and I really want to encourage you to share your guppy pictures with me.

[00:09:59] Send them via email to admin at artsfisherim.co.za

[00:10:03] That's admin at artsfisherim.co.za

[00:10:07] And I'll create a blog post that highlights your photos and your stories about guppy keeping.

[00:10:12] Let's learn from each other.

[00:10:14] At the end of the day, that's what this podcast is all about.

[00:10:16] It's about sharing ideas and strategies to get the best out of our fish, our livestock in our aquariums and creating wonderful underwater worlds.

[00:10:24] Thank you for your time today.

[00:10:26] Please remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast after this podcast.

[00:10:30] Share the podcast with others so that we can grow this hobby together.

[00:10:33] And I look forward to sharing with you the next time.

[00:10:36] Have a wonderful week ahead.

[00:10:38] Take care everybody.

[00:10:39] See you next time.

[00:10:40] Bye.

[00:10:42] That's it for this episode of the Aquarius Sedge.

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[00:10:55] Until next time, keep learning and discovering and keep finding your Aquarius Sedge in this captivating and fascinating hobby.