Lyretail Guppy Breeding Guide (Poecilia reticulata var.)

Breeding the Lyretail Guppy, a fancy fin strain of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata): a livebearer with a gravid spot, sperm storage and broods that typically number 30-60 fry.

Overview

The Lyretail Guppy is one of the fancy fin strains of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) produced by selective breeding; the lyre tail is among the documented guppy tail types. It is a livebearer (ovoviviparous), and breeding follows standard guppy biology.

Sexing

Males are smaller (about 1.5-4 cm) and carry the bright colours, splashes and patterns, plus a gonopodium, the modified tubular anal fin used for internal fertilization. Females are larger (about 3-7 cm), greyer in the body, and show an enlarged, darkened gravid spot near the vent when pregnant.

Conditioning

Guppies breed readily. Males mature in about seven weeks or less; females first produce offspring at 10-20 weeks and continue reproducing up to 20-34 months of age.

Breeding Setup

Guppies prefer hard water and reproduction occurs around 22-26 C. Provide dense or floating plants so the live fry can hide, since adults will eat fry given the chance.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Fertilization is internal. Males either court receptive females or attempt forced 'sneaky' copulation, thrusting the gonopodium at the female's urogenital pore. Females are polyandrous and can store sperm in the ovaries and gonoducts, fertilising ova for up to eight months.

Birth & Fry Care

Gestation is about 20 to 60 days at 25-27.8 C. A female drops anywhere from 2 to 200 fry at a time, typically 30-60, over a period of one to six hours. The fry are immediately free-swimming and take baby brine shrimp, microworms, infusoria and vinegar eels; they reach maturity in roughly three to four months.

Common Challenges

The main issues are protecting newborn fry from being eaten and managing the very rapid reproduction, including ongoing broods from stored sperm.