How to care for Guppies, Swordtails, Mollies & Platies
This group is known as livebearers since strangely for fish the females give birth to free swimming live fry (ovoviviparous) rather than laying eggs. This species is mainly seen in North, Central and South America. Almost all aquarium specimens are captive breeds.
Water Requirements
This fish is relatively hardy and will adapt to most aquarium waters. However, although over time fish may adapt to different water conditions, it is best to keep the water parameters within the following guidelines.
Temperature: 18-28°C (64-82°F)
pH: 7.0- 8.0
Ammonia: 0mg/l (0.02mg/l may be tolerated for short period of time)
Nitrite: 0mg/l (0.2mg/l may be tolerated for short period of time)
Hardness: Slightly hard to hard (9-19 °dH)
Biology
Guppies, mollies and swordtails can be kept in salty (low salinity) water, however they are best kept in freshwater. These fish can grow well in a home aquarium in which the water quality is properly maintained and live for 3 to 5 years. They belong to the Poeciliidae family.
All males of this species can be identified by a long anal fin called the gonopodium. Women have a triangular anal fin.
Male swordtails have an annex to the caudal (tail) fin. Males guppies are often radiantly coloured related to the females. This variance has been selectively raised as the wild caught species are much darker.
Maximum body length:
Swordtail: female 10-12 cm & male 8-12 cm
Guppy: female 4-6 cm & male 3.5-5 cm
Platy: female 6-10 cm & male 4 -8 cm
Molly: female 10-16 cm & male 10-15 cm
Aquarium Requirements
All of these species choose an established aquarium for two reasons:
1. They are all omnivores and will eat few of the plants
2. If breeding, the fry will have lots of covers
A heater, filter, and ventilation are also required, and it is best to place lights to mimic daylight to assist plant growth and to bring out the natural characteristics and color of the specimens. The aquarium should be large enough to house at least three fish. A ratio of 2: 1 (female: male) is ideal because it helps single females being harassed by several males.
Maintenance
At least once every two weeks, a partial water change of 25 to 30% is strongly recommended (a siphon device is convenient for removing waste from gravel). Water should be tested regularly to ensure that contaminants such as ammonia and nitrite do not increase. Either allow the replacement water to stand or ventilate to remove chlorine. Instead, treat all the water you replace with a tap water conditioner before adding it to the aquarium.
Filters should be tested for congestion and blockages. If the filter requires cleaning then do not run it under the tap as any chlorine existing may kill the useful bacterial population that has developed in the media. Instead, it can be washed in the tank water which is detached during a partial water change as this decreases the amount of bacteria which are gone.
Good care is essential as these fish are susceptible to even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite. Check the water every week to monitor the level of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, mainly during the first set-up and after adding extra fish.
If only mollies are set then the addition of aquarium salts is recommended, this is not necessary with swordtails, guppies or platies. Mollies are able to tolerate high salinities however the rise of salinity should be steady to avoid shocking the fish.
Feeding
This group of fish are omnivores, however, and often prefer a vegetable-based diet.
The diet for your fish must match this, containing flake, frozen, spirulina and frozen dry foods.
Fish should be fed 1 to 2 times a day for a few minutes. Remove uneaten food to reduce waste disposal.
Potential Problems
A water quality issue will affect fish behaviour and can be shown by clamped wings, diminished feeding, unpredictable swimming and gasping at the surface. Instantly check the water if any of these symptoms are shown.
Compatibility
These fish make decent community tank residents. Normally, they are not violent, although male Sailfin mollies (which can be rather larger than normal mollies) can become violent if not paired with a female.
These fish work well with other dormant fish that prefer moderately hard waters.
If you want to breed from your own fish, evade storing large fish species that could simply eat the fry as they are born.
Breeding
All of these fish are easily raised in home aquariums, and in fact it can be difficult to stop breeding if you have both sexes.
It should be noted that women produce 20 to 80 fry during pregnancy (which lasts 24 to 30 days). It is recommended to keep the female in an appropriately large breeding net. She should be detached from the recently arrived young to evade her eating them. The fry must be raised separately until they are big enough to feed liberally and not be easily eaten themselves.
Try to avoid straining a pregnant female.
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