Moscow Blue Guppy

🔹 Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata

🔹 Common Name: Moscow Blue Guppy

🔹 Type: Freshwater Livebearer

🔹 Coloration: Deep metallic or iridescent blue coloration covering the entire body and tail; males are especially vivid.

📏 Size

• Maximum Size:

  • Males: Up to 1.5 inches (3.5–4 cm)

  • Females: Up to 2.5 inches (6 cm)

• Males are more slender and vibrantly colored than females, who are larger and less intensely colored.

🌍 Native Habitat

• Origin: Wild guppies are native to northeastern South America, including Trinidad, Venezuela, Guyana, and Barbados.

• The Moscow Blue Guppy is a selectively bred strain developed in captivity—originating from Russian guppy breeders in the mid-20th century.

⏳ Lifespan

• Average Lifespan: 1.5 to 3 years

• Lifespan can be maximized with clean water, a balanced diet, and minimal stress.

🍽️ Diet

• Diet Type: Omnivorous

• Wild guppies feed on algae, insect larvae, and microorganisms.

• In aquariums, they thrive on a varied, high-quality diet:

  • Flake or micro-pellet food formulated for tropical or livebearing fish

  • Live or frozen foods: baby brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia

  • Vegetables: blanched peas, spinach, or spirulina flakes

🧬 Breeding

• Breeding Behavior: Livebearer – females give birth to fully-formed fry

• Breeding Season: Year-round in captivity

• Gestation Period: Around 21–30 days

• Females can birth 20–50 fry per batch, sometimes more.

• Fry should be separated or given hiding spaces to avoid predation from adults.

🐟 Best Tank Mates

Moscow Blue Guppies are peaceful, making them ideal for community aquariums with non-aggressive species.

• Compatible tank mates:

  • Other guppies

  • Mollies, platies, swordtails

  • Corydoras catfish

  • Otocinclus

  • Small peaceful tetras (e.g., ember, neon, or glowlight tetras)

  • Shrimp (e.g., cherry shrimp) and snails

• Avoid:

  • Fin-nippers (e.g., tiger barbs, serpae tetras)

  • Aggressive fish (e.g., large cichlids, some bettas)

  • Species that may outcompete guppies for food or harass them

🏡 Aquarium Requirements

• Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons (for a small group); larger for breeding or community setups

• Water Parameters:

  • Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)

  • pH: 6.8–7.8

  • Hardness: 8–12 dGH (moderately hard water preferred)

• Tank Setup:

  • Plants (live or artificial) for cover and fry protection

  • Gentle filtration (sponge filters are ideal)

  • Regular water changes (20–30% weekly) to maintain water quality

  • Avoid strong currents, which can stress their flowing tails