One of the most popular and well know ornamental fish in the hobby has been swimming in the home aquarium since the birth of the hobby. Guppies have been on the hobby so long that they no longer resemble their wild counterparts. This breaks them down in to two categories: the fancy guppy, and the wild guppy.

The Wild Guppy actually looks similar to the Endler in both shape and size. The males are 1” in length, and are multicolored. The females are 1.5” in length, and are plain colored. They are very hardy and prolific. They can tolerate a wide range of water conditions from a pH or 6.0 to 8.0, temperatures of 68°F to 86°F, and water hardness from very soft to very hard.

The Fancy Guppy is the product of years of selective breeding of the Wild Guppy. Their size was increased, color defined and purified, and cortla (tail) shaped and enlarged. These four factors are use to define the hundreds of strains that exist; such as the Blue Delta, Sunrise Lyrtail, and the Gold Longfin.

Clubs such as the East Coast Guppy Association are working on creating newer and larger strains. Many of theses prize winning strains are used in national, and international shows and contest against other clubs and organizations. They do this to simply promote the aquarium hobby.