Guppies

Guppies, mollies, platies and swordtails are livebearers: they give birth to free-swimming young instead of laying eggs. They are colourful, peaceful and easy to care for, which makes them one of the best choices for a first community tank. Fancy guppies come in many tail shapes and colours, such as cobra, tuxedo and full red.

Keep them in a filtered, heated tank of at least 40 litres at about 24 to 27 °C, and change part of the water every week with dechlorinated water. Livebearers breed quickly, so keep more females than males, give the young plants to hide in, or keep only one sex if you do not want fry. Feed small amounts of flakes and frozen food once or twice a day.

When you buy, look for active fish with full colour and open fins, and avoid tanks with dead or clamped-fin fish. Selling guppies or other livebearers in the UAE? Post a free ad on AnimalMarket24 with photos and the price per fish or per group.