TankBud

Variety of Guppy

Albino guppy

Poecilia reticulata

One of 9 varieties of Poecilia reticulata · See all varieties →

Also known as Albino Full Platinum Guppy

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Albino guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Varieties · Poecilia reticulata

See all 9 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–82°F
18–28°C
pH
6.8–7.8
Adult size
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
10 gal
38 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Livebearer · Easy
Rarity
Very common
Family
Poeciliidae

Overview

The albino guppy lacks black pigment, leaving a pale body and red or pink eyes under whatever pattern its line carries. It is easy to keep and suits a calm community tank.

Did you know

Albino and blond guppies carry two different genes that do similar-looking jobs. A blond keeps dark eyes, while an albino loses the melanin in its eyes too. Eye color is the only reliable way to tell them apart, so a pale fish with dark eyes is a blond or a golden.

Caring for the albino guppy

Guppies look their best in numbers, so keep albino guppies in a group, in a tank of 10 gal (38 L) or more. A planted tank suits them, and they spend most of their time in the middle of the tank. Albinos look washed out under bright lighting.

Albino guppies are very adaptable. Give them neutral to slightly hard water at 64 to 82°F (18 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.8 to 7.8. They can live in brackish water as well as fresh.

Albino guppies eat almost anything, including quality flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. Keepers report that albinos are slower than their black-eyed siblings to spot food. They are peaceful and social, and they settle well in a calm community tank.

Males are smaller than females but more colorful. Keep more females than males to cut down on pestering. Albino guppies are livebearers that give birth to free-swimming young, and a mixed group produces fry constantly. Females can store sperm and deliver several broods from one mating, so plan for the numbers or keep males only.

Good to know

The albino guppy is a form of Poecilia reticulata, in the family Poeciliidae. Red eye in guppies is recessive to black eye. An F2 cross published in 2025 gave the 3:1 split expected from a single gene. Genome-wide work on red-eyed guppies points at OCA2 as the leading candidate for the reduced melanin. The same work reads HERC2 as a regulator whose mutation can lower OCA2 expression, and it checked TYR, SLC45A2 and SLC24A5 alongside them.

In the wild

Albino guppies are a mutation kept going only in tanks. Breeders have crossed the albino base into most of the pattern strains, which is why the word fronts so many other strain names. No breeder, country or decade is documented for the guppy albino, so treat it as a hobby line of uncertain origin.

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Tank mates

The albino guppy is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is an albino guppy a different species from the guppy?

No. An albino guppy is a variety of the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does an albino guppy need?

An albino guppy needs at least 10 gal (38 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does an albino guppy eat?

An albino guppy eats almost anything, from quality flake and micro pellets to frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. Keepers report that albinos are slower than black-eyed guppies to spot food.

How big does an albino guppy get?

An adult albino guppy reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

How can you tell a male albino guppy from a female?

Males are smaller than females but more colorful.

How does an albino guppy breed?

An albino guppy is a livebearer that gives birth to free-swimming young. Females can store sperm and deliver several broods from one mating, so a mixed group produces fry constantly.

Related species