Variety of Guppy

Cobra guppy

Poecilia reticulata

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

Also known as Blue Cobra Guppy, Platinum Cobra Guppy, Red Cobra Guppy, Yellow Cobra Guppy, Luminous Cobra Guppy, Green Cobra Guppy

FreshwaterBrackishFish

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 cobra guppy is a barred form of the guppy, peaceful and at home in a calm community tank. It is a good first fish.

Did you know

A cobra guppy's bars alone do not make it a snakeskin at a guppy show. The IFGA asks the snakeskin classes for a continuous chain-link or rosette pattern over at least 60 percent of the body. A barred fish without that mesh is entered in the class matching its tail color instead.

Caring for the cobra guppy

Cobra guppies look their best in numbers, so keep a group in a tank of 10 gal (38 L) or more. A planted tank suits them, and they swim mostly in the middle of the tank.

They are very adaptable fish. 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.

Cobra guppies eat almost anything, so offer quality flake and micro pellets with frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. They are peaceful and social, and they settle well in a calm community tank.

The cobra pattern shows on males, so females out of the same line look like ordinary guppies. Males are also smaller than females but more colorful. Keep more females than males to cut down on pestering.

Cobra guppies are livebearers that give birth to free-swimming young, and they breed so easily that 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 cobra look is vertical barring laid over the snakeskin pattern, and how tight the barring is varies between farms. Shops sell it with a color word in front, such as Red, Blue, Yellow or Platinum Cobra. King Cobra is another shop name for the same fish. A 1999 Zoological Science paper from Violet Phang's group in Singapore describes the bars as an autosomal recessive gene, called bar. It shows only on males that already carry the Y-linked snakeskin body gene. Because that base pattern rides on the Y chromosome, every son takes it from his father, which holds the line.

In the wild

The cobra pattern is domestic, built on the snakeskin lines. It does not occur as a fixed pattern in the wild. Hobby histories trace the name to a May 1965 piece in Tropical Fish Hobbyist. In it, Mike Reed presented fish as King Cobra for the Mac Guppy Hatchery of Long Island, New York. Breeders have recombined the pattern ever since, so no single farm owns the look.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The cobra 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 a cobra guppy a different species from the guppy?

No. A cobra 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 a cobra guppy need?

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

What does a cobra guppy eat?

A cobra guppy eats almost anything. Offer it quality flake and micro pellets, with frozen daphnia or brine shrimp.

How big does a cobra guppy get?

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

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

Males carry the cobra pattern, while females from the same line look like ordinary guppies. Males are also smaller than females but more colorful.

How does a cobra guppy breed?

A cobra 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.