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Melanzona guppy

Poecilia parae

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Melanzona guppy (Poecilia parae)
Eigenmann, Carl H., 1863-1927 · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
15 gal
55 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Livebearer · Easy
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Poeciliidae
Origin
Brazil, The Guianas

Overview

The Melanzona guppy is a small, peaceful livebearer for a planted community tank. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

Male Melanzona guppies occur in five set forms, each passed from father to son and unchanged through life. Three are striped melanzona males in red, yellow or blue. The other two are a bar-tailed parae male and a plain immaculata male that mimics a female.

Caring for the Melanzona guppy

Keep Melanzona guppies in a group with several females for each male, since rival males display constantly. A tank of 15 gal (55 L) or larger suits a small breeding group. Give them plants, gentle flow and open swimming space, and expect them to stay in the middle of the tank.

Melanzona guppies like warm, neutral to slightly hard water, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. They tolerate a little salt, so you can add some if you wish. Steady warmth and clean water keep them in condition.

Melanzona guppies are easy eaters. They graze algae and take a good flake with vegetable content, plus small frozen foods such as daphnia and cyclops. They are peaceful and mix well with other small, calm fish.

Females reach about 2 in (5 cm), while males stay much smaller, near 3 cm. Males fertilize females internally with a gonopodium, and females give birth to live, free-swimming fry. That makes the Melanzona guppy an easy species to breed.

Good to know

The Melanzona guppy, Poecilia parae, is a livebearer in the family Poeciliidae and a close relative of the common guppy. Keepers also call it simply parae, after its species name.

In the wild

The Melanzona guppy lives along the coastal lowlands of the Guianas and northern Brazil. It is found in swamps, slow creeks and brackish estuaries near the sea, where the water is warm and weakly flowing.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Melanzona 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

What size tank does a Melanzona guppy need?

A Melanzona guppy needs at least 15 gal (55 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Melanzona guppy need?

A Melanzona guppy is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a Melanzona guppy eat?

A Melanzona guppy grazes algae and takes a good flake with vegetable content, plus small frozen foods such as daphnia and cyclops.

How big does a Melanzona guppy get?

An adult Melanzona guppy reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

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

Males are much smaller than females, near 3 cm against about 2 in (5 cm). Males also carry a gonopodium, which they use to fertilize females internally.

How does a Melanzona guppy breed?

A Melanzona guppy is a livebearer. Males fertilize females internally with a gonopodium, and females give birth to live, free-swimming fry, so it is easy to breed.

Related species