TankBud

Scarlet livebearer

Micropoecilia picta

Also known as Swamp guppy, Painted guppy, Poecilia picta, Scarlet guppy, Red Picta Guppy

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Scarlet livebearer (Micropoecilia picta)
Andrew Bogott · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
7.5–8.2
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
16 gal
60 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Top
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Livebearer · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Poeciliidae
Origin
Native to coastal swamps and slow streams of the Guianas, Venezuela, Trinidad, and the lower Amazon, often in slightly brackish water.

Overview

The scarlet livebearer is a tiny, peaceful fish for a planted tank with hard, slightly brackish water. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

Wild scarlet livebearers show a range of inherited male color patterns. Geneticists study them much like the color genetics of common guppies.

Caring for the scarlet livebearer

Keep scarlet livebearers in a group, in a tank of 16 gal (60 L) or larger. A densely planted tank with fine substrate suits them.

Give them warm, hard, alkaline water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.2. Slightly brackish conditions help if you can provide them, and they do well with a little marine salt added. Clean, stable water is the key to holding their color.

Feed small foods such as crushed flake, micro pellets, baby brine shrimp and daphnia. Scarlet livebearers are peaceful and best kept in a species tank or with other small, hard-water fish. Males court females constantly, so keep two or three females per male to spread the attention.

Males are splashed with scarlet, orange and black over a stocky body. They stay small, at around 2.5 to 3 cm, while females grow larger. Scarlet livebearers give birth to live young, and breeding them is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

The scarlet livebearer, Micropoecilia picta, was long known as Poecilia picta. It is a small livebearer closely related to the guppy. Selective breeding has produced bright red strains, sold as scarlet or painted livebearers.

In the wild

Scarlet livebearers come from coastal swamps and slow streams of the Guianas, Venezuela, Trinidad and the lower Amazon. The water there is often slightly brackish.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The scarlet livebearer is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the top. 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 scarlet livebearer need?

A scarlet livebearer needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the top.

What temperature and pH does a scarlet livebearer need?

A scarlet livebearer is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.2.

What does a scarlet livebearer eat?

A scarlet livebearer eats small foods such as crushed flake, micro pellets, baby brine shrimp and daphnia.

How big does a scarlet livebearer get?

An adult scarlet livebearer reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

How can you tell a male scarlet livebearer from a female?

Males are splashed with scarlet, orange and black, and they stay smaller than females, at around 2.5 to 3 cm.

How does a scarlet livebearer breed?

A scarlet livebearer gives birth to live young, and breeding it is of medium difficulty. Keep two or three females per male, since males court the females constantly.

Related species