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Variety of Guppy

Tuxedo guppy

Poecilia reticulata

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

Also known as Blonde Tuxedo Guppy, Pink Tuxedo Guppy, Golden Tuxedo Guppy

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Tuxedo 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 tuxedo guppy has a dark rear half, roughly from the dorsal back, while the front end and tail carry the color. It is peaceful, easy to keep and suits a calm community tank.

Did you know

The dark block and the tail color of a tuxedo guppy travel separately. In a 1999 study, the black caudal peduncle and the red tail sat at different loci across the X and Y chromosomes. That is why breeders can move new tail colors onto the same tuxedo body.

Caring for the tuxedo guppy

Give tuxedo guppies a planted tank of 10 gal (38 L) or more. They look their best in a group, and they spend most of their time in the middle of the tank.

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

They eat almost anything, including quality flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. Tuxedo guppies 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.

Tuxedo guppies are livebearers that give birth to free-swimming young. 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 tuxedo guppy is sold under labels that name the front and tail colors, as in Blonde Tuxedo, Pink Tuxedo or Golden Tuxedo. How far forward the dark block runs varies between suppliers. It is one of the easier patterns to grade through a bag before you buy. Hobby sources disagree on how half-black is inherited, calling it an autosomal recessive in some strains and Y-linked in others. A 1999 study in Zoological Science looked at one Tuxedo strain and found the black caudal peduncle behaving as a single sex-linked dominant gene. That study reported both patterns expressed in males and females rather than in males alone.

In the wild

The tuxedo guppy's dark block is a domestic trait, not a wild guppy marking. It comes from the half-black stock that guppy genetics has long called Nigrocaudatus II, kept distinct from full black Nigrocaudatus I. No breeder, country or decade is documented for the Tuxedo label itself. Read it as a trade name sitting over that older half-black line.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The tuxedo 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 tuxedo guppy a different species from the guppy?

No. A tuxedo 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 tuxedo guppy need?

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

What does a tuxedo guppy eat?

A tuxedo guppy eats almost anything, from quality flake and micro pellets to frozen daphnia or brine shrimp.

How big does a tuxedo guppy get?

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

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

Males are smaller than females but more colorful.

How does a tuxedo guppy breed?

A tuxedo guppy is a livebearer and gives birth to free-swimming young. It breeds so easily that a mixed group produces fry constantly, since females can store sperm and deliver several broods from one mating.

Related species