Blonde Japan Blue/Red Double Sword Guppy - Poecilia reticulata

Blonde Japan Blue/Red Double Sword Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

The Blonde Japan Blue/Red Double Sword Guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a colourful captive-bred fancy guppy strain combining a pale blonde body base with Japan Blue iridescence, red colour accents and an elegant double sword tail shape. This selectively bred livebearer is best suited to peaceful tropical community aquariums, especially planted setups with stable, mineral-rich water. Like all fancy guppies, it is active, social and easy to feed, but long fins and specialised colour strains need clean water, calm tank mates and careful handling.

Common Name:
Blonde Japan Blue/Red Double Sword Guppy, Japan Blue Red Double Sword Guppy, Blonde Double Sword Guppy, Fancy Guppy, Guppy.

Scientific Name (Latin):
Poecilia reticulata
Captive-bred fancy guppy strain.

Maximum Size:
Males usually around 3–4 cm. Females, if supplied, may reach around 5–6 cm and are less intensely coloured than males.

Water Type:
Freshwater; tolerates slightly brackish conditions, but normally kept in freshwater aquariums.

Origin / Natural Habitat:
This is a captive-bred ornamental strain and does not occur as a wild population. Wild Poecilia reticulata is native to northern South America and nearby Caribbean regions, where guppies inhabit warm, quiet, vegetated freshwater and sometimes slightly brackish habitats. Aquarium strains have been selectively bred for many generations into a wide range of colours, fin shapes and body patterns.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 22–28°C
pH Range: 7.0–8.0
Hardness or Salinity: Moderately hard to hard freshwater preferred; avoid very soft, acidic water. Stable minerals and clean water are especially important for fancy guppy strains.

Temperament:
Peaceful and active. Guppies are excellent community fish when kept with calm, non-nipping tank mates. Males may display constantly to females and rival males, but serious aggression is uncommon. Long-finned strains can be vulnerable to fin-nipping species.

Diet:
Omnivorous. Offer quality tropical flakes, micro pellets, fine granules, spirulina flakes, algae-based foods, frozen daphnia, brineshrimp, cyclops and small bloodworm. A varied diet with some plant-based content helps support colour, digestion and overall condition.

Minimum Tank Size:
A minimum of 60 litres is recommended for a small group, with larger aquariums preferred for mixed communities or breeding groups. Extra space and filtration are helpful because guppies breed quickly and population numbers can rise fast.

Behaviour & Activity:
An active upper-to-midwater livebearer that spends much of its time swimming in open areas, browsing plants and displaying. Males show off their colour and tail shape by flaring and courting. Females give birth to free-swimming fry rather than laying eggs, and adults may breed readily if both sexes are kept together. Dense plants, floating cover and fine-leaved areas help fry survive.

Aquarium Category:
Community Fish
Suitable with peaceful hard-water community fish such as platies, mollies, Endler’s livebearers, small peaceful rainbowfish, Corydoras kept within suitable water conditions, snails and calm small fish. Avoid tiger barbs, fin-nipping tetras, aggressive cichlids, large predators and very soft-water specialists that need acidic conditions.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Fancy guppies do best in mature, clean aquariums with stable temperature, stable hardness and regular water changes. Avoid overcrowding, sudden temperature drops and poor water quality, as these can lead to fin damage, stress and disease. Use gentle to moderate filtration and provide plants or cover. If you do not want fry, keep males only or separate sexes, as females can store sperm and produce several broods after mating.

Suitable for:
Beginner to intermediate fishkeepers

Availability:
Occasional in trade / Captive-bred fancy strain

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.