Black Is Back - Sakura Guppies

Originally, wild guppies were a drab lot; females were often translucent and males were a wide varietyof random, but muted colors. Today, after decades of captive breeding, a massive variety of colors are available, with dozens of named varieties, and hundreds of un-named ones in tens of thousands aquariums around the word. One of the most popular named varieties comes from Japan and Singapore. They have a solid black body and a brightly contrasting cobra tail / dorsal fin. Generally this color combo is called “Black Sakura Guppy” and they are somewhat more rare than some of the other popular color combinations as the original breeders generally didn't sell their females. Over time, other breeders have been able to breed the stunning males to other black and cobra colored guppies getting the Black Sakura combination through their own genetic lines. All that being said, they remain harder to get than most guppies, and right now we have an excellent group of them in house.

Guppies have spread from their original homes in the Caribbean around the world. They are gorgeous, incredibly hardy and easy to breed making them wildly popular with aquarium hobbists. They've also been introduced in many tropical areas for mosquito control, and those efforts have largely been ineffective. Now, guppies have been found on every continent except Antarctica. There are even guppies living in hot springs in Canada! Let this be a reminder to never release an aquarium fish into the wild.

Black Sakura Guppies like calm water and dense vegetation, or at least cover of some kind. Their petite size and incredible hardiness/adaptability make for aquarium requirements that are minimal. A pair of them can easily be kept in a two gallon aquarium, given proper heating, and filtration of the water. We recommend at least 5 gallons and up because guppies will rapidly reproduce and fill any size aquarium with amazing motion and color. Live plants can be beneficial to act as hiding spots for the smaller babies, and the adults will graze on algae that grows on delicate plant leaves. Guppies aren’t picky on water quality generally, but usually thrive in harder water. A sponge filter or sponge coverings on filter intakes will help protected the tiny babies when they are born. Tank mates should be fish too small to eat the Sakuras, and peaceful enough to not harass or nip at their potentially long fins. They are amazing tankmates for ornamental shrimp in small planted aquaria.

Feeding any Guppy is very straightforward as they are not picky. However, food needs to be appropriately sized. They will do some grazing on algae, but this cannot support them. A well rounded flake or small pellet is likely the best daily food for guppies with some live or frozen aquarium food like small bloodworms or daphnia added for treats.

Black Sakura Guppies are hardy enough to live in small aquariums with simple filtration; active & colorful enough to provide interest when watching your aquarium, and the ease of breeding them makes fun projects for aquarists of all ages and skill levels. Talk to your local fish store about our variety of different guppies available today!