Full Red Albino Female Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Choose a prepared community home

The Full Red Albino Female Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a peaceful Poeciliidae livebearer suited to a prepared beginner with a mature, filtered aquarium. The species is native to Venezuela, Barbados, Trinidad, northern Brazil and the Guianas. Plan around a maximum adult size of 5 cm standard length for this female guppy, giving her open swimming room, plant cover and suitable companions rather than treating her as a fish for a small unfiltered container.

FishBase places Poecilia reticulata in the family Poeciliidae and records freshwater and brackish habitats ranging from weedy ditches and canals to densely vegetated lakes, springs and streams. The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. These varied wild habitats do not remove the need for stable aquarium conditions.

Full Red Albino is a named aquarium form of the guppy, not a separate species. Colour and fin labels identify selected aquarium varieties, while the care decisions still follow Poecilia reticulata. Our complete Guppy Care Guide rates guppies easy for a keeper who prepares the aquarium, tests the water and plans the social group before adding fish.

Decide on the whole setup first

• Water: neutral-to-alkaline, mineral-bearing water within the routine range below.
• Social plan: a group of five or more where capacity, sex mix and other livestock allow.
• Space: a mature aquarium at least 60 cm long under our conservative guppy policy.
• Response plan: a separate cycled space if pursuit, illness or unexpected fry require intervention.

Understand the female offer and adult size

One purchase supplies one live female guppy. Sex is guaranteed only when the exact product or selected option explicitly states male or female. This Full Red Albino Female Guppy listing is sold as female.

Use 5 cm standard length as the adult planning figure. FishBase records that the female reaches 5 cm standard length. Standard length measures the body without the tail fin, so it remains the planning figure even when domestic finnage changes the fish’s overall outline.

Choose the aquarium, filtration and companions for that 5 cm adult body. A maximum is not a promise that every individual will reach exactly that length.

Plan for adulthood from the start

Adult size affects usable swimming length, filtration load, group capacity and the choice of companions. Do not select a temporary small aquarium on the assumption that it will remain suitable until the fish grows. Prepare the adult group aquarium first, mature its biological filter and check its water before the fish arrives.

The form name describes the offered guppy, while the scientific name determines the species care. Keep those two ideas separate when comparing advice: colour-form labels do not create different temperature, pH or social requirements.

Check the decisive care numbers

Keep this guppy at 22–28°C and pH 7.0–8.0, with general hardness of 8–18 dGH. Tropical Fish Co sets 22–28°C as its routine guppy range. OATA’s guppy-and-molly sheet gives pH 7.0–8.0 and 8–18 dGH as group guidance; its water-quality targets are zero ammonia, zero nitrite and nitrate no more than 20 mg/l above the normal tap-water level.

Keep five or more guppies where aquarium capacity, the sex plan, filtration, test results and other livestock allow. FishBase records aquarium keeping in groups of five or more and a 60 cm minimum aquarium length, which matches our conservative house policy. OATA advises at least three; start with five or more where the aquarium allows.

These figures form one connected decision. A tank meeting the length recommendation can still be unsuitable if ammonia or nitrite is detectable, the group has no social plan, or existing animals leave too little usable space.

Plan space for the complete group

Use a mature, filtered aquarium at least 60 cm long for one small guppy group. Aquarium length and footprint matter because nominal litres do not show whether the fish have open horizontal swimming room, refuge or enough space after other livestock is included.

OATA recommends at least 45 litres for a small group of the smaller guppies and mollies. Seriously Fish describes a 45 × 30 cm base with an approximate volume of 41 litres for Poecilia reticulata. Tropical Fish Co applies the more conservative 60 cm length screen and then considers the actual group, sex mix, filtration and water tests.

Use dimensions before a stocking calculation

Five guppies can be a conservative starting group in a suitable aquarium, not an automatic maximum. Existing fish, possible fry, weak biological filtration or persistent pursuit can make the same nominal volume unsuitable. Check whether every guppy can swim normally, reach food and leave another fish’s line of sight.

Measure the usable aquarium

• Check the internal length: confirm that the fish have at least 60 cm of horizontal aquarium length rather than relying on the volume printed on the box.
• Allow for displacement: substrate, wood, rocks and equipment reduce the water volume and may reduce usable swimming space.
• Count every resident: assess the guppy group together with existing fish and any social groups those companions require.
• Keep a margin: possible fry and a rising biological load must not push ammonia or nitrite above zero.

Observe how the space works after the group settles. Repeated cornering, one fish occupying the only feeding area or another remaining behind cover throughout each meal shows that nominal capacity has not produced a workable social layout. Change the stocking plan, layout or separation arrangement instead of using the litre figure as permission to add fish.

Prepare the aquarium before livestock is added. If this is your first setup, follow our guide to preparing and maturing a first tropical aquarium. Cycling must be shown by water tests, not assumed from the number of days the tank has been running.

Keep the water stable and mineral-bearing

Maintain 22–28°C, pH 7.0–8.0 and 8–18 dGH. Keep ammonia at zero mg/l, nitrite at zero mg/l and nitrate no more than 20 mg/l above the normal level in your tap water. Test the aquarium itself because room temperature, a heater dial and a regional water report cannot replace a current tank reading.

The temperature and pH targets sit within the species ranges recorded by FishBase and Seriously Fish. OATA’s hardness range of 8–18 dGH lies within the 8–30 dGH aquarium range from Seriously Fish, while FishBase records 9–19 dGH for the species’ environment. Use 8–18 dGH as the routine aquarium range and avoid sudden changes within it.

Check each value for a reason

Read the figures together

A reading inside all three routine ranges is suitable only when ammonia and nitrite are also zero and nitrate remains within OATA’s limit. A temperature reading inside range does not cancel out detectable toxic waste, and acceptable pH does not show that the filter is mature.

If a test changes unexpectedly, repeat it correctly and check the source water before altering the aquarium. Review recent water changes, conditioner use, filter flow, feeding and additions of livestock. Make adjustments gradually and verify the result with another aquarium reading rather than chasing a single number with repeated rapid changes.

Use our aquarium water chemistry guide to understand what each test measures, then use the water matcher to compare measured values with the guppy range. Test the actual source used for water changes because water chemistry can differ between regions and may change.

Do not add aquarium salt merely because FishBase records the species in freshwater and brackish environments. Salt or mineral adjustment needs a measured purpose and a compatibility check for every fish, invertebrate and plant in the aquarium.

Combine filtration, cover and swimming room

Use a mature biological filter in every guppy aquarium. The RSPCA explains that fish release toxic ammonia and that a working biological filter supports bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrite and then to safer nitrate. The filter must remain established, maintained and able to handle the complete group’s waste.

Provide open horizontal swimming space together with plants, floating vegetation or suitable ornaments that create cover and sight breaks. Seriously Fish describes guppies as unfussy but notes that planted aquariums and floating vegetation are appreciated. OATA also recommends plants and shelter, with smooth furnishings that do not damage fins.

Balance shelter with movement

• Open water: leave a clear route where the group can swim and feed without squeezing between decorations.
• Cover: use plants or smooth structures so a fish can move out of another’s line of sight.
• Flow: avoid a strong current that pins, exhausts or prevents normal swimming, particularly around longer fins.
• Intakes: make sure the filter intake does not endanger small fish or any fry that may appear.
• Separation: keep access to a mature alternative space if pursuit, injury or illness requires a fish to be moved.

Check the layout after use

Watch the group at rest, during normal swimming and at feeding time. A useful layout lets every fish cross the aquarium, leave another fish’s view and approach food without being forced into the strongest flow. If one area is never used, check whether current, crowding or a dominant fish is blocking access.

Inspect the route around filter outlets and intakes after plants grow or furnishings move. A previously gentle route can become a narrow high-flow channel, while a blocked intake can reduce filtration. Correct the physical cause and confirm normal swimming rather than expecting the fish to adapt to persistent exhaustion or exclusion.

More decoration is not automatically better. If one fish hides continuously, misses meals or remains trapped in one area, change the layout and address the social cause rather than simply adding more objects. Dense plant cover may also allow more fry to survive, increasing the need for filtration, space and a responsible population plan.

Choose filter performance for the aquarium’s actual water volume and biological load while keeping the resulting current gentle enough for normal guppy movement. Check the filter regularly for reduced flow or blockages.

Feed a complete omnivore diet

Use an appropriately sized, nutritionally complete omnivore flake or granule with a high algae content as the staple. Feed only the amount the group can consume within a few minutes once a day, following OATA’s guppy-and-molly schedule. Watch the whole group rather than only the quickest fish, and reduce the portion if food reaches the substrate and remains uneaten.

FishBase records wild guppies eating zooplankton, small insects and detritus. Seriously Fish describes wild fish as primarily insectivorous while noting that aquarium-bred guppies accept most foods. Support the complete staple with compatible variety such as daphnia, small bloodworm or tubifex, and include suitable algal variety rather than relying on one treat.

Use the fish and the water as feedback

• Food disappears within a few minutes: continue watching whether every fish receives a share.
• Food remains: remove it and reduce the next portion; decomposing food adds waste.
• One fish is repeatedly excluded: change the feeding position or social arrangement rather than increasing food for the whole aquarium.
• Appetite changes suddenly: test the water and assess behaviour, breathing and appearance before changing the diet.

Review the routine over a week

Use the same observation point for several meals so changes are easy to spot. Confirm that this female approaches food, swallows suitable particles and maintains her normal body profile. If she repeatedly abandons food while others continue eating, assess water quality and social pressure rather than assuming she simply dislikes that meal.

Rotate compatible supplementary foods without allowing them to displace the complete staple. When a new food leaves residue or cannot be taken easily, stop using that particle size and remove remains. Check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate if overfeeding has occurred because uneaten food breaks down into additional waste.

Choose particles the guppy can take without struggling. Different foods vary in density and particle size, so a fixed pinch or spoonful is not a reliable portion across products. The practical endpoint is a complete meal consumed promptly with no fish excluded and no residue left to degrade water quality.

Use biosecure aquarium foods and store them as directed. Wild diet records explain the species’ feeding biology; they are not an instruction to collect insects, algae or detritus from outdoors.

Maintain the filter and act on health changes

At least once every week, carry out a 25% partial water change and test ammonia and nitrite. OATA also advises checking the filter for blockages, treating replacement tap water with conditioner and siphoning solid waste where needed. Match replacement conditions gradually rather than exposing the fish to a sudden shift.

Do not rinse filter media under the tap. Lightly rinse it in aquarium water removed during the partial water change, which reduces the loss of established beneficial bacteria. Check the filter for blockages and investigate any reduced flow before waste accumulates.

Complete the weekly sequence

1. Test the aquarium and record the readings before disturbing the water.
2. Inspect the fish’s swimming, breathing, fins, body condition and appetite against her normal pattern.
3. Remove 25% of the water, siphoning accumulated solid waste where needed.
4. Lightly rinse blocked filter media only in the removed aquarium water.
5. Treat replacement tap water with conditioner before adding it.
6. Restore the aquarium gradually, then check temperature and filter flow.

A written record makes trends easier to recognise. Note ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature alongside maintenance, feeding changes and unusual behaviour. If a reading or symptom changes, this timeline helps identify whether the change followed a blocked filter, missed maintenance, extra feeding or added livestock.

Know the normal baseline

A settled guppy should swim steadily, breathe regularly, hold open undamaged fins, maintain a normal body profile and feed consistently. The RSPCA’s fish health guidance identifies changes in swimming, breathing, appetite and appearance as reasons to assess welfare promptly.

• Surface gasping or altered breathing: test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature immediately and inspect filter operation.
• Clamped or damaged fins: check for pursuit, fin-nipping, sharp furnishings and water-quality problems.
• Hiding or missed meals: assess whether another fish is excluding her from space or food.
• Spots, growths, wounds or loss of balance: isolate safely where appropriate and obtain a diagnosis before choosing treatment.

Use a separate biosecure quarantine aquarium with dedicated equipment, mature filtration and regular testing. The MSD Veterinary Manual recommends at least 30 days of isolation, with longer quarantine where indicated. For diagnosis and treatment in the UK, use OATA’s fish-vet directory. Do not select salt, heat or medication from one symptom alone.

Follow the arrival steps in order

Prepare and test the mature aquarium before the journey. Tropical Fish Co hand-bags live fish in pure oxygen, uses an insulated box and adds a heat pack when the weather calls for it. A licensed live-animal courier carries the parcel. Read the delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy before the delivery day.

On arrival

1. Receive the parcel in person; live fish cannot be left unattended.
2. Start filming before the parcel is opened. Show the sealed parcel and outer box, then continue in one take while opening it.
3. Open and inspect the parcel on the same day it arrives, keeping the fish visible inside the sealed bag during the recording.
4. Float the bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing the fish.
5. Do not pour the bag water into the aquarium.
6. If anything has gone wrong, contact us the same day with the order number and the continuous unboxing video.

Prepare before receiving the parcel

• Test the aquarium: confirm 22–28°C, pH 7.0–8.0, zero ammonia and zero nitrite before the journey.
• Check the equipment: confirm that the heater, thermometer and filter are operating normally.
• Clear the route: make sure the aquarium can be reached without delaying the policy steps.
• Prepare the social plan: know where this female will be observed and how she can be separated if persistent pursuit occurs.

After release, watch swimming, breathing, fin position and balance. Keep the aquarium within 22–28°C and confirm that ammonia and nitrite remain at zero. General settling advice from OATA is to increase fish numbers slowly because the beneficial bacterial population must adjust when more animals and food are added.

Use the first meals as practical checkpoints. Confirm that the guppy reaches food and is not confined to one corner or driven away by established residents. Test the water again if breathing, balance, appetite or swimming changes, and inspect filter flow before attributing the behaviour to the journey.

Do not add more livestock simply because the first water test looks acceptable. Continue the normal testing routine while the filter responds to the increased biological load, and intervene if the new guppy cannot feed, is persistently pursued or shows a health warning sign.

Plan the social group and possible fry

Keep guppies socially, using five or more as the Tropical Fish Co starting policy where aquarium capacity, filtration, water tests and the sex plan allow. FishBase records groups of five or more, while OATA advises at least three and suggests two females per male for mixed groups. No ratio removes the need to monitor pursuit, feeding and body condition.

Choose the group deliberately

Seriously Fish records that females can preserve viable sperm and produce young when no male is present. A female-only purchase therefore does not make future fry impossible. Before adding female guppies, decide whether a mature separate aquarium and responsible rehoming route would be practical if young appear.

Respond to social warning signs

• Brief interaction without exclusion: continue observing feeding access, swimming and body condition.
• Repeated pursuit: improve sight breaks and confirm that open swimming room remains available.
• Cornering or missed meals: separate the affected fish in a mature setup rather than waiting for visible injury.
• Fin damage or declining condition: test the water, identify the source of harm and keep the fish apart while the cause is addressed.

Review the complete group after any addition. A group number that worked before another fish arrived may stop working when the usable footprint, feeding access or courtship pattern changes. Do not add another guppy as an automatic cure for pursuit; first check capacity, sex mix, water results and the behaviour of each individual.

Watch for repeated pursuit, cornering, hiding, missed feeding or fin damage. A peaceful species can still show behaviour that harms an individual. Use sight breaks and open space, but move the affected fish to a mature alternative setup if layout changes do not resolve the problem.

Guppies are livebearers, and adult fish will eat the young. Do not use predation as population control. Deliberately raising fry requires suitable food, biologically supported filtration, stable temperature and repeated water testing. A small uncycled container or prolonged confinement of a female is not a safe shortcut.

Screen every companion before mixing

Avoid fin-nipping species, including tiger barbs and serpae tetras. Seriously Fish describes the guppy as very peaceful but explicitly advises against fin-nippers. OATA likewise says guppies should not be kept with fish that may nip their fins.

Quiet community candidates named by Seriously Fish include other livebearers, rasboras, corydoras, small loricariids and tetras, but each exact species must pass the complete screen. Serpae tetras are a named exception, showing why “tetra” alone is not a compatibility decision.

Apply the same screen to every proposed animal

1. Compare temperature, pH and hardness, aiming for routine values that work for both animals.
2. Check adult size and whether either animal could swallow or injure the other.
3. Assess fin-nipping, territorial behaviour, courtship and competition for food.
4. Include the space required by every social group, not just one specimen from each species.
5. Confirm that each animal can reach food and refuge.
6. Keep a mature separation plan ready if observed behaviour changes.

Work through the whole decision

A candidate sharing 22–28°C but requiring water outside pH 7.0–8.0 or 8–18 dGH does not pass the water screen. A candidate matching all three ranges can still fail if it nips fins, needs a social group that the aquarium cannot hold, competes strongly at meals or may swallow a smaller resident.

When a named community candidate passes on paper, observe the actual introduction and later feeding. Compatibility remains conditional on every animal swimming normally, reaching food and using refuge without persistent pursuit. Move animals apart if those conditions fail instead of treating a species label as a guarantee.

Small shrimp or young invertebrates may be eaten, while the phrase “adult invertebrates” is too broad to promise compatibility. A betta and guppy mix is not a sensible default because display, territorial and long-fin interactions vary. Aquarium size and plants cannot guarantee that either combination will be safe.

If comparing fish from our algae eaters collection, treat algae-eating behaviour as a feeding role rather than proof of compatibility. Screen the exact species and adult needs. If existing livestock, dimensions or water values leave any check unclear, do not add the new animal until every resident passes all six checks.

Endler’s livebearer is a separate species, Poecilia wingei, supported by its formal description and its valid status in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes. A laboratory study confirms reciprocal hybridisation between P. reticulata and P. wingei. Keep documented lines apart if preserving their identity matters.

Answer size, space and feeding questions

How big does the Full Red Albino Female Guppy get?

A mature female can reach 5 cm standard length. Plan the aquarium around that adult figure; standard length measures the body without the tail fin.

What size aquarium does Poecilia reticulata need?

Use a mature, filtered aquarium at least 60 cm long under Tropical Fish Co’s conservative guppy policy. OATA gives at least 45 litres for a small group of smaller guppies and mollies, but litres alone do not set a safe group capacity.

How many Full Red Albino Female Guppies should I keep?

Keep five or more where aquarium capacity, sex planning, filtration, water tests and other livestock allow. FishBase records aquarium groups of five or more, and Tropical Fish Co uses that figure as its conservative starting policy.

Is Poecilia reticulata suitable for beginners?

Yes, it can suit a prepared beginner and carries an easy store care rating, but it still needs a mature filtered aquarium, stable tested water, a planned social group and regular maintenance. It is not suitable for cycling a new aquarium with fish.

What does the Full Red Albino Female Guppy eat?

Feed an appropriately sized complete omnivore flake or granule with a high algae content as the staple, with compatible variety such as daphnia, small bloodworm or tubifex. OATA advises one daily portion that the group can finish within a few minutes.

Answer water, behaviour and arrival questions

What temperature and pH does Poecilia reticulata need?

Keep it at 22–28°C under Tropical Fish Co’s routine guppy policy. OATA’s guppy-and-molly group guidance gives pH 7.0–8.0 and 8–18 dGH, with zero ammonia and zero nitrite.

Is this guppy aggressive or likely to nip fins?

Guppies are very peaceful fish, but courtship or pursuit can still pressure an individual. Avoid fin-nipping species such as tiger barbs and serpae tetras, and intervene if you see repeated chasing, hiding, missed feeding or fin damage.

Which fish or invertebrates can it live with?

Quiet-community candidates include other livebearers, rasboras, corydoras, small loricariids and suitable tetras after water, adult size, behaviour, space and feeding are screened. Small shrimp or young invertebrates may be eaten, so invertebrate compatibility is not universal.

How does this fish arrive alive in the UK?

It is hand-bagged in pure oxygen, placed in an insulated box with a heat pack when the weather calls for it, and carried by a licensed live-animal courier. Receive it in person, film the sealed parcel continuously before opening, inspect it the same day and float the bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing.

Consult the care and scientific references

• FishBase — Poecilia reticulata: identity, distribution, environmental records, diet, adult length and aquarium notes.
• Seriously Fish — Poecilia reticulata: aquarium dimensions, water conditions, diet and compatibility.
• OATA — Guppies and mollies: UK group care, feeding, maintenance and water-quality guidance.
• RSPCA — Aquarium environment: filtration and biological waste processing.
• RSPCA — Fish health and welfare: normal behaviour, warning signs and escalation.
• MSD Veterinary Manual — Management of aquarium fish: quarantine and water-quality-led assessment.
• OATA — Find a fish vet: UK fish-vet directory.
• Poeser, Kempkes and Isbrücker — Description of Poecilia wingei: formal species description.
• Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Poecilia wingei: valid-name record.
• Vila-Pouca, De Waele and Kotrschal — Experimental hybridisation in Poeciliidae: reciprocal P. reticulata and P. wingei hybridisation.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy: packing, receipt, video and acclimatisation procedure.