You may have heard that Guppies make great starter fish. They are easy to take care of and come in a variety of different types. An exhaustive list of Guppy types is nearly impossible since there is constant change within the Guppy Family.
When considering Guppies as a pet, there is a lot to take in. There are hundreds of different types of guppies in the world. Some guppies are easier to find than others. Some guppies are more expensive than others.
This Guppy Guide goes into detail about more than fifty different guppy variations and how to tell them apart. One thing to keep in mind is that males are the flashier fishes. Females are less flashy and have few distinct differences. It is harder to tell female guppies apart from each other.
How Many Types of Guppy Fish Are There?
Guppies are from the family Poeciliidae, and their genus is Poecilia. There are three main species within the genus: Poecilia Reticulata, Poecilia Wingei, and Micropoecilia Picta.
At last count, there are over 300 different types of Guppies across these three species. Guppy types are categorized in many different ways. Due to selective breeding, breeders are constantly creating new types of Guppies.
A Quick List of different Guppy Types
While the exact count of how many Guppy Types there are changes every time someone creates a new type, there are a few ways to look at Guppy Types.
Guppy Types by Tail
- Bottom Sword Tail Guppies
- Delta/Triangle Tail Guppies
- Double Sword Tail Guppies
- Fan Tail Guppies
- Fire Tail Guppies
- Flag Tail Guppies
- Halfmoon Tail Guppies
- Lyre Tail Guppies
- Pin or Needle Tail Guppies
- Round Tail Guppies
- Spade or Coffer Tail Guppies
- Spear Tail Guppies
- Top Sword Tail Guppies
- Veil Tail Guppies
Guppy Types by Body Color Patterns
- Cobra Guppies
- Snakeskin Guppies
- Tuxedo Guppies
Guppy Types by Tail Color Patterns
- Glass Guppies
- Grass Guppies
- Lace Guppies
- Leopard Guppies
- Mosaic Guppies
Guppy Types According to Colors
- Albino Guppies
- White Guppies
- Black Guppies
- Blue Guppies
- Red Guppies
- Green Guppies
- Purple Guppies
- Yellow Guppies
- Bi-Colored Guppies
- Half & Half Guppies
- Metallic Guppies
- Platinum Guppies
- Solid Color Guppies
Guppy Types by Pectoral Fin
- Dumbo Ear Guppies
Guppy Types by Eye Color
- Dark Eyed Guppies
- Real Red Eye Guppies
- Real Red Eye Albino Guppies
What Are the Different Guppy Species?
There are three main species of Guppies. Two are freshwater Guppies: Fancy or Common Guppies and Endler Guppies. One is a guppy that lives in brackish water: Swamp Guppies.
- Poecilia reticulata
These are commonly known as the Common or Fancy Guppies. These guppies are the ones you will find most often in pet stores. They are the most common and the most popular guppy pet option.
They are easy to take care of and breed. They are also sometimes called rainbowfish or millionfish because they come in so many different colors and shapes.
- Poecilia Wingei
These are commonly known as the Endler Guppies. They are also sometimes called the Endler’s Livebearer. These guppies have a lot in common with their Fancy cousins. They are not, however, as easy to find in pet stores. The Endler guppy can easily be crossbred with the Fancy Guppy.
- Micropoecilia Picta
These are commonly known as the Swamp Guppies. Also known as the Scarlet Livebearer. These Guppies are native to Central and South America. It is not common to have these guppies in aquariums or pet stores.
What Are the Different Guppy Types?
There are many ways to distinguish different guppy types. You can sort them by tail shape, tail color or pattern, body color or pattern, pectoral fin, and eye color.
Guppy Types by Tail
There are thirteen different tail types.
- Bottom Sword Tail Guppies
The Bottom Sword Tail Guppy has an oval-shaped tail that has a long sword-like protrusion on the bottom half. The sword-like ray extends from the body at about a fifteen-degree angle downwards.
The shorter part of the tail looks similar to Flag Tail Guppy tails and is usually about ⅔ the length of the body. The sword-like bottom of the tail can be as long as the Guppy.
- Delta or Triangle Tail Guppies
The Delta Tail Guppy or Triangle Tail Guppy has a tail shaped like a triangle. The tail has straight edges and comes out at a seventy-degree angle from the body. The tail is about 4/3 the length of their body.
The tails of a Delta or Triangle Guppy are shorter in length than a Vail Tail Guppy. These tails are also wider than the Veil Tail, even though they have a similar shape. The dorsal fin is also long and flows.
- Double Sword Tail Guppies
The Double Sword Tail Guppy has a tail that has two sword-like protrusions, one to the top and one to the bottom. In between the two elongated parts of the tail is a shorter, Flag or Scarf style tail. The sword-like parts of the tail can extend to the full length of the Guppy’s body.
Often the part of the tail between the two sword-like rays is clear or semi-clear, while the rays are brightly colored. The angle between the two rays is about thirty degrees.
- Fan Tail Guppies
The Fan Tail or Fantail Guppy has one of the largest guppy tails. On average, the tail width is equal to 75% of the Guppy’s length. Some tails are even as long as the full length of the Guppy. The tailfin spreads out wide behind the Guppy like an open fan.
The dorsal fin is also longer than normal on fan tail guppies. It can reach as far back as one-third the length of the tailfin. Fan Tail Guppies can come in any color and have any color pattern.
- Flag or Scarf Tail Guppies
The Flag Tail Guppy, or Scarf Tail Guppy, has a short and rectangular tail. The body of the Guppy leading to the tail is longer than normal, which adds to the rectangular shape.
There are some who believe that this Guppy originated as a mutation of the Delta Tail Guppy. The Flag Tail Guppy may have one of the narrowest tails of all guppies.
- Halfmoon Tail Guppies
The Halfmoon Tail Guppy has one of the largest guppy tails. The tail is in the shape of a half-moon and fans out in the water. The angle of curvature is 180 degrees. These guppies are fairly new and very colorful.
- Lyre Tail Guppies
The Lyre Tail Guppy, or Lyretail Guppy, has a tail that is similar to the Sword Tail. The tail is shaped like a lyre. The top and bottom extend up to 4/3 the length of the body. However, the middle reaches a maximum of 2/3 the length of the body.
Some other fun facts about these particular guppies include the fact that they are some of the most colorful of the guppies. They are also quicker to mature than many guppies, and they are one of the smaller guppies, at only about 2.5 inches long.
- Pin or Needle Tail Guppies
The Pin Tail Guppy or Needle Tail Guppy is an interesting variation. With this Guppy, the tail is shorter on the outer limits and gets longer as it moves towards the middle. The final point is at the middle of the tail and can be as long as the Guppy’s body. The shorter areas on either side of the needle are about 2/3 the length of the body.
- Round Tail Guppies
The Round Tail Guppy has a short and rounded tail. The round tail is similar to the tails seen on many wild guppies and may be one of the original guppy tails. The tail is about half the length of the Guppy’s body.
- Spade or Cofer Tail Guppies
The Spade Tail Guppy is also known as the Cofer Tail Guppy, the Coffer Tail Guppy, and the Cofertail Guppy. Despite its many names, they all refer to the shape of the tail. The tail is shaped like a spade and is one of the shorter tails. At longest, the tail will be half the length of the body.
Many experts believe the Spade or Cofer Tail is a mutation of the Round Tail Guppy.
- Spear Tail Guppies
The Spear Tail Guppy has a tail shaped like a spearhead. The tail is as long at its point as it is wide. The edges curve inwards and meet at a point in the middle. Many experts believe this tail is a mutation of the Cofer Tail Guppy or the Round Tail Guppy.
- Top Sword Tail Guppies
The Top Sword Tail Guppy is just like the Bottom Sword Tail Guppy, except the tail ray is on top instead of on the bottom. The sword-like ray at the top of the tail can be as long as the guppy body. The rest of the tail is Flag Style and shorter, at about 2/3 the body length.
The sword-like ray of the tail will either stretch out at the same angle as the body or stretch at fifteen degrees upwards from the body.
- Veil Tail Guppies
The Veil Tail Guppy has a tail shaped like an isosceles triangle. The tail has straight edges and a forty-five-degree angle from top to bottom. The tail is typically close in length to the body length of the Guppy.
Guppy Types by Body ; Tail Color Patterns
Some enthusiasts, experts, and breeders categorize the Body and Tail types separately. Others group them together since the patterns often cover both body parts. Guppy patterns can be specific to the body or tail, or they can be on both.
- Cobra Guppies
The Cobra Guppy has a unique pattern of spots and stripes. The spots are referred to as rosettes as they are not perfect spots or circles. Cobra guppies come in many colors, including the Black Cobra, Blue Cobra, Green Cobra, and Red Cobra.
- Snakeskin Guppies
The Snakeskin Guppy has vertical stripes that resemble snake or tiger stripes. The pattern is usually light-dark. Typically, these Guppies will be some combination of two or more colors.
- Tuxedo Guppies
The Tuxedo Guppy is a two-tone Guppy. It has a lighter color and a darker color. The lighter color is on the front half of the Guppy and sometimes on the tail and fins. The darker color is on the back half of the body, and it can also be on the tail or fins.
The separation of the colors between front and back is rarely a straight line and is instead usually some sort of diagonal or pattern line. The tail and fin colors can be the same as the lighter or darker colors, but they are never both.
- Glass Guppies
The Glass Guppy is also called the Glass Belly Guppy or the Glass Tail Guppy. The Glass Guppy is a mutation that cannot produce enough Guanine. Guanine is what makes scales look silvery or shiny.
Without Guanine, the Glass Guppy looks almost see-through. The trait can be specific to the Guppy’s tail or its whole body. Typically, Glass Guppies are lighter in color. They also have a higher percentage of Albinism.
- Lace Tail Guppies
The Lace Tail Guppy has a distinctive, intricate pattern that is comprised of a net-like pattern of lights and darks. This tail coloring is common among Snakeskin Guppies. They usually have long, flowing fan-shaped tails.
These guppies often come in striking colors such as blues, reds, oranges, greens, and more. Since they are often found combined with the Snakeskin pattern, they are classified as being part of the Snakeskin Guppy family for competition purposes.
- Fire Tail Guppies and Dragon Head Guppies
The Fire Tail Guppy is a unique guppy whose tail is a brilliant orange-red in color. The tail is often described as looking like underwater fire.
The Dragon Head Guppy has the Fire Tail and has a two-tone body. Usually, a Tuxedo style body where the head is the lighter color, and the back half is the darker color. This Guppy is unique and striking to look at.
- Grass Tail Guppies
The Grass Tail Guppy has small dots on its tail that look like grass seeds. The tail pattern is similar to the Leopard Tail but with smaller spots.
- Leopard Tail Guppies
The Leopard Tail Guppy has leopard-like spots on its tail. The spots are darker in color, oftentimes black. Sometimes the leopard spots spread onto the body as well.
- Mosaic Tail Guppies
The Mosaic Tail Guppy has unique patterns across its tail and sometimes the body as well. These guppies have an irregular pattern, unlike the patterns above.
This pattern can appear quite fancy, especially with metallic guppies and multi-colored guppies. The tail patterns can resemble some of the others and can even look like a mixture of all.
Guppy Types According to Colors
In the show world, there are ten accepted base colors. These base colors can be paired with or overlapped with other colors to make a dizzying array of colored fish.
- Solid Color Guppies
This category refers to any Solid Colored Guppies. Colors include Black, White, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, or Yellow. They also include colors such as pink that are often categorized within one of the other colors.
Solid Color Guppies have only one single shade of color on their bodies. They are rarer than mixed-color guppies.
- Albino Guppies
The Albino Guppy is a white guppy with red eyes. Albino Guppies can be pure white, or they can appear pinkish or red-ish in color. The eyes are usually a dull red or pink. Albinos can occasionally have bright-colored tails even though their bodies are white.
- White Guppies
The White Guppy is a guppy that is all white and has black eyes. White guppies have no other coloring. Their coloring is similar to a milky-white pastel or a pearl white.
- Black Guppies
The Black Guppy is pure black in color. Similar to the White Guppy, Black Guppies only have one solid color. Black Guppies are rare as the coloring is hard to achieve.
Black Guppies do not exist in the wild. Small to mid-sized Black Guppies are best for Shows as their colors are stronger. When Black Guppies get too big, they start to look more like a dark grey.
- Blue Guppies
The Blue Guppy is a Guppy that is either a Solid Single Blue Color or a Mixture of Blue Colors. These Guppies are quite striking. The appearance of these guppies can change based on lighting as well as a number of other factors.
- Neon Blue Guppy
The Neon Blue Guppy is a specific type of Blue Guppy that has a brighter blue coloring than others. The blue coloring can be as bright as turquoise or sky blue. These guppies are usually categorized with blues at shows unless they have a pattern.
- Japanese Blue Guppy
The Japanese Blue Guppy is bred from the Endler Species. It is also named the Japanese Blue Endler, or if it has a swordtail, the Japanese Blue Swordtail Guppy.
The tail is a bright blue. The back half of the body can also be bright blue. These guppies are often bi-colored or even multi-colored. The front body can be platinum or baby blue in color.
- Jarawee Lazuli Guppies
The Jarawee Lazuli Guppy gets its name from Jarawee Farms in Thailand, where it was bred, and from the bright blue Lapis Lazuli-like colors it often sports. These fish have bright blue heads, which is an uncommon trait caused by an extra color gene.
They often have a long dorsal fin and Double Sword-Tail, which can also be called a Scissortail. While bright blue is the color they are named for, they do have other colors present. They are often categorized under multi-colored Guppies.
- Green Guppies
The Green Guppy is a rare type of Solid Color Guppy. Most “Green” guppies are, in fact, blue-green guppies. A True Solid Green Guppy is rare and expensive.
These Guppies are hard to breed because it is hard to ensure the colors of the offspring. They are relatively new, and you will never find them in the wild as they require specialized breeding.
- Purple guppies
The Purple Guppy is a rare type that was bred recently. It can be hard to find and cost quite a bit. These guppies can have a variety of vibrant purple colors. They can be one solid color or a mix of colors.
- Red Guppies
The Red Guppy can come in all shades of red, from an orangey-red to a maroon-red. They can be a solid red color or have a patterned red coloring. They can even have a red-gold metallic coloring.
- Yellow Guppy
The Yellow Guppy has a “blonde” gene that reduces the black coloring in the Guppy. Yellows are often not a vibrant as some of the other colors. However, they tend toward having metallic-looking coloring.
Their special “gene” makes them hard to breed and therefore hard to find. They are one of the rarer and more expensive types of guppies.
- Bi-Colored Guppies
Bi-Colored Guppies are Guppies that have only two colors. They can be Half-and-Half Guppies, or they can be guppies with as little a twenty-five percent one color and seventy-five percent the other color.
Common Bi-Color Combos are Blue-Green, Red Bi-Color, and Half Black Bi-Color.
- Blue Green Bi-Color Guppies
The Blue-Green Bi-Color Guppy has either blue or green as the dominant color. The other color appears in a smaller amount that is twenty-five percent or more. The Tailfin and Dorsal Fin must be the same color and pattern.
- Red Bi-color Guppies
The Red Bi-Color Guppy has a base color of red. There needs to be at least twenty-five percent of the other color on the tail for it to be classified as a Red Bi-color. In addition, the added color must be a non-red color.
- Half ; Half Guppies
Half and Half Guppies are a category of Guppy that is part black and part another color. They can be exactly half, or they can be up to a seventy-five percent black and twenty-five percent color combo. The Half and Half Guppy has the Tuxedo Trait, but instead of being black and white, they are black and color.
- Half Black Blue Guppies
The Half Black Blue Guppy has a black tail and can have half of the body black, with only the front half of the body being blue. They can also have more blue with only a little bit of body and the tail being black.
An important thing to consider is that the blue coloring has to be classified as a true blue. If it is even a bit greenish, the Guppy cannot be categorized as a Half Black Blue Guppy.
- Half Black Green Guppies
The Half Black Green Guppy is as rare as its Solid Green cousin. In order for a guppy to be classified as Half Black Green, it must have twenty-five to fifty percent true green color. The rest of the fish will be black, the back body and tail.
- Half Black Purple Guppies
The Half Black Purple is a rare Guppy. It can only have black and purple on the body and fins. In addition, they cannot have any other patterns on their tail or body.
The Half Black Purple Guppy has twenty-five to fifty percent purple and fifty to seventy-five percent black coloring.
- Half Black Red Guppies
The Half Black Red Guppy has a head that is red, a body that is black, and fins that are red. Black coloring can be fifty to seventy-five percent of the body. The red coloring is twenty-five to fifty percent of the body.
- Half Black Yellow Guppies
The Half Black Yellow Guppy is a rare guppy because, with each successive generation, the yellow fades. Typically, they have dark black bodies with yellow faces and yellow fins and tails.
- Half Black Pastel Guppies
The Half Black Pastel Guppy can have a pastel color for its face and fins that is any color except yellow. The most common is a white pastel color. You can also see blue, red (or pink), green, and even the occasional purple pastel color.
- Koi Guppies
The Koi Guppy has a color scheme that reminds people of Koi fish. They have red faces and red tails with white bodies. Koi Guppies are one of the rare guppy types where the females show coloring similar to the males.
- Metallic Guppies
The Metallic Guppy can be either a Bronze, Golden, or Iridophore Guppy. Iridophore Guppies have scales that are metallic-looking and can change color based on their environment. This allows the Iridophore Metallic Guppy to hide from predators.
- Bronze Guppies
The Bronze Guppy is similar to the Golden Guppy. It is part of the metallic guppy group. Bronze Guppies must have at least twenty-five percent golden coloring on their bodies.
The golden scales of a Bronze Guppy are typically outlined in black. They often have red or green bi-colored tails.
- Golden Guppies
The Golden Guppy must have at least twenty-five percent of its body covered in golden scales. They lack the black outline that marks a Bronze Guppy.
- Moscow Guppies
The Moscow Guppy is a unique guppy that was bred in Russia. They are a rare and expensive breed of Guppy. Breeding a Moscoe Guppy to anything but a Moscow guppy will dilute the line, and eventually, you will have no Moscow Guppy offspring.
These guppies are typically a solid color; most often, they are black, blue, green, or purple. They are bigger in size than most guppies, and they have larger, longer, and often fancier tales.
- Multicolored Guppies
Multi-colored or Multi-color Guppies are guppies that have more than two colors on their bodies. They usually have three or more distinct colors in their tails. Each color must cover at least fifteen percent of the tail. These guppies are often found in the patterned guppy categories.
- Panda Guppies
The Panda Guppy has a unique color scheme. It is a new breed and has a darker coloring around the eyes as well as the dorsal fins and midsection of the body. Their markings are reminiscent of the Panda.
The Panda Guppy is usually a lighter color or white, with the darker markings being black or dark blue.
- Platinum Guppies
Platinum Guppies are typically considered White or Albino Guppies with a metallic sheen to their scales. Many experts consider them to be the same Guppy.
- AOC (Any Other Color) Guppies
The AOC or Any Other Color Guppy is a category for guppies that are not in the above-specified categories. They can be pink and yellow mix, or blue and purple mix, or just about any random color they happen to be.
Guppy Types by Pectoral Fin
Most Guppies have smallish pectoral fins. There is, however, one type of Guppy with a particularly special set of pectoral fins.
- Dumbo Ear Guppies
The Dumbo Ear Guppy gets its name not from having large ears but from having large pectoral fins. They are so large they look like dumbo’s ears flapping when the Guppy swims. This type of Guppy is available in all kinds of colors and patterns.
Guppy Types by Eye Color
Most guppies have dark eyes. However, there is a category of Guppy with bright red eyes. There are two types of guppies in this category.
- Real Red Eye Guppies
The Real Red Eye Guppy has bright red eyes. This Guppy does not carry the albino trait and instead can be any color of the rainbow. The Real Red Eye Guppy is an uncommon guppy and tends to be smaller and have shorter tail fins.
- Real Red Eye Albino Guppies
The Real Red Eye Albino Guppy has bright pink eyes. This separates them from typical Albino Guppies that have a dark red eye color.
Other Unique Types of Guppy fish
There is a multitude of guppy types available. Two that do not fit above are the Mut Guppy and the Female Guppy.
Mut Guppies
The Mut Guppy is the most genetically random guppy type. It can come in all colors or patterns. It can have a tail of any shape. These are the guppies that breeders want to get rid of because they were born but don’t have the specific desired trait the breeder was looking for.
The variety within the species makes these guppies hard to breed if you are looking for specific traits. They have so many potential traits you cannot predict what the babies will look like. However, if you are just looking for pretty Guppies, they will do just fine.
Female Guppies
Female Guppies are larger than Male Guppies. Their coloring is often less vibrant than male guppy coloring. However, they do have color variations similar to their male counterparts.
They also have large fins, though the fin shape is not as defined as it is in males. Besides the more muted coloring, one way to recognize a female is a dark gravid spot that will darken when the female becomes pregnant.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions.
What Is the Rarest Guppy Color?
Some of the rarest Guppy colors are Solid Green, Solid Purple, Bronze, Half Black Green, and Half Black Purple. The Moscoe Guppy is also rare because it is hard to breed and it is hard to purchase.
What Is the Rarest Guppy Type?
The rarest Guppy Type would either be a Moscow Guppy or the Dragon Face Guppy. These two are unique in color and in their pattern.
What Is the Most Colorful Guppy Type?
Everyone disagrees on what type of Guppy is the most colorful. Patterned Guppies and Multi-color Guppies will be more colorful than a Solid Color Guppy. But Solid Color Guppies can be bright and colorful.
The Half Black Guppies are also quite colorful, especially the blue, purple, and green types because the color contrasts so beautifully.
Recap
With hundreds of guppies to choose from, the choice may seem overwhelming. Consider your goals. Do you want colorful fish to bring your joy? Head to your local pet shop and buy the ones that catch your eye.
Are you looking to breed and show your guppies? Lookup reputable breeders and start shopping around. Whatever your goals, you now know the basic kinds of guppies and can decide based on your preferences.