Product Details

Galaxy Mosaic Guppy – Poecilia reticulata

The Galaxy Mosaic Guppy is a colourful captive-bred fancy guppy strain known for its bright body colour, patterned tail and lively display behaviour. Also sold as a Mosaic Guppy, Galaxy Tail Guppy, Fancy Guppy or Male Galaxy Mosaic Guppy, this ornamental livebearer is ideal for peaceful planted aquariums, smaller tropical community tanks and display groups of male guppies. It is active, easy to feed and highly decorative, but it still needs clean, stable water and carefully chosen tank mates to keep its fins and colours in good condition.

Key Identification:

Common Name: Galaxy Mosaic Guppy
Other Names: Mosaic Guppy, Galaxy Tail Guppy, Fancy Guppy, Male Galaxy Mosaic Guppy
Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
Strain / Form: Captive-bred Galaxy Mosaic ornamental strain
Fish Type: Livebearer / Guppy
Water Type: Freshwater

Natural Range & Habitat:

Poecilia reticulata is native to northern South America and nearby Caribbean regions, including areas such as Venezuela, Guyana, Trinidad and surrounding waters. Wild guppies are adaptable livebearers found in streams, pools, ditches, vegetated margins and slow-moving waters.

The Galaxy Mosaic Guppy is a captive-bred ornamental form developed through selective breeding for colour, tail pattern and fin shape. Its care should still be based on the needs of healthy guppies: clean water, stable conditions, gentle flow, planted cover and mineral content that is not too low.

Appearance & Adult Size:

Galaxy Mosaic Guppies usually show a colourful body with patterned fins and a mosaic-style tail made up of fine spots, broken markings or net-like colour patterning. Depending on the line, individuals may show blue, red, orange, yellow, black, metallic or multicoloured markings.

Adult males usually reach around 3–4 cm, while females of the species are larger and plainer. This listing typically refers to ornamental males, where body colour, tail spread, pattern density and fin shape can vary naturally between individuals.

Aquarium Suitability:

This guppy is well suited to peaceful planted aquariums, livebearer communities and small to medium tropical displays with stable water quality. It does well with gentle filtration, open swimming space and plants or mosses that provide resting areas and cover.

Fancy guppies are not ideal for rough communities, fin-nipping fish or very soft acidic aquariums. Mosaic tails can be vulnerable to nipping, so tank mates should be peaceful and not overly boisterous.

Recommended Aquarium Size:

A practical minimum is 45–60 litres for a small male group, with 60 litres or more preferred for better stability and a mixed peaceful community.

Male-only groups are often the best choice for display tanks if you do not want uncontrolled breeding. If keeping males and females together, use a ratio of at least one male to two or three females to reduce constant attention on individual females.

Water Conditions:

Temperature: 22–26°C
pH: 7.0–8.0
Hardness: Moderately hard to hard
Additional Notes: Guppies do best in stable, mineral-rich water and are not ideal for very soft acidic conditions. Keep water clean with regular maintenance and avoid sudden changes. Good filtration and gentle water movement are recommended, but avoid strong current that may stress long-finned males.

Temperament & Tank Mates:

Aquarium Category: Community Fish

Galaxy Mosaic Guppies are peaceful, active community fish. Suitable tank mates include other peaceful guppies, platies, Endler-type livebearers where hybridisation is not a concern, small peaceful rasboras, small tetras that tolerate harder water, cory-type catfish in suitable conditions, Otocinclus and peaceful shrimp in planted tanks.

Avoid fin-nippers such as tiger barbs, aggressive cichlids, large predators, boisterous fish and species that prefer very soft acidic water. Long-finned fancy guppies should not be kept with fish likely to nip, chase or damage their fins.

Feeding:

Guppies are omnivores that naturally feed on small insects, zooplankton, detritus and plant-based material. In the aquarium, offer quality tropical flakes, micro pellets and small livebearer granules as the staple diet.

Supplement with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brineshrimp, mosquito larvae and finely chopped bloodworm. Vegetable and algae-based foods, such as spirulina flakes, are also useful for digestion and colour. Feed small amounts that are eaten quickly to maintain good water quality.

Behaviour in the Aquarium:

This is an active upper to midwater fish that spends much of its time exploring plants, open swimming areas and the aquarium surface. Males display frequently, showing off their colour, tail pattern and fin shape as they move through the tank.

Guppies are livebearers and can breed readily if females are present. Females can store sperm and produce multiple broods, so mixed-sex groups can quickly increase in number. Fry may survive in planted aquariums, especially where moss, floating plants or fine cover is available.

Care Notes:

Keep this strain in clean, stable water with peaceful tank mates and avoid very soft acidic conditions. Fancy guppies can be more sensitive than wild-type guppies, especially highly selected strains with larger or more decorative fins.

Protect the mosaic tail from fin-nipping tank mates and strong current. Male-only groups are recommended for colour display and population control. If breeding, avoid mixing with other guppy strains if you want to maintain the Galaxy Mosaic line.

Recommended For:

Beginner to intermediate

Availability:

Common to occasional / Captive-bred ornamental strain

Image Disclaimer:

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Natural variation in size, colour, pattern, tail shape, body tone and markings can occur between individual fish.