Product Details

Red Mosaic Guppy – Poecilia reticulata

The Red Mosaic Guppy is a colourful captive-bred fancy guppy selected for strong red colour and mosaic-style patterning across the tail and fins. As a strain of Poecilia reticulata, it is peaceful, active and well suited to mature planted community aquariums with stable, mineral-rich water. This is a bright, easy-feeding livebearer, but fancy guppies should still be protected from fin-nipping fish, unstable water and rough tank mates.

Key Identification:

Common Name: Red Mosaic Guppy
Other Names: Red Mosaic Fancy Guppy, Mosaic Guppy, Red Tail Mosaic Guppy, Fancy Guppy, Millions Fish, Guppy
Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
Fish Type: Livebearer / Guppy
Water Type: Freshwater, with tolerance of slightly brackish conditions

Natural Range & Habitat:

Wild Poecilia reticulata is native to northern South America and nearby Caribbean islands, although guppies have been introduced widely around the world. In nature, they are associated with warm, quiet, vegetated waters and can tolerate a range of freshwater to slightly brackish conditions.

The Red Mosaic Guppy is an aquarium-bred ornamental strain, so its red colour and mosaic fin patterning are selectively bred traits rather than wild-type features. Aquarium care should focus on warm, stable, mineral-rich water, plant cover and calm community conditions.

Appearance & Adult Size:

Red Mosaic Guppies usually show red, orange-red or scarlet colour through the tail, dorsal fin or body, with broken mosaic-style markings across the fins. The mosaic pattern may include red, black, white, blue, silver or translucent areas depending on the breeding line. Males are smaller, slimmer and more colourful, while females are larger, rounder and usually less ornate.

Adults usually reach around 3–5 cm, with females often larger than males. Pattern strength, red coverage, tail shape and dorsal fin size can vary naturally between individual fish.

Aquarium Suitability:

This strain is well suited to peaceful tropical community aquariums, planted livebearer tanks and colourful guppy displays. It does best in mature aquariums with stable water quality, gentle to moderate flow, plant cover and open swimming areas.

Red Mosaic Guppies are not suitable for soft acidic blackwater aquariums, aggressive cichlid tanks, predator communities, severe fin-nipping setups or unheated aquariums that drop too cold. Fancy strains should be protected from rough tank mates that may damage their fins.

Recommended Aquarium Size:

A practical minimum is 45–60 litres for a small group, with 60 litres or more preferred for stability and swimming space. Larger aquariums are better for mixed communities, breeding groups or larger male display groups.

Guppies are social fish and should be kept in groups. For mixed-sex groups, keep more females than males to reduce persistent male attention, ideally around two or more females per male. Male-only groups can also work well where fry are not wanted.

Water Conditions:

Temperature: 22–28°C
pH: 7.0–8.0
Hardness: Moderately hard to hard
Additional Notes: Guppies do best in mineral-rich, stable water and should not be kept long term in very soft, acidic conditions. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and maintain low nitrate with regular partial water changes. Avoid sudden temperature drops, unstable pH and poor water quality, as fancy guppy strains can deteriorate quickly after stress.

Temperament & Tank Mates:

Aquarium Category: Community Fish

Red Mosaic Guppies are peaceful community fish. Suitable tank mates include Endler’s livebearers, platies, swordtails, peaceful mollies in compatible water, small peaceful tetras that tolerate harder water, rasboras, Cory-type catfish, bristlenose plecs, Otocinclus in mature tanks, honey gouramis and other calm community species.

Avoid Tiger Barbs, Serpae Tetras in small groups, large cichlids, predatory fish, fin-nipping species and very boisterous feeders. Fancy guppies with decorative tails are especially vulnerable to fin damage, so choose gentle companions.

Feeding:

Red Mosaic Guppies are easy-feeding omnivores. Offer quality flakes, micro pellets or small granules as the staple diet. Supplement with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, cyclops, brineshrimp, mosquito larvae and finely chopped bloodworm. Include vegetable matter such as spirulina flakes, algae-based foods or blanched greens to support digestion and colour.

Feed small portions that are eaten quickly. Guppies are eager feeders and can become overweight if overfed.

Behaviour in the Aquarium:

This is an active, visible livebearer that usually swims through the upper and middle areas of the aquarium. Males display to females and to one another, showing off colour, tail spread and dorsal fin patterning. In mixed-sex groups, breeding is frequent, and females give birth to free-swimming fry rather than laying eggs.

Females can store sperm, so fry may appear even after males are removed. In a planted aquarium, some fry may survive among moss, floating plants and dense cover.

Care Notes:

Add Red Mosaic Guppies only to a mature, fully cycled aquarium. Maintain hard, alkaline water, stable temperature and regular water changes. Provide plant cover, but leave open swimming room. Avoid sharp décor, strong suction intakes and fin-nipping tank mates.

Because this is a fancy strain, colour and pattern can vary between individuals. The red mosaic pattern may appear stronger in settled, mature males and softer in younger or stressed fish.

Recommended For:

Beginner to intermediate

Availability:

Common to occasional / Captive-bred fancy 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, red colour, mosaic patterning, tail shape, fin length and markings can occur between individual fish.