Guppy behaviour I haven't seen before!

[Fraoch]

Guppies are kind of looked down upon by the aquarium community at large but I love these guys. So much personality, and even after months and months, they can still surprise you...

I came down this morning and checked to see that everyone was OK. Everyone was not OK, my Tuxedo (Sooty) was on the bottom, tail down and head up.

However he was beating his fins like mad to maintain position and his buddy the German Yellow Tuxedo (Eric) was right in his face, also beating fins like mad.

I thought for a while he was in trouble and his friend was trying to revive him (I've seen that before) but after about 10 seconds Eric slowly descended to the bottom and started pushing on Sooty, pushing him off-balance and causing them both to start to feverishly chase each other in a tight, writhing circle.

Then they stopped, Sooty resumed that weird orientation and Eric maintained position at his face.

Another mad circle-chase and they both zoomed off at maximum speed together to the other regions of the aquarium, perfectly normal.

I was relieved, it was just a display of some sort. What it was, I'm not sure - mating, challenging, fighting, playing - dunno. Funny to see though!

Guppies may be seen as insignificant but they are very active and fun to watch.

[Northernguy]

First time I here of a guppy being seen as insignificant! lolThey are busy fish.They play games steady but the game I see more than any other is the "Mating Game"!
I have a tank that is filled with them.I actually have to thin them out tomorrow!lol
I am hoping to bring about 50 to my lfs tomorrow in hopes of getting a good discount on two more rams!

[iZinedane]

Lol :hmm3grin2orange: ,
well mine do only the "chasing game" and "peck at the rubber tube game"
:hmm3grin2orange:
and yes they have alot of personality thumbs2:

[Fraoch]

First time I here of a guppy being seen as insignificant!

They're seen as a beginner fish and some LFS employees even recommend them for cycling (which didn't work well for me) and there are also feeder guppies.

On this forum, you are classified as a "guppy" if you have less than 50 or 100 posts or something.

But yes, I love their colour variety and behaviour.

For some reason, today the tank conditions are just right. They're chasing each other like mad, up and down, across the front, etc. Even my normally grumpy turquoise guppy is having some fun.

[Jaster]

Mine do stuff like that all the time. They are just a riot to watch! :hmm3grin2orange:

They may be a started fish and all that but I really don't care. I can tell you I will always have some in my tanks. They are just a great fish to have and watch. IMO thats the whole point of having a nice tank... having something that is enjoyable to watch.

[Fraoch]

I love all the varieties available, every time I go to the LFS there are some I haven't seen before...and I just gotta have every one!

I have 8, all different. They're easy to name because they're easy to tell apart and they do have distinct personalities. From oldest to newest:

- a Tequila Sunrise, "Tequila Mockingbird". He's getting HUGE. For a guppy. :ssmile: The largest and most aggressive chaser, plus the most popular chasee.

- a Blue Diamond, "Blue Diamond Philips". His body hasn't grown all that much but he has the most wonderful blue/silver colouring and the biggest tail, by far! Gorgeous little creature. If I had to pick a favourite, that'd be him. Unfortunately the other guppies aren't very interested in him, he's mostly on his own looking for food on the bottom and shaking his tail at the others to no avail. I don't know why - I know if I were a guppy I'd follow him all around the aquarium.:1luvu:

- Rojo, my diminutive Red Cobra guppy. For some reason his tail never grew, it's short and stunted. His body is thick but short too, he's sort of bullet-shaped. However he's easily the fastest and most active, he's always with the other guppies chasing or shaking his thing...:partydance: He's infatuated with Tequila Mockingbird. He's so active that if the other guppies aren't moving fast enough for him, he will race up and down the tank sides.

- Fin McCool, a lyretail. He's the smallest, he still looks like a juvenile except his tail has gotten huge, if it wasn't in a split "lyre" shape it would be bigger than my Blue Diamond's tail. He has wonderful colouring that he can turn on or off at will. Very active and eats like mad, it's a wonder he's not bigger.

- Eric, a German Yellow Tuxedo. Striking "construction tape" colouring, bright yellow fins and a tuxedo body. Best of buddies with Sooty. Also not much bigger than my Red Cobra.

- Sooty, a Tuxedo. A big barrel-chested guppy. Eric's constant companion.

- (newest) Gunther, a German Yellow. Tequila Mockingbird's present object of affection. He's doing well, his tail is getting noticeably bigger, it's probably the third largest tail now.

- (newest) Big Turq, a Turquoise. Nice blue tuxedo colouring but he's standoffish and doesn't interact with the other guppies. He just settles into a certain isolated part of the tank and hovers.

I've lost 5 - 3 Green Cobra guppies, a Red Tuxedo and an unidentified red/silver guppy variety.

[HorrorShowRot]

Next time they do that get a video xD sounds funny.