Black Moscow Guppies

Overview: Another subspecies of the guppy family and very much in demand among aquarists worldwide is the Black Moscow Guppy. This beautiful fish is characterized by its deep solid black hue attributed by the X-linked half black body trait. The Black Moscow Guppy originated in Moscow, Russia in the year 2006 and hence it was named after the city. They are great for beginners and require very little maintenance. The Black Moscow guppy can display colors ranging from solid blacks to dark grays in appearance. It is also known as the ‘million fish’ owing to its rapid reproductive trait. The female Black Moscow guppy can even store sperms of males for later reproduction. Females are larger and almost double the size of males and can give birth to about 20 to 40 fries in approximately 4 to 6 weeks. Males have the typical gonopodium or the anal fin that helps facilitate internal fertilization among females. The females develop a dark triangle between anal and pelvic fins when pregnant.

Distribution and Habitat: The Black Moscow guppy fish is native to parts of Central America, Southern North America, and Africa, though the first strain had originated in Moscow.

Temperature: Like most guppies, the Black Moscow guppy prefers warm tropical water temperatures ranging between 22 and 28 degree Celsius.

Water conditions: The Black Moscow Guppy thrives in water having pH levels between 7 and 8 and usually prefers moderate hard water between 10 and 20 dH.

Breeding: The Black Moscow guppies are rapid livebearers and like most guppies, are polyandrous in nature. The gestation period is usually around 28 days under optimum conditions and longer when temperatures are cooler.

Feeding: Black Moscow guppies are omnivorous in nature and can feed on brine shrimp or Daphnia, guppy flakes, frozen dry food and most aquarium fish food.

Lifespan: The young fry of Black Moscow Guppy takes approximately 4 months to mature into adult ones. Females can reproduce till the end of their lifespan. Like other guppies, the total lifespan of the Black Moscow Guppy is also around 2 years, which might vary depending on their living conditions. In high-predation habitats, they have longer lifespans because their reproductive lifecycle is much longer than the ones dwelling in non-predation habitats.

Did you know? This popular aquarium fish breeds very easily and are best kept in community fish tanks with fishes of the similar size. They are ideal for nano fish tanks and aquariums. Word of caution: Do not keep Black Moscow guppies in the same fish tank having fin nippers like Tiger Barbs as they tend to harm them.