Getting a guppy tank up and running will involve some costs, especially if you aim at a powerful setup and expensive guppy strains. But guppies are not all expensive. The market is so flooded with various guppy strains that you can find something for everyone.
There is no single price to discuss, but multiple pricing options depending on the guppy’s pedigree and numerous other factors. Today, we will discuss guppy prices and look into what will influence the fish’s cost.
The Average Price of Guppies
If you’re a more casual guppy keeper looking for whatever guppies you can find, regular fish shops are your go-to locations. You can find common strains of guppies for $0.10 per fish. Don’t expect anything unique and high-end, however. These are common guppies with ordinary genetics and widespread features.
They are still beautiful, but nothing unique to brag about.
Fancy guppies will fall into the $25 range if you want to go wild. These will come with distinctive traits and more diverse coloring and color patterns.
And then you have everything in between. Typically, you should expect to pay around $1 to $2 for a common guppy with solid traits and a balanced look. If you want something truly special and unique, you will have to dig deeper.
Price of Breeder Guppies
But what exactly is a breeder guppy? Breeder guppies belong to a category containing only high-end specimens. There are numerous species to mention here, including, but not limited to, the Moscow Guppy, the Multi Delta, the Electric Blue guppy, etc. Expect prices varying between $25 and $100 per piece with everything in between.
These are guppies with excellent genetic makeup, a strong and stable immune system, no genetic predisposition to diseases, and impeccable traits. This is the category to go to if you’re looking for unique specimens with astounding traits.
You can only get breeder guppies from professional and experienced breeders, preferably with a solid reputation in the business. This will guarantee the guppy’s near-to-perfect background with healthy parents, minimal genetic flaws, and unique coloring.
What Makes A Guppy Rare?
We have several factors that will influence a guppy’s overall costs, including:
– Color
The color is an important factor to mention here. It’s probably the most important factor for most guppy keepers, especially novices who don’t put too much price on other aspects.
Guppies come in a wild variety of colors, some highly recognizable, belonging to specific strains, and some random, like with mutt guppies. The guppy’s coloring will speak volumes about its strain and dramatically influence the price if the color quality is impeccable.
– Pattern
The coloring pattern is another factor that will differentiate between expensive and cheap guppy strains. Mutt guppies, for instance, occupy the lowest bracket. There’s not much to expect here since they don’t have recurrent patterns.
Mutt guppies come in a variety of wild coloring variations, which is what makes them cheaper than other strains.
Some examples of guppy patterns include the blue, black, and green cobras, panda, snakeskin, tuxedo, and much more. These patterns will follow specific compositions, which means you can also have, let’s say, ‘dirty’ patterns. The difference between pure and dirty strains will transpire in the pricing.
– Body Size
Not all guppies are of the same size. Some are larger than others, and the size difference is usually due to a number of factors, not just one. Sure, dieting will play a major part in the guppy’s development, especially during the fry phase.
You should feed guppy fry a slightly different diet than adults. The fry needs to consume more protein and fat than adult guppies and eat more often. If your adult guppies eat once or twice per day, you should double that frequency for the guppy fry. Providing them with consistent and diverse meals on a regular schedule will boost their growth significantly.
But this is not the only aspect to consider. The guppy’s genetic makeup will also come into play in this sense. If the guppy’s parents are on the larger side, there’s a high chance that the fry will inherit their genes.
– Tail Shape
The guppy’s tail shape will also influence the price heavily. The tail diversity is astounding, providing you with vastly different specimens. Based on their tail size and shape, some of the most notable guppies include the Triangle tail, the Fantail, the Halfmoon, and the Double Sword.
Some of these strains are more expensive than others, depending on how difficult it is to obtain that specific feature.
– Eye Color
Just as guppies show different body colors, they also display different eye colors depending on the strain. Albino guppies will have white bodies and red eyes, while the Purple Moscow will display purple eyes in tone with the body. The variations are impressive, leading to the eye color also influencing the guppy’s price.
As a side note, were you aware that guppies will turn their eyes black when threatened by predators? Yea, now you know.
Most Expensive Guppy on Record
This is a complex subject to discuss since there’s no record for the most expensive guppy in the world. That’s because of guppy competitions leading to the constant creation of new guppy breeds. The process is amazingly simple, with immense implications for the guppy world.
The breeder will strive to obtain the best-looking guppy possible, preferably coming with unique and eye-catching colors and patterns. If the guppy wins the big prize, its strain can go into mass production because everybody will want some.
Currently, the Purple Moscow is one of the most appreciated strains, with specimens costing between $40 and $100 per piece. But this isn’t the rarest strain available. Instead, that title goes to strains like the Blue Variegated Cobra, the Dwarf Blue Panda, or the Blue Tail Snakeskin.
These have the potential to provide unique features, boosting the strain’s pricing tremendously. The reason why the prices don’t go up too much, however, is due to the guppies’ breeding rate. A winning strain will produce hundreds and thousands of offspring with similar features shortly via selective breeding.
So, realistically speaking, you should expect to pay no more than $100 per guppy, depending on its rarity, the strain’s appeal factor, and its unique features.
Conclusion
Guppies come in a wide range of prices, but never so expensive that you can’t afford them. If you don’t have too much available to invest, stick to mutt guppies. They will still provide you with decent genes.
If, however, you would like something special and unique, fancy guppies are the perfect pick. Or you could even go for competitive-oriented strains that will provide you with unparalleled coloring and patterns.
If you’re for the latter, always remember only to get your guppies from professional and recognized breeders.