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Freshwater Fish

Double Sword Chilli Guppy

Hot chilli red finished with twin swords trailing from the tail.

Poecilia reticulata
Available for local pickup by appointment only.

A show-stopping strain: saturated chilli-red color over the whole body, with the caudal fin extended into two long, elegant swords at the top and bottom edges. The double sword silhouette moves like a ribbon in the current and reads clearly even across the room. Active, peaceful, and easy to feed — a striking step up from common fancy guppies.

Reference image — cultivar may vary.Imagen de referencia — el cultivar puede variar.

Photo: Foto: Representative product image

Care Sheet

What it needs to thrive

Lighting
Low to moderate. Floating plants and darker substrate help these fish display their best color.
Flow
Gentle to moderate with open swimming room and planted cover along the edges.
Feeding
Small quality flakes or micro pellets daily, supplemented with frozen baby brine shrimp, daphnia, or bloodworms.
Temperament
Peaceful schooling fish. Keep at least 6, with 8 or more preferred for natural behavior.
Difficulty
Beginner
Ideal Tank Size
10 gallons and up for a small group.
Water Parameters
72–82°F · pH 7.0–8.2 · moderately hard to hard water · 0 ammonia / 0 nitrite
Placement

Upper and midwater in community and planted aquariums. Gentle flow shows off the swords best.

Aggression & handling

Very peaceful. Keep one male per two or three females, or a males-only group for maximum color without fry.

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Arrival Protocol

Quarantine, dip, and acclimation

Quarantine

Hold all new fish in a bare-bottom 10–20 gallon QT for a minimum of 4 weeks. Observe for flashing, clamped fins, white spots, or breathing changes. Treat preventatively with copper (1.75–2.5 ppm chelated) or tank-transfer method for ich, plus a praziquantel course for flukes. Invertebrates and corals skip QT but go through dip and observation instead.

Recommended coral dip

For every new coral: a 5–10 minute bath in your reef-safe dip of choice (Bayer Complete, CoralRx, or Reef Primer) following label dosage, followed by two clean saltwater rinses. Inspect plugs and bases for flatworms, pyramid snails, and eggs — remove or refrag onto clean plugs before placing in display.

Acclimation

Float sealed bags in your QT or display for 15 minutes to match temperature. Then drip acclimate at 2–4 drops per second for 45–60 minutes until volume has tripled. Net livestock into the tank — never pour shipping water in. Dim the lights for the first 24 hours to reduce stress.

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