Pick a Strain
Solid colors — full red, full black, full yellow.
Patterns — leopard, mosaic, snakeskin.
Tail types — delta, fan, half-moon, double-sword.
Pick ONE strain to develop. Mixing strains undoes generations of work.
Founder Pair Selection
Start with 2-3 high-quality breeding pairs from established breeders.
Inspect for: bright color, defined patterns, healthy body, no spinal deformities.
Culling Discipline
Each generation, keep only 10-20% of fry — those matching your strain standard.
Sell or feed culled fish (most aggressive sellers feed weak guppies to other carnivores).
Without culling, strain quality degrades within 5 generations.
Documentation
Track lineage in a notebook. Date, parent ID, fry count, kept count.
Photographs each generation. Compare year-over-year for visible improvement.
- ✦Outcross to fresh blood every 4-5 generations to prevent inbreeding depression
- ✦IFGA (International Fancy Guppy Association) sets show standards
- ✦Premium pairs: $30-200+ for quality breeding stock