Albino Platinum Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) Pair

Common Name

Albino Full Platinum Guppy. This is a selectively bred strain featuring true albino genetics, red eyes, and a bright platinum sheen from dense guanine platelets. Our stock is hand selected for quality, vigor, and even coverage so you receive consistent, showy fish.

Origin and Habitat

The species originates in northern South America and the Caribbean region, including Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad. Wild guppies inhabit warm, slow to moderate waters such as ditches, ponds, backwaters, and small streams. Substrates range from fine sand to leaf litter and mud with patches of aquatic plants and overhanging grasses. Although this strain is cultivated, the species tolerates a wide variety of conditions and sometimes occurs in slightly brackish water near coastal areas.

Temperature and Water Conditions

A practical aquarium range is 24 to 27°C, which is 75 to 81°F. Guppies do well in neutral to alkaline water with moderate hardness. Wild and long term aquarium reports often place pH around 7.0 to 8.2. We do not recommend chasing or altering numbers except for special breeding situations. Stable conditions, steady temperature, and very clean water are far more important than exact values. Provide good surface agitation for oxygen and a gentle filter that does not toss the fish around.

Appearance and Size

Albino Full Platinum guppies display luminous white to silver bodies with a uniform metallic sheen from head to tail. The albino trait removes dark pigment, so eyes are red and patterning is subtle, often pearly rather than black lined. Males are slimmer with longer, more ornate dorsal and caudal fins. Females are larger and deeper bodied with a softer platinum tone and a pale or pinkish gravid area.

• Adult males commonly reach about 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 inches).
• Adult females reach about 5 to 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 inches).

Diet in the Wild

Omnivores that graze constantly. They pick at filamentous algae, diatoms, and biofilm, and capture tiny invertebrates such as insect larvae and microcrustaceans.

Feeding in Captivity

Offer a varied, high quality menu. Use a fine staple flake or micro pellet that includes marine proteins and a bit of spirulina. Enrich with live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and finely cut bloodworms. Small feedings two or three times daily support color, fertility, and growth. A little vegetable matter keeps digestion smooth, such as blanched spinach threads or spirulina based foods.

Behavior and Tank Setup

Peaceful, active, and social. Keep them in groups with more females than males to reduce persistent courtship. A planted aquarium with open swimming space and fine leaved cover works best. Dark sand or fine gravel enhances the platinum glow. Floating plants help shy individuals feel secure and soften light, which albino strains often appreciate.

Good tank mates include:

• small peaceful tetras
• rasboras
• Corydoras
• otocinclus
• shrimp that enjoy similar water

Avoid fin nippers and large predators.

Breeding

Guppies are livebearers and breed readily once mature. Gestation commonly runs three to four weeks depending on temperature and diet. Females can store sperm and produce multiple broods. Provide dense plant cover such as water sprite, hornwort, and moss, plus a few rock piles and larger gravel pockets. These structures slow adults and create safe micro spaces where fry can rest and feed.

For planned breeding, separate a well conditioned female to a quiet nursery tank a few days before the drop. Keep the filter gentle with a sponge prefilter and add floating plants for security. After birth, return the female to the main tank so she can recover and avoid fry predation. Start fry on powdered fry foods, infusoria rich cultures, or freshly hatched brine shrimp once they can accept it. Small meals several times a day and frequent small water changes produce strong growth and clean lines. Maintain steady warmth to keep growth consistent and immune systems strong. As fry grow, expand space or thin the group so fins develop without crowding.

Quick Facts

• Scientific name: Poecilia reticulata
• Trade name: Albino Full Platinum Guppy
• Origin: Northern South America and Trinidad, cultivated strain in aquaria
• Size: Males about 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 inches), females about 5 to 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 inches)
• Temperature: 24 to 27°C (75 to 81°F)
• pH: Often 7.0 to 8.2 in reports, stability is more important than exact value
• Temperament: Peaceful, active, best in groups with a higher ratio of females
• Diet: Omnivore, accepts fine prepared foods and relishes small live or frozen items
• Breeding: Prolific livebearer, fry benefit from plant cover, rock piles, and larger gravel pockets for refuge

Tropical Fish Co. Notes

Our Albino Full Platinum line is hand selected for full coverage, clean fins, and strong bodies, then grown under stable, warm conditions to ensure easy transitions for customers. If you want maximum sparkle, run soft overhead light with a darker sand foreground and a curtain of floating plants to soften glare. Keep feedings light but frequent, keep water very clean, and enjoy an elegant, glowing school that never stops moving. When you are ready to raise a generation, give the fry a green jungle to hide in and watch the tank fill with tiny silver lanterns.