Can you ID my guppy?

[Laylita315]

Hello all!

I purchased some orange and yellow cobra guppies the other day. I noticed that one of them looks a bit different and I am wondering if anyone knows what species he is.

The cobra guppies have a spotted pattern on their bodies and clear pectoral fins. My mystery guppy does not have a patterned body. Instead, he is dark black-ish blue by his tail and fades to a light tan towards his face. His pectorals are solid black.

The closest image I could find to him is a dumbo guppy, but his fins seem too short. Perhaps he is just young?

Images attached. There are a few images where you can also see the cobra guppies nearby. Any thoughts?

Thank you!!

-Layla

 

[Kings Park Mike aka KPM]

Hi Laylita
All guppies are of the same species - Poecilia reticulata. Yellow cobra is a description of a color strain that has been intentionally line bred to maintain certain color characteristics. Judging from your photos I would say that it is just a color variation of the same strain of guppies. Even within the same strain there always color and pattern variations. Guppies have been so broadly bred and interbred that to have a 100% consistent coloration with all fry in a breading pair is pretty much impossible. You should also know that many of the fish in a fish store are under stress due to over stocking of tanks for sale and from shipment to the store. Taking the fish home and introducing it to your tank is also stressful for the fish. Stress usually causes colors to become a bit muted. After a fish is home in a properly cared for tank with proper quality food, their coloration usually improves, sometimes dramatically.