Unidentified livebearer

[dennis r]

Every spring, I put about a dozen feeder guppies into my pond for mosquito control. Around labor day, I net the population out and bring them indoors. This year, I found about two dozen strange fish. They look like stretched out guppies. The color is a powder blue covering both males and females. There are no markings on them at all. The males have a very long gonopodium. The weirdest thing is that their eyes glow like those on lampeye killies. I thought maybe H. Formosa, but the body is totally different. Can anyone identify these fish?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

Any chance of uploading a picture? If your screen says, “File to large to upload”, then step back, or set your cameras resolution to the lowest setting, then take the picture.

 

[Back in the fold]

Just out of curiosity, do you get more fish out than you put in ?

 

[emeraldking]

Picture please...
So, we can help you to indentify this kind of livebearer.

 

[dennis r]

Just out of curiosity, do you get more fish out than you put in ?

Been doing this for over two decades. One year got over four hundred fish. I do not feed the fish at all.

 

[dennis r]

Picture please...
So, we can help you to indentify this kind of livebearer.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I am trying to figure out how to post from my phone. Dennis

 

[Back in the fold]

Been doing this for over two decades. One year got over four hundred fish. I do not feed the fish at all.

That's awesome ! Must be fun to watch them in the summer. What size and type of pond or container do you do this in ? I'd like to do that.

 

[emeraldking]

Been doing this for over two decades. One year got over four hundred fish. I do not feed the fish at all.

I´ve been keeping livebearers and other fish outdoors in tubs as well during the better seasons of the year ever since the 1980´s. And yes, you´re right... you don´t have to feed them for everything they need will come or even grow in those tubs...

 

[dennis r]

That's awesome ! Must be fun to watch them in the summer. What size and type of pond or container do you do this in ? I'd like to do that.

I have a small 20 gallon upper pond, 20 inch waterfall into a 5 foot stream to another fall into a 200 gallon pond. Over the years, I have put in Flag fish, feeder rosies but the best was a pair of blue gularis killies that grew to enormous size and bred. The male was eight inches and was outstanding at the NJAS show a few years back.

 

[dennis r]

I´ve been keeping livebearers and other fish outdoors in tubs as well during the better seasons of the year ever since the 1980´s. And yes, you´re right... you don´t have to feed them for everything they need will come or even grow in those tubs...

The problem is kingfishers lowering the population. No problem with raccoons. Fish are too small.

 

[emeraldking]

The problem is kingfishers lowering the population. No problem with raccoons. Fish are too small.

Fortunately overhere, we hardly have predators.

 

[Back in the fold]

I have a small 20 gallon upper pond, 20 inch waterfall into a 5 foot stream to another fall into a 200 gallon pond. Over the years, I have put in Flag fish, feeder rosies but the best was a pair of blue gularis killies that grew to enormous size and bred. The male was eight inches and was outstanding at the NJAS show a few years back.

AWESOME !

 

[emeraldking]

Well, Dennis (OP) has already contacted me. And the fish he's got appear to be Gambusias. And in this case, it's wether Gambusia affinis or Gambusia holbrooki. There are also spotted or blotched versions of these two species.
Anatomically, there's hardly a difference between G.holbrooki and G.affinis. The females of the G.holbrooki have a black marking above the belly area and the females of the G.affinis have a yellow-orange marking instead.