Description
Species Overview
The Purple Dragon Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a selectively bred fancy guppy known for its rich purple and violet coloration, metallic highlights, and large, colorful fins. Like other fancy guppy strains, coloration and pattern can vary naturally from fish to fish, giving each Purple Dragon Guppy its own appearance.
These Purple Dragon Guppies are Bred by Aquatic Arts at our Indianapolis facility. Our team raises and cares for these fish directly, giving us firsthand experience with the line and how it develops in the aquarium.
Purple Dragon Guppies are active, social livebearers that spend most of their time exploring the middle and upper portions of the aquarium. They are constantly on the move, readily investigate feeding time, and usually become very comfortable approaching the front of the aquarium. Their combination of color, activity, and relatively straightforward care makes them well suited to planted community aquariums as well as dedicated guppy setups.
As livebearers, guppies give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Hobbyists keeping males and females together should expect breeding, often quite readily, which makes the Purple Dragon Guppy an interesting choice for aquarists who want to experience raising multiple generations of fish at home.
What We Love About This Fish
Bred by Aquatic Arts at our Indianapolis facility
Rich purple and violet coloration with metallic highlights and dramatic finnage
Active, social personality that brings constant movement to the aquarium
An excellent livebearer for both colorful community aquariums and hobbyists interested in breeding guppies
Quick Care Guide
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful and Social
Adult Size: Approximately 1.5 to 2.5 Inches
Diet: Omnivore (Quality Flakes, Pellets, Algae-Based Foods, Frozen Foods, and Live Foods)
Minimum Tank Size: 10 Gallons
Swimming Zone: Middle to Upper
Social Behavior: Social Livebearer, Not a True Schooling Fish
Group Size: Best kept with other guppies or peaceful community fish. If keeping males and females together, a higher ratio of females to males helps reduce persistent courtship pressure on individual females.
Source: Bred by Aquatic Arts
Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
Purchase Size: Approximately 1 to 1.5 Inches
Recommended Water Parameters
Temperature: 72° to 78°F (22° to 26°C)
pH: 7.2 to 8.0
GH: 7 to 15 dGH
KH: 4 to 10 dKH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: Ideally below 20 ppm
Purple Dragon Guppies do best in stable, mineral-rich freshwater. They generally prefer moderately hard to hard water with a neutral to alkaline pH, making adequate GH and KH particularly important for long-term health.
Avoid chasing an exact pH with frequent chemical adjustments. A mature, fully cycled aquarium with consistent parameters, good filtration, and regular water changes is more important than maintaining one precise number. Stable conditions help support healthy growth, finnage, coloration, and reproduction.
