Livebearers are one of the most common beginner fish. Live bearing fish such as guppy's, sword tails, mollies and endlers are easy to maintain, breed and are tolerant of a range of water conditions. The most commonnly purchased livebearer is the guppy.
This is mainly due to their brilliant tail colors and ease of breeding. They are very alluring for the beginner aquarist and can be kept in either the aquarium or a heated pond. They are an excellent beginner fish and require less maintenance than other more delicate fish varieties.
Livebearers will do well in a community fish tan. Males should be kept away from larger more aggressive fish that will nip there fins. Due to their bright tails they can be targeted and harassed by other species.
Other Livebearers include mollies and swordtails. Both of these species are known to be colorful and exist in a wide variety of colors and sizes. When livebearers are bred, new colors and shapes can result. Guppies can be cross bred with other strains to produce unusual colorations and patterns. For this reason their are sometimes contests specifically for guppy's.
Livebearers should be kept with little water turbulence. Weaker filters and powerheads are recommended as Livebearers often populate ponds and tire easily with strong aquarium currents.
