Why is this fish so expensive? The most expensive guppy fish in the world may come as a surprise to you.
What makes a guppy like this so special and how do you care for them?
In this article, I will explain the reasons why and give you a care guide along with other prices and details on other guppies.
Please Note : We Are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, We earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Most Expensive Guppy Fish In the World
The most expensive guppy fish in the world is the purple Moscow guppy. Scarcity in limited quantities available for sale makes this type of guppy fish so rare and hard to find.
The cost may also put you off and makes them unattainable for most of us in the aquarist community. Find out why and see more of the expensive guppies around the world in this article today.
Purple Moscow Guppy Care
If you are lucky enough to own a Purple Moscow Guppy you will want to know how to look after them. This guppy species is not hardy like other fancy guppies, and only experienced aquarists should buy this kind of fish because they are expensive to maintain.
1. Origins
Purple Moscow guppy was first developed in the ’80s, it is a particular strain that was formed by selective breeding by Russian aquarists.
This guppy is distinct because:
- it is bigger in size
- it has a metallic shining sheen (males only)
2. Features
You probably have not seen guppy with the longest caudal, anal and dorsal fin if you haven’t seen purple Moscow guppy. The fins are longer than their entire body in terms of length.
These rare creatures come with different colors like:
- purple
- black
- blue
- green
You may see all these colors on one purple Moscow guppy.
3. Feeding
They have the same feeding pattern like other guppies. They are omnivores which can eat almost anything you provide, but it is advisable to avoid commercial feeds and allow them to eat:
Labeled feed options:
- vegetable pellets
- spirulina
- frozen food/flakes
Live Food Options:
- vinegar eels
- daphnia
- brine shrimp
These choices will make your Purple Moscow Guppy bigger and more beautiful. If they are lacking fat, add bloodworms. This is especially the case for undernourished Moscow Guppy fry.
4. Breeding
Male purple Moscow is an active breeder. He chases females around the aquarium like other species of guppies though he is smaller in size than his female counterpart.
- A 1:3 male to female ratio is recommended.
Having many males in the tank is always strenuous for the females. If you did not follow the ratio, the female would be stressed, and it will be hard to control the population after some months.
5. Size
The reason why this guppy is more expensive than others might be because of their size. However, sellers usually say they are expensive because they:
- are hard to find
- it take a lot to rear them
- they have a fragile body
- they are bigger than other species of guppy
Adult purple Moscow can reach 5cm or 2 inches while the females are bigger and can grow to 7cm (2.5 – 2.7 inches) in size.
6. Water Parameters
These guppies are fragile. If you want to breed purple Moscow, you will need to adhere to the following parameters:
- 0 ppm nitrates, ammonia and nitrites
- 10 dGH water hardness
- 7.5 PH
- 23 °C (74 °F) temperature
Are You Looking To Keep Guppies? If yes check out our care guide here
Other Expensive Guppy Breeds
The most expensive guppy breeds are:
1 – Purple Moscow Guppies
There are some rare strains of Purple Moscow guppies which will be really hard to find. You can expect to pay $40 – 100 USD per fish if they are a rare strain. For a non rare strains these will cost around $30 USD.
The colour of these guppies are completely different from your common guppies which is the main reason for the high price.
2 – Fancy Guppies
Some strains of fancy guppies like the multi delta are in high demand and because of this you can expect to pay anything from $25 to 50 USD per fish.
The fancy guppies are my favourite type of guppy because of the wide variety of colours from guppy to guppy.
3 – Electric Blue Guppy
The price for an electric blue guppy starts at $15 USD and usually does not go above $25 USD. There are fewer strains of this type of guppy so the price range will not vary as much as other guppies due to this.
4 – Dragon Guppy
The price you can expect to pay for a dragon guppy is around $10 USD. This type of guppy is easily to locate which makes purchasing one much easier and drives the price down as a result.
Many people breed these fish as they are very popular with fish keepers.
5 – Mutt Guppy
Mutt guppies will cost around $5 – 10 USD. These guppies are hardy fish and also good breeders which make them a great choice for first time fish keepers.
Cost Of Guppy Breeds
Since writing this post I have had many emails asking me about prices of other guppies so I thought I would write about them here.
Albino Red Guppy
You can expect to pay around $15 USD for a albino red guppy and up to $40 USD for a breeding pair. These guppies are in demand because of their nice red/orange colour.
Panda Guppy
A panda guppy will cost you around $5 to 7.5 USD. This guppy strain is quite common and can be easily purchased which helps in keeping the price down for this fish.
I have owned panda guppies in the past and I highly recommend these fish.
Conclusion
It will shock you that Purple Moscow Guppies don’t live more than two years just like other guppy species. Determining how long they live will depend mostly on:
- stress
- water parameters
- the type of food you give them
- temperature
- tankmates
When the conditions are right from fry to adult stage, they can live beyond two years.
Thanks for visiting HelpUsFish.com for this article on Guppies. We have plenty more informative articles for your interest. Check out our home page and search bar for hundreds of more selections that could benefit you and your aquatic life. Bye for now!
Table of Contents
