Alternatives to Guppies

Guppies aren't the only fish that can store their fries in the belly and able to give birth for months without any presence of male. Almost all fish that belong to the Poeciliidae family have the same reproductive system as guppies. Among the Poeciliidae fish, the most popular ones are endler, molly, platy, and swordtail. There are also other Poeciliidae fish that have recently become more popular as pets, but I try to focus on the popular 4. 

Endler

Endler is one of guppy's closest relative. Infact, you can mate guppies with endlers to produce fertile offsprings. The majority of endler being sold today are actually not pure endler, but rather mixes of guppies. Most of the endlers that are sold retain their much of the wild appearance. Infact, their appearance almost resemble wild guppies. Compared to wild guppies, male endlers have distinctive sword-like coloration on the tail. The males are smaller than male guppies, so they can be smaller alternatives to guppies. It is said that most endlers are hardier guppies. It is also said that endlers are less aggressive and the males don't chase females as much as guppies, though I personally think that's not true based on my personal experience. Perhaps it's because most endlers today have guppy ancestry (Source : https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/endlers-livebearers-are-nearly-all-hybrids/?fbclid=IwAR1_Y0lN-os5KihcE1htzK5LkXA1yurFkLGSQFdVu4PiPTqWHf2URtiz-0Y) so some may carry their guppy behavior. Also, because male endlers are smaller than male guppies, they tend to have more room to swim around and this explains why they seem to be more active than guppies.

 

Molly

Like guppies, mollies belong to the poeciliidae family. You can actually hybridize mollies with guppies, but there is a very high chance that their hybrid offsprings will be infertile. There are some rare reports of people who say that their molly-guppy hybrid can reproduce but there hasn't been any solid proof yet. Mollies are much bigger than guppies and they tend to be more aggressive, especially the sailfin variant. It is not recommended to keep them with smaller fish as aggressive mollies can kill them. Molly's color variation isn't that many but the larger size might appeal to some people. There are also unique varieties like the lyretail, sailfin, and balloon. Unlike guppies and endlers, molly females have the same color as the male counterparts.

Platy

What people usually identify as "platy" actually consist of two different different species : The variatius and maculatus. These two species are very closely related and are able to crossbreed with each other. Most of the platys that are sold today are hybrids between these two species. Variatus have longer and slimmer body while maculatus have rounder and shorter body. Their size is intermediate between mollies and guppies. Their behavior is comparable to guppies in which they can either be very peaceful or very aggressive. That applies to both genders. You can't hybridize them with guppies but the way they reproduce is similar to guppies. Platys can be crossbred with swordtails. Variatus, maculatus, and swordtail are classified as Xiphophorus. Some platys actually have swordtail ancestry like the Kohaku strain. 

Swordtail

Swordtail is a close relative to platy and they can be hybridized with platys. Infact, many fancy swordtails have been mixed with platys and many fancy platys have been mixed with swordtails.  The main difference between wild swordtail with wild platy is that wild swordtail tend to have slimmer and longer body, but more importantly, male swordtails have sword-like fin which the wild male platys don't have. Wild swordtails tend to be more aggressive and swim faster than wild platys and are more likely to jump. Owning a swordtail means that you have to cover the top of the aquarium to avoid them from jumping out.