GUPPY STRAINS & TRAITS
Guppy Strain List: Colors, Patterns, Fins & Eyes
One guppy name can stack several traits: body color, pattern, tail shape, pectoral fins and eyes. Learn to read them here in a few minutes, then pick your fish from the live shop.
A strain name describes visible traits: color, pattern, fins, body or eyes. Fish of the same strain still vary with sex, age, lighting and breeder line, so each listing’s photos and pack details are your best guide.
READ THE NAME
Four trait groups explain most guppy names.
Color & base tone
Names may describe the dominant body or fin color, such as Full Gold, red, blue or darker metallic tones. Lighting, sex and maturity can change how intense a color appears.
Pattern
Dragon, koi, grass, mosaic, tuxedo and lace terms describe pattern families or visual effects. Breeder usage can vary, so compare the actual listing photos and description.
Fin traits
Dumbo ear refers to enlarged pectoral fins; tail names can refer to delta, round, sword and other shapes. Fin expression still varies between individual fish.
Body & eye traits
Albino, glass belly, short body and other terms describe visible traits that can be combined with color, pattern and fin terms in one listing title.
COMMON GROUPS
Popular strain groups at a glance.
The names you will see most often in shops and breeder lists.
Full Gold
Selected for broad gold expression across body and fins. Compare age, fin shape and the current photo context on the listing.
Shop Full Gold guppies →Koi
Usually combines light body areas with red or orange head or tail markings. Pattern placement and intensity can vary significantly.
Shop Koi guppies →Dragon
Often refers to strong body patterning or scale effect paired with a contrasting tail. Different breeder lines may use the term differently.
Shop Dragon guppies →Dumbo Ear
Named for enlarged pectoral fins. Review swimming activity and fin condition as well as the color or pattern traits combined with it.
Shop Dumbo Ear guppies →Tuxedo / Half Black
Dark posterior body color creates the tuxedo or half-black contrast. The front body and tail can carry another strain color or pattern.
Shop Tuxedo / Half Black guppies →Albino types
Albino guppies have reduced dark pigment and a characteristic eye appearance. Their final look depends on the other color and pattern traits in the line.
Shop Albino guppies →For an example of a color-based trade name, read the Blue Topaz guppy guide. It shows how one color name can look across different fish.
REFERENCE CATALOG
See these strain names on real HiGuppy fish
Our reference catalog puts a photo to each trade name. Use these pages to learn what a name looks like; the live shop stays the source for current stock and price.
Cobra & snakeskin
Cobra fish carry vertical, snake-like markings across the body. Compare Blue Cobra, Luminous Cobra Guppy, Dragon Cobra Guppy, Dumbo Ear Cobra, Cobra Multicolour Elephant Ear and Snakeskin Koi Guppy to see how the pattern changes with color and fin type.
Mosaic, tiger & batik
Mosaic and tiger tails break into irregular spots and bars. Good references are Red Mosaic, Tiger Mosaic Guppy, Platinum Red Mosaic Big Ear, Purple Ivory Mosaic Halfmoon and Purple Batik Guppy.
Grass
Grass tails are finer and more evenly speckled than mosaic. See Blue Grass, Metal Blue Grass, Lazuli Blue Grass and Blue Grass Ribbon Fin C.
Tuxedo & half black
The dark rear body can sit under almost any color. Compare Yellow Tuxedo, German Yellow Tuxedo, Tuxedo Blond Gold, Blonde Tux, Pink Tuxedo, Velvet Tuxedo Male, Dumbo Ear Silver Tux Guppy, Half Black Red Rosetail and Half Black Blue Big Tail.
Koi & Kohaku
Koi types pair a pale body with red or orange patches, as on the Orange Koi, Kohaku Guppy and Red Koi Tux Guppy.
RREA & Lazuli
Red-eye albino (RREA) and lazuli lines shift the base tone and eye color. Examples include RREA Full Red, RREA Galaxy Red Tail, RREA Super White Ribbon, RREA Lazuli Blue Tail, RREA Lazuli Neon Tuxedo, RREA Lazuli Neon Tuxedo Ribbon, RREA Lazuli Purple Tail Ribbon, Lazuli Blue Tail Ribbon, Orange Red Eye Guppy and Albino Sky Blue Ribbon.
Solid & multicolor
For solid or split-color fish, look at Red Fire Guppy, Red Flamingo Guppy, Royal Red Female, Pink Rose Guppy, Pink Custard Guppy, Yellow Sunrise Guppy, Blue Turquoise Male, Blue Moscow Female, Red Head Black Guppy, Mini Panda, Tricolor Guppy and Red and White Rainbow Guppy.
Tail & fin shapes
Some names lead with the fin shape. Compare the Japanese Blue Swordtail Guppy, Singapore Blue Delta, Platinum Dumbo Ear Guppy and Red Dragon Short Glassbelly Ribbon.
PHOTO CONTEXT
Representative image does not mean exact individual fish.
Some HiGuppy listings use representative images to show a strain or pack format. Those images help with identification, but living fish can differ in pattern placement, fin growth, color intensity and maturity.
Before ordering, review the individual product page for its current title, pack format, price, stock status and photo-status wording. Those details take priority over a general strain guide.
Six photographed guppy examples
Seven real fish across six panels, named with the photographer’s own labels. Use them to train your eye on patterns and tail shapes.
Read the traits in the photograph
Fine winding body marks; a broad tail with dark and pale yellow-orange markings. Compare its fine body markings with mosaic chilli’s bold tail markings.
Pale body, orange-red tail and long, thin fin extensions below the body. Compare these below-body fins with double sword’s two tail-edge extensions.
Two fish with red-orange fins and paler head and belly areas. Other panels also show red; color alone does not distinguish this label.
Dark rear body and a broad orange-red tail with bold, dark irregular markings. Like cobra snakeskin, this example combines body and tail traits.
Orange body and fins, with dark patches near the tail base and on the tail. A pointed extension is not clear enough to identify tail shape from this photograph or label alone.
Pale body with orange-red patches; long extensions at both the upper and lower tail edges.
GUPPY STRAIN LIST
Guppy strain list: 30 names and trait groups
30 common trade names, grouped by the trait they describe. Names overlap and breeders use them a little differently, so treat this as a reading guide.
King Cobra
Snakeskin-style vertical rosettes across the body, often with a matching patterned tail.
King Cobra guppy guide →
Koi
Pale body with red or orange on the head and tail, echoing koi carp coloring.
Koi guppy guide →
Tuxedo / Half Black
Dark rear half of the body, with the front and tail in another color.
Tuxedo guppy guide →
Dumbo Ear
Oversized pectoral fins that flap like ears; combined with many colors.
Dumbo Ear guppy profile →
Dumbo Red Tail
Dumbo pectorals on a light body with a solid red tail.
Dumbo Red Tail guide →
Red Dragon
Strong scale-edged body pattern paired with a deep red tail.
Red Dragon guppy guide →
Blue Grass
Fine dotted grass pattern on a blue tail and dorsal fin.
Blue Grass guppy guide →
Blue Mosaic
Bold, irregular marbling across a wide blue tail.
Blue Mosaic guppy guide →
Red Lace
Fine lace or snakeskin fin pattern in red tones.
Red Lace guppy guide →
Blue Topaz
Metallic blue-green sheen on the body, often with a darker tail.
Blue Topaz guppy guide →
Albino (RREA)
Reduced dark pigment and red or pink eyes; layered with other colors.
Albino guppy guide →
All patterns and tails
See every pattern and tail shape side by side before you pick a strain.
Guppy pattern types → · Guppy tail types →Full guppy strain list by trait
| Strain | Main trait | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Full Gold | Color | Gold across body and fins |
| Full Red | Color | Solid red body and fins |
| Full Black / Dark Knight | Color | Near-black body and tail |
| Platinum | Color | White metallic sheen |
| Ivory / Super White | Color | Clean white body and fins |
| Blue Topaz | Color | Metallic blue-green body |
| Moscow (Blue, Green, Purple) | Color | Solid dark metallic body and tail |
| Lazuli | Color | Deep lapis-blue tone |
| Yellow / Blond | Color | Yellow or pale blond base |
| Japanese Blue | Color | Electric blue rear body |
| Koi | Pattern | Red head and tail on pale body |
| Tuxedo / Half Black | Pattern | Dark rear body |
| Cobra / King Cobra | Pattern | Snakeskin rosettes on body |
| Dragon | Pattern | Scale-edged body, contrasting tail |
| Mosaic | Pattern | Marbled tail |
| Grass | Pattern | Fine dots on tail |
| Lace / Snakeskin | Pattern | Fine lace lines on fins |
| Panda | Pattern | Dark patches on head and tail |
| Delta / Big Tail | Fins | Wide triangle tail |
| Halfmoon | Fins | Tail opens near 180 degrees |
| Double Sword | Fins | Upper and lower tail extensions |
| Round Tail | Fins | Small rounded tail |
| Ribbon | Fins | Elongated fins |
| Dumbo Ear / Big Ear | Fins | Oversized pectoral fins |
| Glass Belly | Body | Translucent lower belly |
| Super Short | Body | Compact, shortened body |
| Albino (RREA) | Eyes | Red or pink eyes |
| Red Eye | Eyes | Red eye on normal-pigment body |
| Endler hybrid | Line | Small, neon-patterned body |
| Wild type | Line | Gray body with random spots |
Strain names stack, so a Dumbo Koi Red Tail Platinum combines four rows from this list. Comparing small fish? Read Endler vs guppy.
Guppy strain list FAQ
How many guppy strains are there?
There is no single total used by every breeder. This page lists 30 names and trait groups to help you read listings; it is not a complete count of guppy strains. Several traits can appear together in one name.
Which guppy names does this list cover?
Examples include Koi, Tuxedo, Cobra, Dumbo Ear, Grass, Dragon, Full Gold, Moscow and Albino. Some names describe a color or pattern; others describe fins or eyes. Check the specific breeder line and product details rather than inferring breeding consistency from a name.
CHOOSE BY GOAL
The right format depends on what you want the aquarium to do.
Display color
Male guppies are often chosen when the priority is visible color and finnage without planning a breeding group.
Breeding project
Compare pair and breeder-trio listings, then make sure you have a plan for females, fry and future grow-out space. Breeding results are not guaranteed.
Grow-out project
Fry packs require stable filtration, frequent observation and enough room for fish to develop before their adult traits become clear.
Wholesale supply
For stores, importers and breeders, confirm current strain availability, format, grade, quantity, destination and shipping route rather than relying on a static catalog.
Wholesale information →COMMON QUESTIONS
For species-level context, FishBase’s guppy profile identifies the species as Poecilia reticulata; trade names in this guide describe appearance rather than separate scientific species.
Guppy strains & types FAQ
Are guppy strain names standardized everywhere?
Not completely. Many names are widely recognized, but breeder usage can differ. Use the name as a useful description and compare the actual listing photos, format and details.
Will every fish in one strain look identical?
No. Guppies are living animals, and pattern placement, color intensity, fin development and maturity vary between individuals.
What does Dumbo Ear mean?
Dumbo Ear generally refers to enlarged pectoral fins. It can be combined with other color and pattern traits in the same strain name.
Are fry already showing their final adult color?
Not necessarily. Juvenile fish can change substantially as they grow, so fry packs should be chosen for the listed strain and format rather than expecting full adult appearance at delivery.
Where should I check current strain availability?
Use the current HiGuppy Shop and individual product pages. Reference catalogs and guides are educational; current live listings are the source for retail availability.
Found a strain name you like? Check what is actually listed now. If you need recurring quantities or a strain not shown as a live retail listing, contact HiGuppy with your destination and required format.
