Vypin: Guppy is a small ornamental fish of less than an inch length. But for Siju Cherian from Cherai, Vypin, it is the luckiest fish which brought him a place among world's finest ornamental fish breeders. This year, his Guppy won him the first runner up prize in Guppy Championship held by Asian Guppy Association (AGA) in Penang, Malaysia.
Siju's fascination for ornamental fishes began when he was in school. He was initially interested in breeding and marketing popular varieties like Angel and Molly. His love affair with Guppy began 6 years ago.
Guppy, also known as rainbow fish, is one of world’s most coveted tropical freshwater aquarium fish species. Siju says that many people, especially Malayalis, don't realize how popular Guppy is around the world.
There are hundreds of varieties of Guppies which can cost 500 to 7000 rupees for a pair. Siju won the prize in Penang for breeding and raising the Moscow Blue variety which comes under the subspecies of Soiled Blue. The colour of the fish, size of the caudal fin (tail) and its health condition decides the winner.
It is a tedious job to raise Guppies. The species is notorious for eating its newborn. The pregnant fish is put in a separate enclosure or breeding tank with tiny pores for the fry to sneak out before they are eaten up. That, or the mother is removed from the tank immediately after giving birth.
Alfino FullRed, Red Lace, Half Black White, Neon Half Black Blue are the most sought after varieties of Guppy.
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Siju was second runner up last year in the Malaysia Guppy Challenge. His house on the Dispensary East Road in Cherai has tanks full of Guppies. He also works as chief accounts manager in a private firm. His wife Judy and sons Rohith and Rohan are with him every step of the way.
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