# Guppy adulthood-- how long does it take for fry to reach it?



## Cichlidsrule

I just found nine or ten fry in my tank about a week ago. How long do I have to wait for them to grow to adulthood, or at least show their colors?


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## rcomeau

lol, aren't guppys born pregnant?


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## Cichlidsrule

No. They reach sexual maturity at some point, but I need to know ASAP how long it takes for their colors to show.


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## thebrick

3-4 weeks for sexual maturity ive read and my spawn some started showing as little as 3 weeks. my first spawn is about 1.5 months along and alot are shoing LOTS of colour and my second spawn is .5 months and only a few are showing.


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## Cichlidsrule

Great! Thank you so much!


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## Sable

It really depends. They'll start to show coloration faster if you feed them better-quality food (but NOT color-enhancing foods; these deprive them of important nutrients), change their water frequently, and keep the water warm. 78 degrees is considered ideal by many.  
Congratulations!!


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## TheOldSalt

2 months will get them to full maturity and color, but you'll see what their colors are going to probably be in about one month. 4 months will get them fully grown under most conditions.
As already mentioned, these things can be influenced by outside factors.


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## Cichlidsrule

Thanks very much!


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## Sable

I'm actually currently doing an exmperiment on this topic; I'm about a week into it. Of course, no animals are at risk or in pain (the cooler tanks are at 70 degees and the warmer tanks are at 79 degrees; the tanks being fed least frequently still get food once per day and the tanks being fed most frequently get food only four times per day and their ammonia levels are checked twice daily). If you're interested in the results, I can PM them to you.


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## Cichlidsrule

So which has been working best for you?


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