Guppies: Quick Guide To Keeping These Popular Freshwater Aquarium Fish

Do you know how you can classify Guppies? Kind of like the celebrities of the marine world. That’s because they are the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species.

Guppies are gorgeous, easy-to-keep, and fascinating fish. Even the name is lively and catchy. Their appearance is super versatile as they come in various colors, tail shapes, and sizes. They are mostly small, so they don’t take up much space.

Let’s dive into the details of keeping these vibrant freshwater aquarium fish.

Ideal Habitat

Guppies are usually found in the warm freshwaters of South America. It would help if you made them feel at home in the aquarium, so try to reflect on the aspects of their natural habitat in their tank. They will be grateful.

Tank Size

Usually, people keep Guppies in a 10-gallon tank. However, you can keep them in a minimum of a 5-gallon tank. You can keep them in a 10-gallon tank or any tank bigger than that as well.

Tank Set-Up

Temperature: As mentioned above, Guppies originate from the warmer waters. Hence, you will need to use a heater to keep the temperature around 75 degrees to 82 degrees.

Tip: Keep the heater at one end of the tank and keep a thermometer at the other end to monitor the temperature.

pH: Guppies can tolerate a wide range of pH. However, you can keep the pH of the water in the range of 5.5-8.5. The ideal pH is 7.0-7.2.

Water type: Guppies like hard water. It should have good amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. If the water in your tank is naturally soft, you can add Wonder Shell to increase the water’s hardness along with its mineral content.

Plants: You should keep plenty of plants in a tank with Guppies. Amazon Sword plants and Hornwort are two good options.

Warning: Adding plants that have been taken from the natural environment, such as clams, roots, sand, might contain parasites or will modify your pH.

Substrate: Guppies love substrate and rocks. However, the type of substrate is your choice. Choose whatever you prefer to see in the fish aquarium.

Tank Mates

Social life is important for humans, animals, and mammals. I mean, for every living being.

Let’s see what fish you should keep with Guppies.

Guppies
Mollies
Platies
Gouramis
Corydoras
Tetras

Avoid keeping them with larger aggressive fish.

Can you keep Guppies with other Guppies?

Totally. The number one choice to keep with Guppies is Guppies. They are peaceful fish that stay calm and are friendly with other fish.

Diet

Guppies are omnivores, so they eat both plant and animal matter.

These beautiful fish eat the following items:

Fish
Shrimp
Meat
Bloodworms
Mosquito larvae
Peas
Lettuce
Cucumber

Tip: You should alternatively feed frozen food, food flakes, and vegetables.

Feeding routine: You should feed your Guppies twice a day. The amount of food should be enough to be eaten within 2 minutes.

Be cautious: Feeding your fish; one type of food will lead to nutritional deficiencies. Overfeeding your fish will lead to problems with their health and also a deteriorated water quality.

Care

You should dechlorinate the water in the tank before you house Guppies in it.

Cleaning: You should clean the Guppies’ aquarium once a week. Change 25% of the water and replace it with fresh, clean, and dechlorinated water.

Clean the glass of the tank as well. No fish likes having a dirty window to see the surroundings. Also, clean and rinse the decorations once a week or so. You must remove the algae etc.

Conclusion

As I’ve explained, Guppies are very easy-to-keep fish. They are not only friendly but also a delight to look at. The brightly colored bodies add a beautiful look to the room the aquarium is kept in.

If you are new at keeping pet fish or looking for fish types to add to your aquarium, Guppies are an amazing pick. You will enjoy watching them swim with their tank mates and being the peaceful and lively fish they are.