How to care for guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

Guppies can be some of the most charming of the small fish. With their multicolored, bright tails, they can be visually stunning in spite of their small size. But how hard is it really to care for them?

The good news is that guppies are easy going sturdy little things. They don't require much attention beside the basics of good fish ownership: clean and balanced water and consistent diverse diet.

Feeding Guppies

Guppies can eat much more than they should, and like many other feed, can die from overeating. The rule of thumb is that you should feed them as much as they can consume in about 2 to 3 minutes and only once a day. They can be fed a large variety of foods:

Bloodworms

Black mosquito larvae

Better quality flake foods

Turbifex worms

Freeze Dried Shrimp and Plankton

Algae and Spirulina

But we've heard of their being fed all kinds of things, including beef heart. I tend to stick to foods they would normally find in nature and since I can't imagine a guppy attaching a cow and eating its heart, I tend to skip those kinds of foods.

Monitoring Their Water

In general they have high tolerance for hard water, which means that they can handle high salinity in water, but placing them in salt water tanks, like some stores do is still not a good idea and should be avoided since they are naturally fresh water fish. A good filter is necessary for any healthy tank, but guppies do tolerate less than pristine water better than some other small fish.

Try to maintain the water temperatures at around 75 to 85 degrees.

Breeding Guppies

Guppies are incredibly easy to breed. They are live bearers, which means they don't lay eggs, but give birth to fry instead and reproduce often. They can have as many as 50 babies at once but 20 to 30 is more common. The birthing can take from a few hours to about a day. They don't usually eat many of their young is they are well fed, so separating them is not as essential.

Final thoughts

All in all guppies are wonderful little fish. Fancy guppies in particular are beautiful and they are wonderful fish for families because there is an opportunity to share the care with children and teach them how to be kind those these small little pets. Watching them give birth can also be a wonderful experience to share with others. They are sure to provide endless hours of enjoyment.