This colourful species of freshwater fish is becoming more and more popular in the aquarium community. Whilst they are easy to maintain and look after, it is still vital that you are aware of all their basic care needs and requirements.

Once you have given them their needs and you keep their tank regularly cleaned and feed the correct food, you will have a tank full of beautifully coloured guppies to enjoy all day long.

In This Blog We Cover:

Breed Overview

­How Do I Care For My New Guppy?

Tank life

These small and colourful fish make great pets for first time aquatic owners. They also are great for houses which don’t have much room as they don’t require a large tank.

Follow the rule of 1 gallon of water for each inch of fish. So, for two guppies, you will require up to 4 gallons of water. Guppies are known to be very active swimmers, so the bigger the tank, the better it is for them.

Their tank needs to be set between 22-28C and the pH level should be between 6.8 and 7.8. whilst tap water may be between these levels, always be careful using it as it contains chlorine and chloramine which can be deadly to your aquatics. Before you use tap water, purchase a water test to ensure its pH levels are good and chemicals are low.

Your guppies will really appreciate a water heater in their tank due to them being tropical fish. Be sure that the water temperature doesn’t fluctuate as this can make them stressed and sick.

Add some live plants in there too for not only decoration, but to serve as a source of food for both baby and adult guppies. This will offer any tired or unhappy fishes a hiding place.

Cleaning the Tank

Unlike some species of fish, guppies don’t go crazy for algae so you can’t rely on them to eat the algae available in a tank.

You may want to consider housing other species which do enjoy algae such as a bristlenose pleco. This species loves to eat algae but will still require their own food to receive the nutrients.

Always make sure that the water in the tank is clean and not polluted, as this induces stress and make them ill.

You want to change the water in the tank frequently as some fish waste will have dissolved and be polluting it.

Diet

Guppies are omnivores and are known to eat whatever is in their habitat. They are known to eat plants and animal products like mosquito larvae or brine shrimp. But, if you do not have the time to be preparing your very own homemade meal for them every day, the next best thing is fish flakes which will provide all the nutrients they need.

They can eat frozen food, live food, and even raw vegetables, as well as their own food like veggie flakes and spirulina tabs. A variety of food will maintain their beautiful, coloured scales and keep them happy and healthy.

Feed them at least once a day with a high-quality flake food which contains a high amount of protein.

Fishy Friends

Our guppy’s love their friends and they are very social swimmers. We recommend keeping them with a minimum of 3 other guppies in their tank. You can keep males and females together also but in a ratio of 1 male to 3 females.

Males tend to chase the females constantly to reproduce and subsequently the females can become stressed, tired, and sick because of this. Something to bear in mind is that guppies which do not reproduce, do in fact tend to live longer.

Other fishes like mollies, tetras, and swordtails can also make great fishy friends for your guppies. Do try to avoid putting your guppies with aggressive or larger species as they may see them as a meal.

Health of a Guppy

These resilient little fish are pretty good at staying healthy and not having many health problems. But as with any animal in life, it is possible for them to become sick, so you need to be able to spot the signs on whether your guppy is starting to look unwell.

These symptoms include:

• White spots all over their body
• Scales are dull in colour
• Lack of appetite
• Body appears swollen

White spots all over their body can be a sign of itch which is a parasite infestation. This may not seem concerning to start with, but if left untreated, it can kill your fish very quickly. It is also very contagious and if one fish in the tank has it, all of them will follow shortly after. They can be seen rubbing on anything they can as itch is extremely uncomfortable.

By purchasing medication at a local pet shop, you should have got rid of this disease from your fish and the tank.

Scales dull in colour can often be a sign of stress due to the number of fish in your tank, an aggressive fish picking on them, constant water changes or incorrect water for them to live in.

Lack of appetite usually means they are feeling unwell, and this can be another sign of itching. But it can also mean there are low oxygen levels in the tank, they have contracted parasites or a disease, or they could be pregnant!

Bodies appearing swollen can often be a sign of gill flukes. This is a parasite which can live in their gills and be extremely uncomfortable for them. You may see them rubbing their gills on rocks or the tank.

Guppies can be great aquatic pets for any first-timers out there! Whether you would like them for show, as they are beautifully coloured, or for breeding purposes. This species of fish will be great for you to own and enjoy whilst they swim around in their home.