Guppies' Feeding Guide

Guppies are omnivores and will eat almost anything, but how much you feed them is important for their health. Guppies have small stomachs and can easily overeat, which can cause serious health issues and even death. Feed adult guppies a pinch of food once or twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening. Guppies will continue to eat even when they don't need to, so stick to this amount. Young guppies, or fry, need to be fed more often—between three and eight times a day—as their bodies are rapidly growing and changing.

How much to feed adult guppies

Guppies are voracious eaters and will eat as much as you give them, but overfeeding can lead to issues such as increased ammonia and nitrate levels in the tank, which could be fatal. Therefore, it is important to feed adult guppies a controlled amount.

A general rule of thumb is to feed adult guppies a small pinch of food once or twice a day, or every other day. This will ensure they are happy and healthy without overfeeding them. It is also important to provide a variety of foods, such as flake food, pellets, and treats like bloodworms and brine shrimp, to give them a well-rounded diet.

Some guppy owners recommend feeding adult guppies enough so that each fish gets a bite or two, and skipping a day when they look too full. This can help prevent overfeeding and keep the tank clean. It is also suggested to feed adult guppies enough that they finish their food within a minute.

In addition to a staple food, it is beneficial to offer treats twice a week. Good treat options include bloodworms and brine shrimp. It is also important to provide adult guppies with algae or plant matter to graze on, as they are omnivores but tend to be more herbivorous when given the choice.

How much to feed baby guppies

Baby guppies, or fry, need to be fed small meals frequently throughout the day. Their bodies go through rapid changes and are constantly growing, so they need a lot of small meals. They can eat only so much in a single serving, so giving them a lot of food at once is not the answer. Inadequate feeding can stunt their growth and affect their health as they get older.

It is recommended to feed baby guppies every 2-3 hours for the first 6 weeks. After that, it's okay to decrease feedings to every 4-5 hours, or 3-4 times per day. It is best to give them a mixture of fresh and dry food. If you can't give them a mix, choose the best dry food you can find—look for one that's labelled as providing all the necessary nutrients for baby livebearing fish.

Baby guppies will eat anything their adult counterparts do, as long as the food is crushed into small enough pieces for their tiny mouths. Live foods such as baby brine shrimp, microworms, daphnia, or vinegar eels are optimal for fry, but if these aren't available, frozen or dry foods are suitable alternatives. Crushed flake foods or specialised high-protein powder foods are also great choices.

You can also give baby guppies an additional protein boost by feeding them egg yolk. Transform the yolk of a hard-boiled egg into a paste and introduce small amounts to the fry twice daily. Offering a diverse diet ensures your fish receive all the essential minerals and vitamins.

Overfeeding can cause serious problems, including death, in guppies, so it's important to feed the right amount. Feed only as much as the guppies will eat within a couple of minutes. If food remains after that time, reduce the amount offered at each feeding.

How often to feed guppies

Guppies are one of the most popular choices for aquarium fish, owing to their colourful and attractive appearance, as well as their low-maintenance care routine.

Guppies should be fed a small amount of food once, twice, or three times a day. Feed them no more than they can eat in about five minutes, so the uneaten food doesn't foul the water. It is recommended to feed them a pinch of food in the morning and another pinch at night, with a twelve-hour difference between the two. The size of the pinch should take into account how many fish you are feeding.

Guppies will continue to eat or search for food even when they do not need it, so do not feed them an extra meal if they appear hungry. Guppies that actively seek food will prevent food debris from building up and dirtying the water.

Guppies have small stomachs, so overfeeding can cause serious problems, even death. Feed only as much as the guppies will eat within a couple of minutes. If food remains after that time, reduce the amount offered at each feeding.

Feeding Baby Guppies

Baby guppies, or "fry", need to be fed more frequently than adult guppies. They should be fed between four and eight times per day while they are small, with this number reducing as they grow. Fry have tiny mouths and high protein requirements, so they must be fed separately from the adults.

Guppy Diet

Guppies are omnivores and will eat just about anything you give them. For adults, a combination of dry flakes and live food is recommended. Live food options include brine shrimp, chopped earthworms, fruit flies, bloodworms, and mosquito larvae. Guppies can also eat vegetables such as shucked peas, shredded lettuce, or finely chopped cucumber.

Signs of Overfeeding

Guppies have small stomachs but will eat large quantities of food if available, so overfeeding is common. Signs of overfeeding include tubes of waste dangling behind the fish, indicating a blocked intestine, and adult male guppies developing a "potbelly" or bulging chest due to too much fat in their diet.

What food to feed guppies

Guppies are omnivores, so they will eat a variety of foods. In the wild, they eat algae and water insect larvae, but in a home aquarium, they can be fed a combination of foods.

A good staple for adult guppies is a high-quality flake food designed for tropical fish. This will enhance their colour and provide them with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Guppies have small mouths, so pellets are not ideal.

You can also give your guppies live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, mosquito larvae, and tubifex worms. These provide extra nutrients and protein. However, live foods carry a risk of transferring disease to your tank. You should also be careful with tubifex worms, as they can contain lethal bacteria.

Guppies will also eat vegetables such as lettuce, peas, cucumber, and spinach. These should be boiled or blended and frozen, then cut into small pieces to feed to your fish.

For baby guppies, or 'fry', you will need a special diet. They require more frequent feeding—four to eight times a day—and their food needs to be crushed into a size they can manage. You can feed them crumbled fish food flakes, hard-boiled egg yolk, and baby brine shrimp.

How to avoid overfeeding guppies

Guppies are omnivores and will eat just about anything you give them. However, overfeeding them can cause serious problems, even death, so it's important to feed them the right amount as much as it is to feed them regularly.

To avoid overfeeding your guppies, feed adult guppies a pinch of food once or twice a day, preferably with a 12-hour interval between feedings. The amount of food should be just enough for them to finish within a minute or two. If there is leftover food in the tank, reduce the amount you feed them. Guppies will continue to eat or search for food even when they don't need it, so don't be fooled by their seemingly bottomless appetite.

Guppies have very small stomachs but will eat large quantities of food if it is available, so overfeeding is common. Watch out for signs of overfeeding, such as tubes of waste dangling behind the fish, which is a sign of a blocked intestine. Adult male guppies may also develop a "potbelly" from too much fat in their diet. If your tank water frequently gets cloudy and dirty, this may be due to excess food or waste.

Baby guppies, or "fry", need to be fed more frequently than adults—between four and eight times a day. They have tiny mouths and high protein requirements, so their food must be finely chopped or ground. Feed them a combination of protein sources and vegetable matter.

Whether your guppies are adults or fry, it is important to feed them a varied diet. In addition to fish flakes, offer them occasional treats like brine shrimp, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, or vegetables such as lettuce, peas, or cucumber.

Frequently asked questions