Guppy Care Guide
The complete playbook for the non-diehard first-time fish tank owner of 2023
This is the complete guppy fish care guide of 2023.
I’ve written this guide specifically for those who want to spend the least amount of time tending to their tank, and the most time enjoying it.
Hi, I'm Shy!
That’s just my name, and I’ve had pretty much every type of fish tank you can get on your mind.
Truth be told, I’m pretty lazy. I like my tank, don’t get me wrong. But I hate chores. That means that I’ll do almost everything that will save me time and will cut down on maintenance.
If you want to enjoy your tank more and maintain it less- then this guide is for you.
Introduction
Before we start looking at every little aspect of this guppy care guide, let’s mention a couple of prerequisites to make sure your tank is as health as possible
How Many Guppies In a 10 Gallon Tank?
You should have up to between 5-7 fish in a 10-gallon tank.
Hopefully, you are on the lower end. Since your guppies are going to give you a new batch of babies every 30 days you can also choose to keep one of surviving fry.
Guppy Male to Female Ratio
You want to have about one male for every 2-3 females. This will lower the risk of aggression in the tank and help distribute the male’s attention towards multiple females.
Otherwise, you can just set up your tank as a same-sex tank. Just know that you might encounter some aggression from fish to fish- but each would be an individual case of its own. Guppies are generally peaceful fish.
Decorations are.. a must?
Guppies need hiding spaces to feel space.
You can check it off your list in many different ways- from getting guppy plants to simple, store-bought aquarium decoration.
Nitrogen Cycle
We covered the nitrogen cycle part when we were setting up your guppy tank.
If you are experiencing problems with a new tank, especially with water parameters- make sure the tank is cycled properly.
Here’s why a nitrogen cycle is important:
Guppy Water Parameters
Part 2 Of The Guppy Fish Care Guide
Guppy Fish Care - Water, TL;DR
Your guppies need a constant water temperature to thrive. Here are their requirements:
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrite: 0
- Nitrate: below 20 ppm
- pH: Between 7 – 8
- Temperature: between 78-82
Ammonia
You know, when I was researching for this article on what exactly ammonia is I fell into a rabbit hole.
I know so much about ammonia that I decided not to tell you all the fun facts I know about it to prevent confusion.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ammonia is bad, and it will always find its way into your tank. The reason it will always find its way back into your tank is that ammonia is a byproduct of decomposing fish poop and leftover food.
Another thing to remember is that when ammonia breaks down in your tank it will turn into nitrite. Nitrite is a whole lot more toxic than ammonia, and we will talk about it in greater detail later.
The bottom line is: ammonia is the source of the great majority of water imbalanced.
How to tackle ammonia with ease?
There are 3 things that can help you fight ammonia presence in your tank:
Siphon pump
I’m a big believer that spending 5 minutes every couple of days is better than spending an hour once a week.
Using a siphon pump you’ll be able to vacuum the bottom of your tank- where all the poop and leftover food lies.
Because you remove it, it won’t be able to breakdown in the tank and corrupt the water.
Removing debris periodically doesn’t mean any water changes. You’ll still have to change the water about once a week, but you’ll be able to change less of it. Removing the debris will also allow you to go longer between changes.
Water Filter
Your water filter will actually be your first line of defense against ammonia and other water-contaminating compounds. We’ve talked before about how a filter works for your guppy tank, so I’ll just remind you that it:
- Mechanical filtration sucks gunk from the tank floor and removes it (it tries, but never gets all)
- Biological filtration converts the ammonia into nitrate, of which your fish are much more tolerant.
- Chemical filtration, which helps remove funky odors from the water.
I’m not going to blab about every little thing a filter does- mainly because you have no control over it.
I will just say one thing:
Bigger doesn’t mean better.
Get a filter that is the correct size for your tank. It’ll do the heavy lifting, and you will do what ever is left over.
Water Changes
The last, and pretty much only real solution to combating ammonia presence in your tank is water changing.
Since this is the ultimate guppy fish care guide, I have a whole section just to teach you how to change the water in your tank.
Nitrite
Nitrites get into your tank when your biofilter breaks down the ammonia.
Just to give you a better idea of how the process works:
- Ammonia breaks down and is then converted into nitrate.
- Nitrate is then, within the same breath, converted into nitrate.
Nitrate can then exist in higher concentrations in the tank, and guppy plants can also use it as a nutrient.
Why Is Nitrite So Bad For Your Tank?
Let me make this clear:
Nitrite is probably one of the deadliest things that can ever make it into your tank.
In other words, nitrite prevents your guppies from absorbing oxygen into their blood.
What this means is that your fish will suffocate and eventually drown as a result of water high in nitrite.
Nitrate
You can consider nitrate as a cousin of nitrite.
Opposed to its toxic cousin, nitrate is a lot less toxic to guppies. Since they are very close to each other, here’s an easy way for you to remember the difference between the 2:
I’ll mention for the last time that nitrate is a result of ammonia breakdown, so there’s no way to completely get rid of it.
pH Levels
Your guppies need a pH level between 7 and 8.
For the most part, this isn’t too hard to do. I just add a water conditioner to my tap water when I do water changes and that does the trick.
With that said, your pH levels can change as a result of other processes going on in your tank.
the lack or abundance of carbon dioxide, for example, can through off your pH. In that scenario, you’d have to identify the root of the problem (usually lack or too many plants) and fix it.
I have a whole post about guppy water pH levels in the event that is your specific issue.
Water Temperature
In order for you to give your guppies the care they need you’ll need to keep the water at a constant temperature.
That temperature can be anything between 78 and 82 degrees F ( or 25-28 C).
The easiest way to achieve that result is by using a water heater.
If you see your guppies displaying signs of stress or symptoms of diseases– make sure the water temperature is where it needs to be.
How To Do A Water Change
When should I change the water?
you should be changing about 20-50 percent of your water about once a week. Some prefer to change less volume, but I like to stay on the higher side.
Another way to know when is it time to change the water is by using a testing strip.
Testing strips are a good way to gauge when is it time to change the water- especially as a beginner.
How to do a water change?
A water change is a pretty simple process.
- Here’s what it looks like:
- Turn off your filter and heater
Siphon 50 percent of the water out of the tank. - While doing that, use a scarping knife to scrape the algae off the tank
- Tip: use the suction to remove debris from the bottom.
- Another tip: you can clean your filter in the old tank water
- Fill a bucket with water and add a dechlorinator
- Add new water into the Tank slowly but surely
What and When To Feed You Guppies
The Complete Guppy Care Guide- Part 3
Guppy Fish Care- Food
What do guppies eat?
Since guppies are tropical fish, their diet requires that they get more protein than other types of fish.
For you to achieve this goal of a protein-filled diet you can choose some of the following options:
Commercial Food
Flakes, pellets, tablets- whatever form you like will work.
Commercial fish food that is designed for tropical fish has everything you need in it. Pretty much all guppies seem to like it and, it’s ease to serve doesn’t need any special storing methods.
Live Food (Brine Shrimp)
Live food mimics the type of food guppies eat in the wild as it is mostly protein. It also has the same shape and form, but it is also fun to serve to your guppies- which is why every fish keeper I know uses live food as treats.
Now, there are a lot of different options out there for live food. There’s brine shrimp, daphnia, vinegar eels, microworms, heck- there’s even guppy fry.
But the reason I’m naming brine shrimp is how easy it is to prepare compared to the others.
The easiest way to go about it is to buy a kit.
You’ll place some brine shrimp eggs (looks like powder), water, and salt in a container and hook up an air pump into it.
Turn the air pump on, and within a day you’ll have brine shrimp.
you’ll feed your guppies some right there and then, and then freeze the rest in an ice cube tray.
Vegetables
Guppies also like vegetables. They’ll pretty much eat anything that their mouths can fit over, including the plants in your tank.
Besides that, you can also feed them carrots, cucumber, zucchini, spinach or peas.
How often should you feed them?
Feed your guppies about 2 to 3 times a day.
What I do is feed them in the morning just because I hate to. Then when I come back from work I’ll give them a snack in the form of a vegetable or brine shrimp and check up on them.
Lastly, as part of my bed routine, I’ll feed them again, this time with flake food.
There’s no hard rule of how many times to feed them- do whatever fits your schedule. Guppies can go almost 2 weeks without food- not that you should plan to feed them so infrequently.
Feed them just enough food for them to eat within 2-3 minutes. Don’t sprinkle a bunch and just walk away- that’s how you end up with a ton gunk on the bottom.
Common Guppy Problems
Guppy Care Guide- Part 3
Here’s the thing- this would be the complete guppy care guide had we not talked about what to do when stuff goes wrong with the tank.
Luckily for us, much doesn’t go wrong with guppies very often. You just have to stay alert to certain signs about their behavior and be able to interpret it.
Here are a few things that can go sideways when you care for your fish
Guppy Diseases
Honestly, there are a lot of diseases out there- too many to list out here. I wouldn’t expect you to know all the signs and everything they mean, so here’s what you do need to know:
Your guppies will start acting differently once they become ill.
They could be:
- Changing in appearance- looking bloated, dull, or having pin cone scale.
- Become lethargic and stop taking food.
- Become less active and hide more.
What you are essentially looking for is a behavior that is out of the ordinary. If you have a fish that is naturally more timid- that’s one thing. But if that fish almost stops showing its face- then look deeper into it.
Population Control
Ask anyone who’s had guppies before and we’ll all agree:
If she’s a guppy, then she is pregnant.
Coed tanks can really see a population explode if left unchecked. A single female will spit our anywhere between 20-100 new fry every 30 days. And to make it “worse”, she can get impregnated over 9 times for a single mating.
Too much (surviving) fry in a tank is a problem not only because of overcrowding, which causes stress and competition for resources. But it also opens the door to inbreeding.
Guppy Inbreeding
Here’s the thing, guppy inbreeding can become a real issue in small tanks.
Once fry is born, it’ll be ready to reproduce and mate in about 8 weeks.
Simple math will tell us that in a short 6 months, you can have a 3rd generation coming from the same family tree.
Inbreeding in guppies usually results in guppy bent spine- which isn’t deadly nor contagious. But inbreeding is a bad practice altogether that you want to avoid.
How Can I Control Population?
Everybody has a different way of controlling their guppy population- but here is mine:
You’ll need a breeding tank or at least a breeding box for that one. You’ll need to isolate your guppy the more pregnant she becomes- as you need her to give birth in a controlled environment.
A trick I’ve been using for years is placing the due guppy in a separate tank (it’s usually a bowl. While guppies can’t live in a bowl long term, they’re fine a short trips.)
Then I would raise the water of the tank just a little bit. Think going 80 instead of 78. I also add a little bit of Epsom salt into the water. Those water coniditions will signal to the female that conditions are prime and she would drop (i.e. give birth).
I would give her a couple of hours to drop her fry. I would then bring her back into the main tank. As far as the fry, I just use a very fine mesh and treat them as brine shrimp.
This might sound awful to you, but guppies really don’t see their young the same way we do and would gladly eat them.
Stress
Stress can go hand in hand with diseases sometimes, but it’s different in the sense that stress is usually a premeditator to illness.
Guppies can get stressed over pretty much anything- which will cause their behavior to change. Unlike illness, they can become aggressive, change their swimming pattern (to either direction), and overall display a different behavior.
Common Stressors In Guppies
There can be plenty in your tank to stress out your guppies, but here are the most common thing I usually see:
- Overcrowding
- Water Quality Issues
- Temperature Fluctuations
- Aggressive Tankmates
- Lack of Hiding Places
- Overfeeding
Conclusion- Guppy Care Guide
We’ve covered a lot here, so let’s recap it quickly:
You want to change about 50% of your water about once a week.
Feed your guppies 2 – 3 times a day in small quantities. Only feed them what they can eat in about 3 minutes.
You’ll be able to tell something is wrong in the tank when your guppies change in behavior or appearance. They culprit will usually be stress, water conditions, or illness.
Now that you are basically an expert with years worth of knowledge- I want to hear from you. How do you move forward from here? Let me know in the comments!