Guppies are one of the most fun little fish for aquarium enthusiasts. This is especially true for those with young children in the house. Able to give birth to live offspring approximately once a month, guppies are hardy creatures that require minimal assistance to thrive and can grow quickly.
When it comes to observing and participating in the guppy lifestyle, here’s a few things to know:
Water
As with all tanks, water quality is of utmost importance in contributing to the health of your fish population. Baby guppies develop better in clean water. To maintain healthy water, you need to change out about a third of the water in your tank weekly if it’s a smaller tank and every other week if it’s a larger version. This removes nitrates and enables guppies to realize their full potential.
Food
These fish are omnivores meaning they require both animal and vegetable food sources to survive. To enable guppies to grow optimally, they should eat four to eight times a day when they are young. As they age the number can be reduced to once or twice. Good examples of foods they enjoy include microworms, baby brine shrimp, very small bloodworms, and tubifex worms. You can also feed your fish Hikari® Fancy Guppy® to provide a full nutrient offering including special amino acids they require to live a long and health-filled life.
Size
The average size of a guppy baby is about ¼”. If you don’t want other fish in your tank to try and eat your guppies, you’ll need to keep them in a separate are or breeding tank until they are at least an inch long. In six months, with good nutrition, they’ll reach their full size.
Temperature
An ideal tank temperature is around 80 degrees when your guppies are young and growing. Once they get older, you should reduce the water temperature a few degrees to slow down you guppies metabolism and keep them more comfortable as they age.