Table of Contents
What Do Guppies Eat In The Wild
Guppies are omnivores, and in the wild, they eat plant matter, insect larvae, algae and the remains of dead plants and other animals. Wild guppies feed on algal remains, diatoms, invertebrates, plant fragments, mineral particles, aquatic insect larvae, and other sources. Now that you know what guppies eat in the wild, you may have an idea of what you can feed your guppies so that they grow healthy and live a long life. Here are a few tips on how to feed guppies so that their diet resembles what they would eat in the wild!What Do Guppies Eat Besides Fish Food?
Fully matured guppies can eat a variety of live foods and vegetables. For example, besides fish food, guppies can eat brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms and mosquito larvae.Live Food
These types of food can be bought live, prepackaged or frozen from a pet store. Some online fish stores can also ship these to your home. Feeding your guppies live food instead of fish food is good because it mimics what guppies eat in the wild.- Grindal Worms
- White Worms
- Brine Shrimp
- Microworms
- Drosophila
- Freeze-dried Plankton
Plant-Based Food
For a plant-based diet, your guppies can eat a variety of vegetables. Chopped mustard greens, zucchini, peas, and spinach are safe choices. Algae and spirulina are also good for them to eat. Algae grow naturally on the sides of the aquarium, on plants, and other ornaments and your fish will eat it between meals. However, do not use this as an excuse not to feed your guppies. Spirulina helps guppies have healthier fins and helps them resist skin infections. It also contains carotenoid pigments that bring out the best color in guppies.Baby Guppies/Fry
Guppies are livebearers which means that they give birth to live young. Whenever your guppies give birth to fry it is best to separate them from the adult fish or the adult guppies (including the parents) will eat the young. Baby Guppies can eat the same kinds of food as adult guppies. However, be sure to make the bits and pieces much small to fit their tiny mouths. As they are young and growing, the fry needs to be fed more times per day than the adult. Some good choices are:- Vinegar Eels
- Baby Brine Shrimp
- Microworms
- Daphnia (water fleas)
How Often Do Guppies Need To Eat?
Adult guppies can be fed once or twice a day. One of these meals should be some sort of live food. Baby guppies should be fed between five and eight times each day to promote healthy growth, bright colors in males, and fertility in females. As your guppies age and increase in size, reduce the amount of feed. Adult guppies can survive on fewer meals and not suffer any adverse effects. You can transition young guppies to an adult feeding regiment around the age of 3 months. References- https://en.aqua-fish.net/articles/benefits-spirulina-food-aquarium-fish
- http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/livebearer/guppy.php
- Guppies in the Wild – https://sta.uwi.edu/uwitoday/archive/january_2017/article6.asp