Guppies are a great option for fish owners that want to keep low-maintenance fish in pristine condition.
Adult guppies can handle ten to twelve days without food, and they should only be fed once or twice a day to maintain optimum nutrition.
This guide to how long can guppies go without eating will make sure that you can take the best care of your guppies as possible!
How Often Should I Feed Adult Guppies?
Adult guppies have a slower metabolism than their younger counterparts, but they still require a modicum of attention. Two pinches of general fish food is perfect for most guppies, but enthusiastic owners might want to ensure that one of those daily meals consists of live feed.
Live meals keep guppies active and engaged. This keeps their minds working and activates their basic instincts, rather than merely giving them basic sustenance. Providing your guppy with the closest environment that they would find in the wild is a great way to ensure optimum health.
What Kinds of Live Feed Are Available for My Guppies?
There are several options that premium pet stores offer in terms of live guppy feed, but most companies offer online shipping for red wigglers. Premium fish feed companies can send these worms in batches of 250 or more. They are high in protein and very nutritious forms of feed for dedicated aquarium owners.
Online vendors also offer “water fleas” called Daphnia. These tiny insects are cheap and reproduce rapidly, so they can serve as a self-sustaining resource. Their high protein makeup is good for enhancing your guppy’s color and they are less likely to interfere with the content of your aquarium’s water.
Guppies also enjoy shrimp eggs. They are perfect for caring owners who want to dabble in live meals for their guppies but also are inexperienced or operating on a budget. They can be shipped in bulk, making them very easy to afford. Despite this, the low price point should never interfere with adhering to your aquarium’s dietary regimen and overfeeding your guppies.
How Often Should I Feed Baby Guppies?
Baby guppies, much like baby humans, require more consistent feeding periods because their metabolism is much higher than mature guppies. This is because their bodies are constantly growing along with their appetite.
Baby guppies should be fed six to seven times per day to ensure optimum health, but they can survive for as long as a few days without feeding.
Can Guppies Be Overfed?
YES! One of the biggest mistakes that owners make is overfeeding their guppies. Many owners get worried about starving their fish and instead feed them too much. This can be especially confusing since guppies constantly express hunger even when they are properly fed.
Owners should always educate themselves on guppy behavior (as all pet owners should) to ensure that they are giving their animals the best lives possible. In the wild, food is often always scarce, so animals will eat as long as there is food available.
Don’t let your guppies’ natural instincts confuse you when caring for their dietary health.
How Long Does It Take Guppies to Eat?
Assuming that you are using basic guppy feeding guidelines, they will generally finish a meal in under a minute. If it’s taking your fish longer than that to become interested in and finish a meal consisting of multiple, then there might be underlying issues if your aquatic friends aren’t still full from a previous meal.
Why Is My Guppy Not Eating?
If your guppy is not still full, there could be a variety of medical and psychological issues leading to a lack of appetite. Despite their simple existence, guppies can tell the difference between fresh and expired food. Always be sure that your fish food isn’t past its marked expiration date.
Much like humans, guppies living in a high-stress environment might develop issues with their appetites. Poor water hygiene, unfavorable oxygen contents, even social behaviors such as pregnancy or experiencing bullying from other fish can keep them from maintaining a healthy appetite.
Guppy owners need to be diligent and consider many possible variables if you notice that your fish aren’t eating normally.
How Long Can Guppies Live For?
The life expectancy of guppies can vary wildly with their level of care. Guppies kept in most tanks live between one to three years, but very experienced and careful owners can have strong fish last as long as five years.
A five-year-old guppy is hard to achieve, but not unheard of. It will require constant care and maintenance of both your school of fish and their aquarium environment, but owners should always be aware of what will be required to serve as a responsible pet owner.
Your guppies are entirely dependent on you, and you should plan on providing them with the best situation possible!
Are Guppies Always Hungry?
What makes guppies at risk for overfeeding is that they are voracious eaters. Guppies will start swimming at the top of the tank when expecting food, and they’ll even start to associate your presence with feeding time.
This doesn’t mean that you should feed them every time they exhibit this behavior, as they can easily be overfed. This behavior can also be a useful way to assess their health. Guppies who don’t swim to the top of the tank during regular meal times could indicate that something is affecting their appetite.
How Should I Prepare My Guppies for My Vacation?
Unless your guppies have any special health considerations, leaving them without feeding for a week or two at a time can actually be healthy for them if you tend to overfeed your fish. As a general rule, larger guppies can last longer without feeding than smaller fish with more active metabolisms.
Unless you have an automated light system or someone who can maintain your tank while you’re gone, you should leave your aquarium light off. Leaving your tank’s light on 24/7 can promote algae growth that can destabilize the oxygen ratio and water quality in your tank.
Guppies are very reliable fish that don’t require a great deal of maintenance, but that doesn’t mean they can be forgotten! With a healthy environment and a proper feeding schedule, you can be sure that your guppies live long and happy lives for years to come!