How Often Should You Feed Guppies?

When you are new to guppy keeping, you are confused about how often should you feed guppies?

There are higher chances that either you are underfeeding or overfeeding guppies and guppy fry.

Adult guppies should be fed one or two times a day while guppy fry should be fed small quantities multiple times of day.

Overfeeding will pollute the quality of water and guppies get sick.

The frequency of feeding depends on the age and size of guppy fish.

In this article, I will discuss how often should you feed guppies and guppy fry, the best guppy food, factors affecting feeding frequency and how long guppies go without food.

How often should I feed Guppies and Guppy Fry?

Guppy fish is very popular among aquarists as it can be fed a variety of food, so it becomes easy for fish keepers.

Guppies are tiny in size and have small stomachs so should feed small quantities 2-3 times a day.

This will ensure guppies will get a balanced diet food for their overall growth.

Avoid overfeeding as it will lead to health issues and pollute the water quality.

Let’s find out how often to feed guppies.

1. Feeding Mature Guppies

There is always a question among beginners how many times should I feed my adult guppies.

Some prefer once a day, few opt for twice a day and others choose every other day.

Generally, adult guppies should be fed twice a day, one feed in the morning and the other in the evening helps in optimal health and growth.

It is important to remember overfeeding can make your guppies sick.

If you feel you have overfed guppies, leave them without food for a day.

I am sharing my feeding schedule which I follow for my guppies:

This schedule of feeding every alternate day helps guppies to digest food, so they don’t get sick.

The best practice is to make a schedule and follow it.

2. Feeding Guppy Fry

Feeding baby guppies is crucial for faster growth.

So you might have a query regarding how many times to feed baby guppies and how often do I feed guppy fry.

Usually, first four weeks, baby guppies require feeding 4-5 times a day with a gap of 2-3 hours.

After four weeks, you can slowly reduce the quantity and frequency of food as guppy fry grows in age.

This chart helps you to fix the schedule of guppy fry.

Below is my daily schedule which I follow for my guppy fry:

Time	Type of Food
07:00	Flake Food / Bloodworms
09:00	Egg Yolk
11:00	Baby Brine Shrimp
13:00	Micro worms / Live daphina
15:00	Veggie mix / Beef heart
17:00	Flake Food / Bloodworms

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Which Factors Impacting the Guppies’ Feeding Frequency?

There are various factors affecting the feeding frequency of guppies:

1. Water Parameters

Guppies feel better in freshwater and need clean water to stay healthy.

If you overfeed or serve guppies with food they dislike, can make the water dirty and harm the fish.

In warm water, guppies feel more hungry as they are more active and need to feed more.

While in cold water, guppies stay in one place, hence require less food.

The correct water temperature and parameters play an important role in their health and growth.

2. Size and Age of Guppies

Guppies’ age and size impact their feeding frequency.

Adult guppies are less active so the process of digesting food will be slow. So you can feed once a day and they are good to go.

On the other hand, baby guppies need more food as they are in a growing stage. You need to feed them 4 to 5 times a day which helps their development.

3. Quality and Type of Food

The quality and type of food play an important role in guppies feeding frequency.

Good quality food will provide the required nutrition and enhance their physical growth.

Sub-standard food will make your guppy sick and unhealthy.

Guppies should be given a balanced diet which includes pellets or flake food, live food and home-cooked food to help in their optimal development.

4. Other Tank Mates

Other tank mates impact the guppies feeding frequency.

Guppy is a social fish, they have to compete for food.

Especially, when you have aggressive tank mates in your aquarium, either guppy will get less food or overeat.

5. Reproduction Capacity

If you have pregnant guppies in your aquarium, it is important to feed them frequently.

During pregnancy, female guppy fish require more nutritious food for the development of guppy fry in the womb.

Monitor the feeding pattern of your female guppy, so you can decide on how often to feed pregnant guppy.

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Best Guppy Food

Guppies need a wide range of nutrients and vitamins to have a healthy body.

I follow the chart below while planning my guppies’ diet so they get the required nutrients.

1. Prepared Food

Prepared food includes pallets, general tropical flakes, spirulina flakes and algae wafers.

This food takes care of the vitamin requirement of guppies.

I prefer spirulina flake for my guppies for two reasons, first, it increases color and second, it promotes gut movement.

2. Frozen Food

Frozen food such as shrimps and bloodworms which are frozen live in little cubes.

Companies make this food naturally and make sure it keeps guppies healthy.

Freeze-dried or frozen food are good source of protein.

3. Live Food

Baby brine shrimp is one of the favorite foods of all age guppies.

Other live foods such as small daphnia, small mosquito wigglers, and small amounts of tubifex worms provide nutrition to your guppies.

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How Long Can Guppies Live Without Food?

Usually, adult guppies can survive without food for 10 to 14 days, but guppy fry can live without eating for 2 to 3 days.

This feeding depends upon the guppies size, age, appetite, health, and tank condition.

If you are planning a mini vacation, guppies can live without food. For long trips, use a vacation feeder to feed them.

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Conclusion

Adult guppies should be fed twice a day in small batches using high-quality food. Baby guppies require four to five small meals daily.

When you provide a balanced diet that includes high-quality flakes, pellets, and frozen or live foods then it will help guppies to grow and stay healthy.

Feeding frequency is affected by water parameters, size and age of guppies, quality and type of food, other tank mates, and reproduction capacity.

I hope this article helped you to know how often you feed guppies.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comment box.

Happy Guppy Keeping!

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FAQS

1. Do guppies eat flakes?

Yes, guppies eat flakes.

2. Can you feed guppies every other day?

Yes, you can feed guppies every other day.

3. How to feed guppies cucumber?

Slice and boil the cucumber, let it cool down, and now it is ready to feed guppies.

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