Guppies are beautiful and colorful fishes that hail lovely waters of South America.
They are exotic in every sense of the word, and it can sometimes be difficult to understand what they might need. Fortunately, they are not that difficult to look after if you know what to look out for.
So, what exactly do Guppies eat? Guppies are like most tropical freshwater fish you find in aquariums. They live off a high protein, high-mineral plant, live food, and fish flake diet.
Guppies are omnivores and will eat most things that are offered to them. Although guppies are not really picky eater, they have been known to prefer veggie pellets, brine shrimps, blood worms, tubifex worms, algae, and fish flakes.
Guppies initially thrived in the rivers of South America. There, they had access to live food like worms, brine shrimps, and even mosquitoes.
They had a lot of options, and this often constituted a balanced diet in a very roundabout way. As a dutiful pet owner, you have to account for this difference and try to offer them more options when you can.
What Guppies Eat and Why They Eat it?
The reason why most animals eat is plain and simple- they need sustenance.
Most animals are restricted to a list of foods, and will most times stick within those food groups. Guppies, however, aren’t like most animals.
Their palettes have evolved to basically accommodate everything you throw at them. You could feed them anything from crushed egg white to mosquitoes, and they will gladly eat it.
Even though they are basically consume everything that comes their way, there is rhyme and reason for their seemingly chaotic eating pattern.
You may not know this, but most animals depend on the functional food class as we also do. So, that means that they need all the nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and fats that we need.
Guppies usually follow this essential food group rule. As long as you understand this and feed them accordingly, you should have no problems with malnutrition.
So, in a nutshell, you should feed them foods that are divided into the functional food classes when you can. You can mix up their diet and get crazy with quantities.
You can increase the fat intake or protein intake when you feel they need it.
What Food Groups Are Inside What They Eat?
Guppies eat worms, brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, daphnias, fish flakes, veggie pallets, fry, algae, and basically everything you feed them. As we have established, guppies are like us too. They need all the food classifications and the food they eat can be functionally classified into these groups.
Proteins
As you might have already guessed, basically every live food source is a major source of protein. So that means they eat mosquito larvae, blood worms, and every other interesting live organism.
Another great source of protein is fish flakes. Most fish flakes are incredibly high in protein. Although they are mostly recommended for adults, they are still an effective way to spur growth in a little fry.
Fats
The most significant source of healthy fats for your guppies is the bloodworm.
This worm along with numerous other types of worms are the primary source of your guppies’ fat diet. Blood worms have a particularly bloating effect and feeding them too much can actually do more harm than good.
Fish flakes are also a great fat source. They contain moderate fats and provide enough healthy fats to completely suit their dietary needs.
Carbohydrates
The biggest source of carbohydrates in your guppies’ diet is veggie pellets or actual vegetables and algae. They are rich in healthy carbohydrates and can solely provide enough nutrients for your guppies
Minerals and vitamins
Veggie pellets, algae, and fish flakes contain the heaviest doses of healthy and rich vitamins in a guppy’s diet. They are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and several other minerals.
What is the Best Food for Guppies?
There is no clear or straightforward answer to this question. If you ask fish lovers, they would argue that an all-natural diet is always better in the long run because it contains minimal preservatives.
It also offers more diversity and will be infinitely more nutritious and enjoyable for your fish. Others would argue that it would be better to simply feed your guppy store-bought fish flakes.
It is easier to maintain, and it requires no temperature demands or preparations.
According to the second type of fish lovers, it’s easier and safer to depend on processed food that cannot cause poisoning or a litter of other life-threatening issues.
With processed fish flakes, the only thing you really have to worry about is actually feeding your guppy, it already contains all the essential food groups your pet needs.
Regardless of what groups you empathize with, it’s impossible to dismiss the concerns of the other group. They both offer valid points, and we recommend that you adopt a diet that features both of these interesting feeding models.
What Do Guppies Eat in the Wild?
Believe it or not, a guppy’s food options are actually more limited in the wild. In the rivers of South America, they are one of the smaller fish and are always running away from larger fish and birds like the kingfisher.
So, instead of the wide assortment of worms and vegetables, they get in the tanks, their diets are mostly limited to a mix of brine shrimp, algae, mosquitoes, and leftovers of larger fish.
What Human Foods Can Guppies Eat?
As we have mentioned countless times already, guppies are omnivores with no apparent meal restrictions.
They eat the strangest things, and it might surprise you to know that human foods are not off the table for this relentless eaters either.
Guppies prefer to eat crushed peas, egg whites, crushed bread, cucumbers, and beef (only for more mature fish).
We are sure that they will eat a lot more human food if given the opportunity, but for now, these are the most popular meals they will most likely respond positively to.
With guppies, it’s always a great idea to experiment a little bit. You’ll be surprised at what these little guys can eat.
Can Guppies Eat Goldfish Food?
Goldfish and guppies are a lot similar than most people care to admit.
In fact, they are so similar that you can sometimes feed your guppy goldfish flakes. Guppies love variety, and if you really think about it, goldfish flakes are not that diverse or different.
They will happily eat goldfish flakes. You, however, have to crush them a little bit more. Guppies prefer their foods crushed and easily digestible.
They are not used to the texture of the hard goldfish flakes. Unfortunately, guppies need more protein than goldfish, so this means that you cannot feed them goldfish flakes forever.
If you do plan of feeding them goldfish flakes for a prolonged period of time, it would be advisable to try and add a little bit of protein. Throw in few mosquito larvae or something when you feed them.
Can They Live Off of Bread Alone?
I mean technically, yes. Guppies will eat a lot of bread if you continually give it to them, but the operative word here is ‘live.’ This implies their lifespan will not be cut short because of malnourishment.
Bread contains no protein whatsoever. As we have already established, guppies need lots of protein to grow and function generally. The carbohydrate and fat only diet does not cater to this need.
What we would recommend is getting a little bit of beef heart and crush it in addition to the bread only menu. You could also add blended cucumber every two days or so.
What to Feed Guppies When You Are Out of Their Food?
It’s quite normal to run out of fish food at very inopportune moments.
Until you get the chance to visit the pet store, you must find a way to feed your pet in the meantime. Guppies can eat anything in addition to their recommended fish flakes and natural food.
But that doesn’t mean you should feed them just anything. Fish flakes might look like ordinary little flakes, but they contain every food class and some essential vitamins.
So, if you are going to make a homemade alternative, you should try to incorporate all the food classes that the usual food flakes cover.
So, we recommend a great protein source like shredded beef heart, a healthy carbohydrate source like fresh veggies, and maybe a tiny piece of fruit for minerals and vitamins.
As always, try to crush the food pieces before you feed it to your guppy.
How Many Times Should You Feed Your Guppy Fish?
Once or twice a day. Guppies, especially fry, and eat constantly. Limiting their mealtime to once or twice a day will be the most beneficial in the long-term. It will prevent common problems like overfeeding.
How Many Days Can Guppies Go Without Food?
Guppies can go up to weeks without food. Although it’s generally recommended that they are not deprived of food for more than a week, they can go long periods without a single meal.