How Often Should You Feed Guppies Food?

Last Updated on January 18, 2021 by cmoarz

Thinking of getting some guppies? They make great starting pets you know. They really open the doorway into the aquarium keeping hobby. But did you know they are fairly easy to feed?

When it comes to the dietary needs of the guppy we can break it down into 2 categories, Adult and fry.

Frys need more attention when it comes to feeding consistency, up to 6 times a day in fact! Adult’s on the other hand only need to be fed twice a day, In the morning and in the evening.

Let’s get further into the details.

Guppy Fry Feeding

A guppy fry requires a much different feeding schedule than its adult counterpart. Like I said above, they need to be fed at least 6 times a day.

These little guys grow so quickly that their tiny cute fry stomachs can’t hold enough food in one go.

To remedy this they need many smaller meals to keep them satisfied and healthy. A particular favorite among breeders is freshly hatched brine shrimp.

These happen to be ideal for young fry guppies who need a lot of protein to feed the rapid growth they are going threw.

This diet should last about 3 month and than they should be transferred to an adult diet of twice a day.

Adult Guppies Feeding Schedual

These guy’s are ridiculously easy to feed. They only require 2 feedings a day on a timed routine. Most people feed them in the morning and then in the evening before the lights go out.

It’s important to remember an adult guppy will require live food feedings at least once a day. It’s up to you if you rather do it during the morning or during the evening.

I like to do it in the morning so they have lot’s of energy throughout the day, Than get a snack at night to tide them over until morning.

Tank Temperatures Effect Appetite and Dietary Needs of Guppies

The impact of temperature is quite large when it comes to guppies feeding habits. If your water is too cold than the guppies will eat less, and in general be more lethargic.

This is especially dangerous for fry as they may end up not consuming enough nutrients to grow.

If a fry doesn’t get enough food it’s growth will be severely stunted. So it’s vital to keep the temperature in the tank to between 75F and 80F for frys. For adults, it’s not as significant, But you should keep it somewhat in-between for the sake of happy fish.

You can check out a fry heater I recommended in another post here, it’s the first bullet point.

How Much Food Should I Give My Guppy?

You want to avoid overfeeding your guppies. The consequences for doing so is often death.

A good rule of thumb for guppies is the 2 minute feed. It might take a few times to dial in the amount when you are just starting out.

Measure the amount of food your guppies ate in 2 minutes, and that’s generally what you should feed them. You can do this by placing smaller and smaller pinches/live specimens every feeding until you get it down to nothing left within 2 minutes.

Remember to adjust accordingly for new tank arrivals.

What should I feed my guppy?

Adults thrive on a simple combination of flakes and live protiens. These consist of sliced up earthworms, blood worms, brine shrimp and several other tiny insects. Cut up fruit and vegtables are also a really good addition.

Safe vegetables for guppies are:

Zucchini, spinach leaves, cauliflower, cucumber, carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli, corn, potato, cabbage and kale.

Preparing the vegetables is easy, all you need to do is blanch them for 3-5 minutes to make them more pliable and soft. This allows you to easily create a paste in a magic bullet/blender and freeze.

You could also dehydrate it in a dehydrator and turn it into a powder with your shiny new mortar and pestle.

Fry requires massive amounts of protein and should be fed on a steady diet of freshly hatched brine shrimp. While a fry can also eat other types of foods, keep in mind they must be powdered very fine in order for the small fry to ingest it.

For that, I recommend a simple mortar and pestle. I don’t truly have a recommendation for this, at the end of the day it’s a stick and a bowl. This one is my favorite because it’s sturdy and goes well with my home decor.

Conclusion

As omnivorous, Guppies have a wide range of nutritional needs, Such as protein, Vitamins A, B-6, D, E, B-12, C, minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium.

They get this from a varied mix of live foods, pre-packaged foods and vegetable and fruit cuttings.

So for a healthy guppy diet add all of these things in a balanced way!