Fish Food For Guppies

What’s that? You recently obtained yourself a fresh new batch of guppy fish? Well, I’m sure you’re ecstatic to see your fish tank come to life with such colorful vibrant fish.

But wait a minute! What about food? Like any animal, guppy fish benefit from a nutritious diet, so what exactly do you feed them? Vegetables or live animals? Fish flakes or fish pellets? Are commercial fish flakes healthy for them? Day and day I found myself asking the same question when I got my first guppy fish as well.

Fortunately, I found my answer and you are in the right place because this article will focus on what food you can give your guppy fish and how would each type of food affect them.

Since the article is about food for your guppies, I will also give tips as to how u can feed them properly and let these omnivorous fish live the best life they deserve.

This question is a lot trickier to answer than it may initially seem. Many factors come into play when choosing the right food for your guppies so in order to have the best outcome, what better way other than to start with commercial food?

Most commercial foods for fish can be bought in all kinds of pet stores and if you do find yourself in trouble finding specific items, ordering them online has never ceased to fail me.

What to Feed Guppies?

Without further ado let’s explore the types of commercial food you might want to look out for your precious rainbow fish.

Fish Food Flakes

Often considered to be more of a traditional method of feeding fish, fish food flakes are abundant when it comes to fish food. One of the reasons many avoid flakes is due to their nature of dissolving very quickly in water; one of the main hindrances that cause overflowing.

Despite their lack of popularity among fish enthusiasts, they do have plenty of advantages up their sleeve. While they do dissolve very quickly, that trait does grab the attention of picky eaters. Flakes are easily digestible and allow guppies to live free of potential stomach problems.

If you feel that your guppies are unwilling to eat any other type of food, give flakes a shot. In the end, they must be fed in some form or another.

Fish Food Pellets

Contrary to fish flakes, fish food pellets do not dissolve as easily; putting them at an obvious advantage over fish food flakes given they now prevent overflowing of water and are easier to spot for longer periods.

But there is a catch! Pellets are often dehydrated; they expand once they’re exposed to water and here is where a very specific problem lies. Guppies are particularly small fish so they won’t find themselves swallowing most pellets. But when they begin to expand once swallowed, pellets can pose a serious threat if they create a blockage.

Is there a way to prevent blockage? Luckily yes! Instead of dumping all the required pellets at once, sprinkle in pellets bit by bit so that guppies don’t end up eating too much and have all pellets expand simultaneously.

Commercial Fish Food Recommendations

There are plenty of commercial foods to choose from. But the sheer variety and content of food may be off-putting to you as well. So in case, you don’t know where to start or what food to choose for your guppies, here are a couple of options I recommend.

Omega One Freshwater Flakes

These flakes are filled with high-quality proteins and nutrients, stemming from various aquatic animals such as salmon and other types of fish. These are pretty bulky flakes for guppy fish so I recommend grinding them up before dispatching them onto the tank for your guppies to enjoy.

TetraMin Nutritionally Balanced Tropical Flake Feed

One of my best recommendations is tetramine flakes are easy to digest, incredibly nutritious, and provide a consistent diet for your guppies to chomp on. Not only do they provide nutrition but also enhance a guppy’s immune system against plenty of threats such as disease and stress.

The cherry on top comes with the fact that these flakes keep your water clean and clear as glass for you to gaze at your wonderful guppy fish.

API Fish Food Flakes

What if the priority for food is set somewhere else in particular? Maybe you aren’t looking for food with high values of nutrition but rather poses less danger in general.

Well, look no further than API fish feed flakes as they are known to produce less ammonia. Too much ammonia can prove fatal to any kind of fish within a tank and can go as far as damaging fish in a multitude of different ways. So food that prevents such a dangerous substance is incredibly useful.

On top of being deflective to ammonia, these flakes are protein-rich and provide a diet consisting of algae and worms

Zoo Med Spirulina

What about treats? Guppies are also animals after all they like a change in pace in their diet.

Zoo med spirulina provides yet another protein-rich experience, even if the only source of protein comes from spirulina themselves. They are amazing if you want the colors for your guppies to shine and bring themselves to life.

However, do take note that these also should be crushed for your guppies to digest and enjoy properly

New Life Spectrum Optimum Flakes

This is one of the few recommendations that are suitable for various other kinds of fish as well. So if you happen to have multiple types of fish roaming your tank and you only want to dispatch a singular type of food, this is a perfect choice.

Once again another food that is a great color enhancer and helps the colors of your guppy fish pop and shine.

One of its unique features comes storming in with the fact that these flakes help repel parasites! Your guppies are no longer in danger from parasites due to the incredible work the flakes do on boosting a guppy’s immune system.

Hikari Tropical Fancy Guppy Fish Food

Different types of food act differently when dispatched to a water source. Some tend to float while others sink fast, providing a challenge for fish to catch on and eat as the food is sinking.

If you find your guppies facing this challenge then Hikari Tropical food can be the solution your looking for. They sink very slowly giving an ample amount of time for your guppies to latch on and catch them as they sink to the bottom.

In addition, they are also quite suitable for smaller fish due to their smaller size compared to other fish food on the market. Thus saving you from crushing the food into smaller pieces.

Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Guppy Nano Floating Bits

What if your tank has baby guppies? Maybe the food you’re giving isn’t near enough the size they need to be able to digest. So is this recommendation the solution to this specific problem?

Fortunately, yes! As the name applies these bits are tiny in size making them perfect for baby guppies but in addition, they can be fed to adult guppies as well. Therefore you shouldn’t have to worry about keeping separate containers of food for different types of guppies.

However, do be careful with automatic feeders. Due to their smaller size, automatic feeders do tend to dump too much than the recommended amount for guppies to digest.

What do Guppies Eat?

We only discussed commercial food for guppies but are there other kinds of food you could feed to your guppies?

The answer is yes! There are plenty of kinds of food to feed your guppies although some options require much more effort than simply going out to buy food commercially.

Do Guppies Eat Vegetables?

Guppies do not disappoint when living up to their omnivorous nature. There are plenty of vegetables you can simply cut into smaller pieces and chuck right into your tank for your guppies to enjoy.

There are plenty of ways to prepare different kinds of vegetables as well but the ones I found myself feeding my guppies the most were:

Cucumber
Peas
Lettuce
Spinach leaves
Kale
Green beans
Cabbage
Broccoli

Since guppies are much smaller compared to other fish, do make sure the vegetables are cut small enough to avoid blockage

Do Guppies Eat Algae?

Algae is not the easiest item to find. You find them growing on rivers or other types of water sources and depending on where you live, these can be tricky to find in abundance and sustainably in the wild.

Fortunately, many pet stores actually sell algae for your fish to enjoy. So a trip to your local pet store should stock you with enough algae for your guppies to appreciate.

Do Guppies Eat Shrimp?

Brine shrimp in particular is a great choice for food. Their eggs can be stored and once hatched, these shrimp are harvested and can be dropped immediately onto the tank.

While this sounds like great news for guppies, shrimp is again a pretty tricky source of food to provide again and again in a sustainable manner.

Do Guppies Eat Bloodworms?

If you want a particular item you want your guppies to share with other fish, insects can deliver that bridge.

There are many insects to choose from; ants, worms, crickets, and flies alike all give a decent amount of nutrition and keep your guppies alive and healthy. However, do make sure the insects you pick, ants, in particular, do not end up being poisonous.

If you’re wondering where in the world would you gather insects, the best place to start would be your local pet store as plenty provides a wide range of insects that wait patiently to be fed to your guppies.

How often do Guppies need to Eat?

If your guppy is a healthy lively adult, make sure that the guppy is fed once or twice a day. Their diet should consist of live food at least once a day and the type of food should bring variety to their everyday lives.

What about baby guppies? Baby guppies are constantly growing and change at a rapid pace so, in the end, you might find yourself feeding baby guppies from 5 to 9 times a day. Smaller fish can only stuff their bellies with so much food. Dumping a lot of food wouldn’t solve the problem since most of it will be left uneaten. So delivering small increments of food is the only way to feed baby guppies.

How Long Can they Survive Without Food?

Guppies are incredibly robust in terms of how long they can survive without food.

Normally you can see a guppy live up to 2 weeks without eating a single inch of food! However, you should NEVER let a guppy go without food for more than 4 days.

They may survive 2 weeks but a guppy begins to starve as soon as they go without food for 4 days and the rest of the days they count are filled with nothing but agony and torture. So make sure they’re fed regularly.

The Bottom Line on Fish Food For Guppies

So there we have it. This long ride of discovering the types of commercial and homemade food for guppies has come to an end.

Guppies are omnivorous fish that enjoy a long line of types of food ranging from various types of vegetables, insects, and shrimp. Plenty of kinds of food for guppies are sold commercially and show impressive results. Make sure your guppies stay fed every day and have them live the best life they can provide.

Fish Food For Guppies – What Do Guppies Eat?