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Guppies are one of the most popular tropical fish for good reason. They're colourful, active, hardy and easy to breed. With the right setup they make a lively, low-maintenance community tank.
Guppies at a glance
| Size | Males 3–4cm, females up to 6cm |
| Minimum tank | 40 litres for a small group |
| Temperature | 22–28°C |
| pH | 7.0–8.0, harder water preferred |
| Lifespan | 2–3 years |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
Setting up a guppy tank
- Tank size: 40 litres or more. Guppies breed quickly, so a larger tank gives room for the population to grow. Our beginner aquariums are a good starting point.
- Filtration: a gentle filter, as long tails struggle in strong flow. See our internal filters.
- Heating: a reliable aquarium heater set around 25°C.
- Plants: plenty of live plants such as Java moss and floating plants give females and fry somewhere to hide. Browse our live aquarium plants.
Always cycle the tank before adding fish. Read How to Cycle Your Aquarium.
Choosing your guppies
Keep one male to two or three females. Males chase females constantly, and a higher ratio spreads the attention. An all-male tank is a good option if you don't want fry: males are the most colourful and live together peacefully.
We stock a range of fancy guppies including King Cobra, Moscow Blue and female guppies, plus the smaller, very hardy Endler's guppies. See all live fish.
Feeding
Guppies are omnivores. Feed a quality flake or micro pellet such as Hikari Micro Pellets once or twice a day, as much as they eat in a minute or two. Add frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp a few times a week for colour and condition.
Breeding guppies
Guppies are livebearers: females give birth to free-swimming fry every four weeks or so, and can store sperm to have several broods from one mating. A pregnant female has a dark "gravid spot" near her vent and a squarer belly before birth.
- Adults will eat fry, so dense plants or a breeding box improve survival.
- Feed fry crushed flake, micro food or baby brine shrimp such as Ocean Nutrition Instant Baby Brine Shrimp several times a day.
- Read our guide Breeding Made Easy.
Best tankmates
Good companions include corydoras, small rasboras, platies, mollies, bristlenose plecos and snails. Avoid fin-nippers such as tiger barbs and larger fish that could eat guppies.
Common problems
- Fin rot and torn tails from poor water or nipping. See our fin rot guide.
- White spot after temperature drops. See our white spot guide.
- Too many fry. Plan ahead with an all-male group or a plan for rehoming.
