Taking care of guppies is no hard task. And that is why they are the favorite pick for any beginner looking to set up an aquarium. However, you still need to make sure that they are happy at all times.
How Do Guppies Normally Look And Behave?
Guppies love being out and about with other fish. And so, getting a lone guppy is one of the worst decisions you can make. These fish love being around other fish. That is why it is also preferred that you get some Danios or Mollies to keep them company.
Guppies grow up to an average of 2 inches long and they love playing hide and seek. You will often find them roaming through plants or in dark spots. Oftentimes, young guppy fish will also hide in live plants to hide from adults.
Building The Perfect Guppy Home
Water Status
In order to keep your guppies healthy and happy, they need to have access to optimal water conditions. Guppies love when pH levels are at about 7 or a little greater than 7. But they can handle any reasonal pH between 6.8 - 8.2
Your fish will also thrive in harder water conditions. This simply means that there must be a healthy amount of essential minerals available at all times. Moreover, you want to keep the temperature at around 70°F-80°F (20-27°C). And ensure that it does not fluctuate! Fluctuating water temperatures can upset and endanger your guppies.
temperuture also play a big role in affacting guppy's life spin and breeding behavior. Guppies tend to prefer warmer water for breeding, which make them more active and grow faster. However, a warmer temputure can also make their body develops faster and have a shorter life spin. On Average, guppies who live in a warmer tempure (78°F) will have average of 1.5 years of life expectancy while guppies who are kept in a cooler water (70°F) can live up to 2-3 years.
Aquarium setup
Plants are always the best thing for aquiarums (Real ones), as they help dramaticly filter and improve the water quality. The more plants you have, the better. And thats always true for any aquarium fish keeping.Some of the popular plants options for guppies are guppy grass and Java moss, You can read more about how plants affact aquarium here.
For the bottom, it is preferred to go with a simple soil substrate. You can go for anything you like as long the guppies don’t accidentally end up eating it.
However, we highly recommend you stick to a soil substrate so you can add some live plants too. We said it before, and it’s that guppies love playing hide and seek. So, whenever they feel threatened or need a place to rest they will hide in some plants. That is why you should try and recreate that environment for them. It will allow them to feel secure and more comfortable.
Choosing The Size Of The Fish Tank
The last point to focus on is how big their home needs to be. And this depends on why you have adopted guppies in the first place.
The question is: are you looking to breed them? If the answer is a yes, head straight over to the larger tanks. You should go for a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium as guppies are fast breeders. On the other hand, if you aren't trying to breed them a 5 gallon tank should be good to go.