How to Choose the Best Food for Guppies?

The guppy fish is a beautiful freshwater species that is popular in the aquarium industry. Guppies are omnivorous fish that can eat anything from algae to insects.

They have a varied diet and will eat almost any type of food available in the tank. Even so, you want your guppies to eat the best food available. It is important for both their growth and coloration.

You need to make sure that they have both plant- and animal-based foods in their diet. There are many options for both types of food on the market.

Not all of these options are good, though. Go through this article to discover the best food for guppies!

Best Food for Guppies

There are a lot of things to look for when shopping for guppy fish food. This is critical for making an informed, good decision.

To choose the best food for your guppies, you need to consider the following things:

The quality and origin of ingredients
Taste and smell of food
Whether it will make your water dirty
Ease of use
Price

As a guppy fish owner, you need to be knowledgeable about their feeding habits. Be sure to provide a healthy diet for your fishy friends.

Commercial Food for Guppy Fish

As for the commercial guppy products, there are four types of food available such as:

Pellet food (pellets and tablets)
Wet food (live and frozen food)
Flake food
Fry food

Let’s take a closer look at each of these types of food to help you choose the best option for your guppies.

1. Pellet Food

When feeding your guppies, be sure to include pallets in their diet. They are available in different options in terms of size and form. Some pellets are made to float, while others sink in aquariums.

The most popular ones are veggie pallets. That’s because they contain healthy greens like spirulina, algae, and plankton.

These ingredients are rich in vitamins E, D, C, and B. Plus, they contain essential nutrients as well as calcium and iron, which are important for the proper development and growth of fish.

Spirulina is particularly helpful. It can make guppies more resistant to skin infections while emphasizing their colors. Additionally, fish that consume spirulina through pellets have healthier tails and fins.

Most fishkeepers use pellet food due to the fact that it dissolves slowly. There are some disadvantages of pellets, too.

As a dehydrated type of food, it can cause blockages or impactions in guppy fish sometimes. Although this happens rarely, it might be harmful if left untreated. To prevent any trouble with pellets, pre-soak them before feeding.

Look for nutrient-dense pellets because they do not foul the water in fish tanks. Here are a few good pellet options:

Float Surface Feeder by New Life Spectrum – It is created using high-quality natural components. These pellets can enhance fish color and improve their vitality at the same time.
Bug Bites Fish Food by Fluval – These protein-rich granules contain natural ingredients that can improve coloration in guppies. They are specially designed for small and medium-sized fish.
Northfin Food Community Formula – For pregnant guppy, this is a safe bet. These 0.5 mm pellets don’t contain any filler and are great for all life stages. Note that they sink quickly.

2. Wet Food

Wet food includes frozen and live ones. Guppies enjoy eating live wet food.

For example, mosquito larvae and tubifex worms are both excellent food for them. Tubifex worms are considered an incredible conditioner for guppies. Nonetheless, avoid giving live worms since they may carry harmful bacteria.

That’s why frozen wet food is a safer option. Some great choices include freeze-dried bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.

Both guppy fry and adults can be fed with brine shrimp because they are a fantastic source of protein. As a source of fat, blood worms are hard to beat.

By feeding fry guppies with frozen blood worms, you can considerably enhance their growth rate. Be careful not to overdo things. Feed adult fish in small quantities.

You should feed them twice or once a week to avoid problems. While these issues may occur sometimes, feeding wet food is deemed to be safe in general.

What’s more, some nutrients (like fatty acids, omega-3, and amino acids) that dry food doesn’t contain can be found in wet food. That is why this type of food should be included in the guppy’s diet.

It should be noted that wet food can create a powerful feeding response in guppies. So if you have recovering fish in your tank, this can help entice them to start eating.

3. Flake Food

As the name suggests, this type of fish food comes in the form of flakes. It is often used by aquarists who want to feed their fish a healthy diet.

The main advantages of this type of food are that it’s inexpensive and dissolves quickly in water. That makes it popular with novice fishkeepers.

Fish flakes are made from a variety of ingredients such as wheat flour, rice, soy, corn, and other cereals. They also contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are essential for the growth of guppy fish.

There’s a wide variety of vegetarian flakes made with vegetable proteins such as soybean and wheat germ meal. Flakes rich in proteins can be used as an alternative to meat to feed your pet fish.

Also, some flakes are specifically designed for fry/baby fish or those with sensitive skin. There is a whole range of flake food products on the market to suit all tastes and requirements.

We have selected the best options for guppies. Check them out!

TetraMin Plus Tropical Flakes – These nutritionally balanced flakes come with added shrimp for improved flavor. It can support the immune system of your guppy fish.
Aqueon Tropical Fish Food Flakes – With natural ingredients, this food is an excellent choice for guppies. These floating flakes contain everything from trace nutrients to vitamins and minerals. They are intended for surface feeding.
API tropical flakes – For optimal growth, these flakes include squid and menhaden. In addition to amino acids, they contain a broad range of nutrients for a complete diet.
Fluval Color Enhancing Flakes – These ultra-palatable flakes are excellent daily nutrition for guppy fish. They feature a color-enhancing formula and provide a great source of vitamins and proteins for guppies.

4. Fry Food

As you may assume, it is particularly suitable for fry fish. It comprises everything from wet food to pellets and flakes. Guppy fry accepts just about any food used for feeding adults.

Fry food is supposed to be small in size to make it easier for young fish to eat it. It includes flake food, baby brine shrimp, and frozen blood worms, just to name a few.

What makes this food excellent for guppy fry is that it is extremely nutritious. High-protein food is essential for fast growth.

Here are the best commercial food products that are created with fry in mind:

Ultra Guppy Nano Bits by Cobalt Aquatics – Designed as 0.6 mm pellets, this floating food contains prebiotics that can contribute to color enhancement. They also ensure that there’s not a lot of waste in the water.
Hikari Tropical Micro Pellets – These semi-floating pellets come in different packages and sizes. They all suit the dietary needs of guppies and other tropical small fish by providing them with vegetable and marine proteins.
Sera Micron Nature – It’s suitable for both fry and adults. No preservatives and dyes. It comes with Krill and Spirulina for optimal development of young fish.

Homemade Guppy Food

Those who have the time and knowledge prefer to make their own food for fish rather than buy commercial products. But just because you’re not an experienced aquarist doesn’t mean you should not consider homemade food for your guppies.

Even though preparing homemade food is a tedious time-consuming process, it is considered a better option. That’s because it allows you to choose ingredients based on the special needs of your guppies.

By controlling their amount and composition, you can ensure a nutritious and balanced diet. Homemade meals can inject a dose of minerals and vitamins into your fish diet. Furthermore, homemade food includes a lot of nutrients that dry food lacks.

Are you a hobbyist interested in making your own guppy food at home? If so, you should take into consideration the following fish treats:

Brine shrimp
Daphnia
Egg yolk
Beef heart
Chicken breast
Vinegar eels
Cucumbers
Kale
Cabbage
Spirulina
Apples

Mix and match these treats until you find out what your guppies like the most. It’s best to combine animal- and plant-based foods because they are both required for the growth and well-being of fish. Be creative!

Read More:

FAQs

How Should You Feed Your Guppies?

While feeding guppy fish is not a difficult task, it can be tricky because these greedy eaters are always hungry.

Guppies can eat whenever you offer them food, so they can easily get overfed. Offer your guppies a wide variety of food and make sure they have a good diet.

Since they frequently spend their time near the water surface, slow-sinking pellets or floating food will work best. Offer flake foods in several smaller pinches.

How Much and How Often Should You Feed Guppy Fish?

You should feed them twice or only once a day. That’s quite enough. This will minimize the risk of overfeeding, which can result in health problems.

It’s okay to give food less often as long as you feed your fish sufficiently. That will ensure optimal quality of water at the same time.

The amount of food given at a time is supposed to be eaten in about 30 seconds. Divide the food into a few doses instead of throwing it all at once. The total time of feeding shouldn’t be more than 3 minutes.

What Do Guppies Eat?

As you may already know, they consume small fish and fish flakes or chopped-up fish. But you might be wondering: What do guppies eat besides fish food?

They eat just about anything! From meat to vegetables to freeze-dried foods and veggie pellets, those gluttons consume various foods.

Guppies also like to eat live food and fresh wet food like shrimp and insect larvae. Moreover, they also like blood worms and soft algae for lunch.

That said, you should offer your guppies animal- and plant-based products alike. They will appreciate it!

Conclusion

Guppy fish are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Guppies are easy to feed because they will eat almost anything.

The imperative is to ensure that they stay healthy all the time. To achieve this, you should provide them with a comprehensive diet that includes essential minerals, nutrients, and proteins.

If you pick the food options mentioned above, you won’t go wrong for sure. Choose the best food for your guppies. They deserve it!