Guppy fish is one of the most popular freshwater ornamental fish.
Its beautiful appearance, low and easy maintenance, and of course suitable for beginners make Guppy fish the most widely kept fish currently.
Guppy is a fish that is tough, adaptable, and relatively suitable to be combined with most other ornamental fish in 1 community.
For some people, Guppy is a fish that is synonymous with mosquito control. This fish is very fond of consuming mosquito larvae so many people keep them in bathtubs, ponds and other water storage media such as reservoirs.
Guppy is a very beautiful fish, especially in the fins. Several types of Guppy have varying fin colors and patterns.
The body size of female guppies tends to be larger than male guppies. However, male Guppies have tail fins that are more striking and expand in more attractive variations.
Guppy fish life expectancy ranges from 2 to 5 years which of course depends on how it is cared for. Guppy fish that are kept in a well-maintained well-maintained aquarium certainly have a great chance of living longer.
Some conditions that often make guppies rarely live long are stress and illness. Guppy fish have an average body size of between 5 and 6 cm when they are adults.
What fish eat guppies?
Guppies are docile fish that make friends with most other fish species. They generally do not attack other fish. However, because of their small size, they are vulnerable to incursions by larger fish.
Cannibalism is the biggest challenge that every aquarist experiences for community aquariums. Cannibalism is common among carnivorous fish whose diet mainly consists of animal matter. They view their tank mates as the food they can consume. Well, there are lots of predatory fish that prey on guppies.
Given below are some of the common aquarium fish that eat guppies.
Angelfish
However, it’s recommended to just use little angelfish to keep them grouped together. Typically, a little angelfish won’t go after guppies.
However, after the adult guppies are outgrown by the angelfish, they potentially become a threat. Big angelfish may view baby guppies as a potential food source.
Cichlids Fish
Cichlids are aggressive and fast fish. Due to their aggression, cichlids can attack peaceful guppies.
In addition, if a guppy enters its territory, the cichlid will not hesitate to taste the guppy
Crayfish
Crayfish are omnivorous fish. They prefer to eat plants as well as animal matter.
In addition, they are opportunistic eaters. That means they gobble up any food that comes their way.
So, crayfish will eat guppies if caught. The guppies will be safe as long as they are not within reach of the crayfish.
Bettas Fish
Bettas are carnivorous fish. They devour protein-rich live foods.
In the wild, betta eats mostly insects and small creatures such as blood worms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, daphnia, and other small fish.
You can use betta fish for population control. The good thing about this is that even if you have your betta fish in a separate tank, you can put them in the tank with the baby guppies and the betta fish will start eating the fry.
This will help you control the guppy population and reduce their numbers. Plus, you won’t have to worry about feeding your betta fish for a while, as you can use them to help control guppy populations.
Swordtails Fish
Swordtails are generally peaceful, like guppies. Hence, the two are often kept together in community tanks. Like guppies, swordtails do not show maternal instincts. They eat their children. Therefore, if they see guppy fry around them, they will not hesitate to eat them. Guppy fry make a great food for swordtails.
Dwarf pufferfish
The dwarf pufferfish is another fish species that can be used to control populations. These fish are known to be very aggressive and territorial, and they may not be the best fish species for a community tank. Often, it is recommended to keep them with other aggressive tank fish, such as filament barbs and parals, but they can also be kept with smaller, fast-swimming fish – tetras, rasboras, danios, and guppies.
Gourami Fish
Keeping gourami with guppies can be the right choice, because gourami are slow-moving fish, while guppies move quite fast. Gourami may turn territorial, and aggression can be seen especially between two male gourami.
But very rarely do they become aggressive towards other fish species, especially towards the smaller ones. One possible problem is that these smaller fish may nip at the gourami’s fins; fortunately, that is not the case with guppies.
If you want a good species that will eat guppy fry then gourami is a good choice. That’s because they are quite large, and they will be able to consume a larger portion of the fry. They are known as very good eaters, so they can be used to control fry populations.
What To Do With Over Fry Guppies?
That is a question many guppy owners ask. There are several things you can do – you can place the fish that will eat it, or you can give it to another species of fish elsewhere.
But you can also breed and sell them or keep them yourself if they are not too big.
Conclusion
Guppies can reproduce at an incredible speed. You can use several species of fish to control the guppy fry population.
