Guppy fish is popular in aquariums because they are small, colorful, and easy to care for. You can easily feed them fish food, and they won’t even mind. These fish can survive on algae flakes to daphnia without having a complaint. But then we human beings have the curiosity that needs answers and often decide to test the hunger and patience of our guppies. The questions often arise about how long guppy fish can survive without food. What will happen if you don’t feed them food? What factors decide the timespan of guppy’s patience with hunger?
Adult guppy fish can survive for about two weeks long, while the baby guppies will die after 2 or 3 days without food, but no more than that. After that, they will start to dwindle in numbers, and their colors will fade. A healthy adult fish can live without food for so long because they can store fat in their bodies. However, survival without food depends on a few factors, such as the size of the guppy, the type of food it eats, and how healthy it is.
In this article, we will discuss how long guppy fish can survive without food and offer tips on keeping your guppies healthy while you’re away.
How Long Can Guppy Fish Survive Without Food?
Guppy fish can survive for long periods without food, but they will eventually start to starve. For example, Guppy fry (baby guppies) can only survive for a few days without food, while adult guppies can go up to two weeks without food.
You cannot actually predict their survival span just by looking at them in the tank. So do not risk experimenting with this kind of thing, or you will lose your guppies.
The length of time they can go without food depends on a few factors, such as size, age, tank, and health conditions.
If you plan on going on vacation and leaving your guppy fish behind, you can do a few things to ensure they stay healthy and well-fed.
It is important to prepare your guppy fish aquarium for your absence. You must maintain the filtration system, remove dead and decaying plants and leaves, clean the aquarium, perform a water change, check the heater, and check the light timer.
How Can Guppy Fish Survive Long Without Food?
Well, adult guppies can survive without food for quite a while. They can live for up to two weeks without food!
This is because they can store energy in their bodies through glycogen. However, it is not recommended that you do not feed your guppies for this long as it can lead to health problems.
This stored fat will help them survive when no food is available. If you have a tank of guppies, it is best to feed them small amounts of food regularly.
This will ensure that they have a constant supply of food and do not go hungry. Guppies eat anything you drop in the tank water; when you forget to do that, they will eat algae in the rocks and decorations of the tank.
So, despite the absence of fish food, your adult guppies will find a way to survive for a while, but the survival rate drops significantly due to the absence of proper nutrients.
Two weeks is the maximum time your guppies go without food; after that, you will start to see dead fish in the tank.
These adult fish will even eat these dead fish in the tank to survive for a while. 2 weeks without food will take a toil for guppies; cannibalism is the least important thing you need to worry about now.
Hence, it will help if your guppies are fed frequently in the early days rather than experimenting with how long can guppies go without food.
How Long Do Guppy Fish Fry Survive Without Food?
Guppy fry can survive without food for a shorter period than parent guppies. However, these babies can only live up to 2 or 3 days without food.
Therefore, it is essential to provide them with as much food as possible that contains proper nutrition during their critical early days and weeks.
This is because guppy fry has not yet developed the ability to store glycogen in their bodies. As a result, they can only go without food for about a week before you start to see health problems and diseases in guppies.
Fry guppies survive and thrive when you give them a proper diet, live plants, hiding spaces, and an already established tank.
Can you imagine keeping a growing baby hungry for long? It’s straight-up cruelty. The same goes for Guppy fish fry. Feeding them small amounts of food several times a day is best.
If you plan to go on vacation, setting up an automatic feeder for your fry is important. This will ensure they can get the food they need while you are away.
How To Prepare Guppy Fish Aquarium For Your Vacation?
Preparing your guppy fish aquarium is important if you are on vacation and will be gone for more than a week.
Guppies live for nearly two weeks, but I cannot say the same for guppy fry. So, if you want to save guppy fry, prepare a guppy tank and younger guppies beforehand.
This includes maintaining the filtration system, removing dead and decaying plants and leaves, cleaning the aquarium, and performing a water change.
You should also check the heater and the light timer to ensure they are working properly. Finally, you may want to ask a friend or family member to feed your guppy fish while you are gone.
Maintain The Filtration System
Maintaining the filtration system is one of the most important things you can do for your guppy fish while you’re away.
A good filtration system will remove toxins and waste from the water, keeping the water quality high and preventing your fish from getting sick.
Remember, filter maintenance and water pollution go side by side. You need to maintain your filtration system to maintain the water quality and remove decaying plants, dead fish, and other fish waste.
Dead and decaying plants and leaves can release toxins into the water, so it’s important to remove them before you leave. You can remove them by hand or use an aquarium vacuum to suck them out.
Make sure to add nitrifying bacteria in the sponge or canister filter that converts unnecessary ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. Nitrifying bacteria do wonders in the guppy tank and ensure how long can guppies live without food.
Clean The Aquarium
Cleaning the aquarium is another important step in preparing for your vacation. You’ll want to remove algae, dirt, and debris from the walls and gravel.
You can do this with a sponge, brush, or aquarium vacuum. I know it seems like a lot of work, but keeping the tank clean for your fish is important.
Keep guppies in the established tank, and do not go around changing their living habitat at the last minute. How long guppies live depends on how clean their current habitat is, not any other tank that is clean.
Changing the aquarium or keeping them in a fishbowl and taking it with you is never an option, as the acclimation process can make their life harder. Just do not leave guppies in a dirty fish tank among decaying leaves, fish waste, and dead fish.
Perform Water Change
A water change is a good way to refresh the water and remove any toxins that may have built up. You’ll want to do a partial water change, meaning you’ll only need to change about 50% to 70 % of the water. I like to do a 50% water change before I leave and another 50% when I get back.
You cannot leave a dirty tank behind for your fish to eat or live within their excretory matter for days, can you?
If you are going on a vacation, you must ensure that the person taking care of your fish performs regular water changes. But, of course, the ideal scenario would be if you could come home to crystal clear water yourself.
Start doing 50% water changes every other day a week before you leave. This will help to remove any build-up or fish waste in the water and will also help to bring the nitrate levels down in the aquarium.
When you leave, do a final 50% water change and then top up the tank with fresh, clean water. This will ensure that your young fish have a good supply of oxygen while you are away and plenty of clean water to swim around in.
Check The Heater
If you have an aquarium heater, you’ll want to check it to ensure it’s working properly. You should also test the water temperature to ensure it’s not too hot or too cold.
Lowering the temperature little by little can help you. This is because digestion and metabolism are slower in colder temperatures than aquarium fish.
So, they can survive longer without food in a colder fish tank. But I still don’t recommend leaving hungry and starving at a temperature they don’t even prefer.
If the temperature in the aquarium drops too low, the fish will not survive for such a long time to even think about hunger and food.
Check The Light Timer
The last thing you need to do before leaving your fish for an extended period is to check the light timer.
If you are using a timer for aquarium lights, ensure it is set correctly so that your fish will have the right amount of light while you’re gone.
If you are not using a timer, now would be a good time to start! Having the correct light schedule is important for the health of your fish and can help prevent problems while you’re away.
You don’t want your fish to be in the dark for too long, so it’s important to ensure the tank lights will come on when it’s supposed to.
Mind you, natural light is harmful to your guppy as it promotes algal growth. Though these tropical fish eat soft algae, they cannot clean the tank or even maintain water quality. So, stick with aquarium lights that can easily function with a timer.
And it’s okay to have a little algal growth once in a while. Your guppies will eat algae growing here and there when there is no food.
Ask A Friend To Feed
One way to ensure your fish are well-fed while you’re gone is to ask a friend, fish sitter, or neighbor to feed them.
This is a great option if you have someone you trust who is willing and able to do so. Vacation feeders are the best option to avoid having dead guppies or unhealthy guppy fry in the fish tank.
Trust me, a sick fish is never a good thing to have in a tank, better take certain measures to save your dying fish before it’s too late.
Ensure that the person taking care of your fish while you are away knows how to do a water change and how often to do it.
It is also a good idea to leave a written note with instructions on how to take care of your fish, so there is no confusion.
Should You Get An Automatic Feeder For Your Guppy Fish?
Oh yes, it will equal heaven in fishkeeping if you get an automatic feeder for your guppy fish. It will help to maintain the water quality and also to save your time.
You can use an automatic feeder, a device that dispenses food at regular intervals. Different types of automatic feeders are available in the market, but the most popular ones are those that work with pellets or flakes.
Regarding automatic feeders, there are two main types: those that dispense a set amount of food at regular intervals and those that allow you to control the amount of food that is dispensed. The latter type is more expensive, but it offers more flexibility regarding how much food your fish will get.
Advantages Of Automatic Feeder
It can help keep the water quality in your aquarium high. This is because the food will be dispensed into the guppy tank at regular intervals, so there will be less chance for it to decompose and pollute the water.
Also, it can save you a lot of time. If you have a busy lifestyle, you may not always have the time to feed your fish. Instead, you can simply set it up with an automatic feeder and forget about it.
Disadvantages Of Automatic Feeder
One of the main disadvantages is that it can get quite expensive. If you have a large aquarium, you may need to buy more than one feeder to ensure that all your fish get the food they need.
Similarly, it can be difficult to set up and tricky to get them working correctly if you are unfamiliar with how they work.
Overall, it is a great way to save time and keep the water quality in your aquarium high. However, they can be quite expensive and difficult to set up if you are unfamiliar with how they work.
What Can You Feed Your Guppy Fish?
Guppy fish are omnivorous, which means they eat plant and animal matter. Their diet comprises small crustaceans, insects, and larvae in the wild.
Guppies eat commercial flake food or pellets containing all the necessary nutrients easily available in any pet store.
You can supplement their diet with live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, or bloodworms. Guppy fish are not picky eaters and will usually accept whatever food you offer them.
When it comes to what you should feed your guppy, there are various options. You can give them flakes, pellets, or live food. Mixing up their diet to get all the nutrients they need is important.
Can You Overfeed Or Underfeed Your Guppy?
Yes, overfeeding or underfeeding your aquarium fish is more common than you think. It is a nightmare for every fishkeeper to overfeed or underfeed their fish. Either way, it can lead to serious consequences and even the death of your beloved pet.
You see, when you overfeed your fish, they produce more waste, polluting the water and creating an unhealthy environment with unwanted ammonia spike for everyone in the tank. On the other hand, if you underfeed your fish, they will slowly starve to death.
Overfeeding your guppy can lead to health problems such as bloating and swim bladder disease. Conversely, underfeeding your guppy can cause them to become malnourished.
Overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes that new aquarium owners make. Not only does it lead to health problems, but it can also dirty the aquarium quickly.
So, be sure to observe your fish carefully and only feed them as much as they can eat in a couple of minutes. I am quite sure you don’t want to witness dying fish due to your negligence with food quantity.
So, how can you avoid overfeeding or underfeeding your guppy fish? First and foremost, you need to have a proper feeding schedule.
It is also important that you only give them enough food that they can consume within a few minutes. Lastly, do not forget to remove any uneaten food from the tank as soon as possible.
How Often To Feed Your Guppy Fish?
Ideally, it would help if you fed your healthy adult guppies at least twice a day. However, if you are busy and cannot do so, you can opt for an every other day feeding schedule. Just make sure that you do not overfeed or underfeed your fish.
The best way to determine the right amount of food is by observing your fish’s behavior. You can give them a little more food if they seem hungry or just drop food that they can eat within two minutes.
On the other hand, if they leave behind uneaten food, you know you are feeding them too much. As for what you can feed your guppy fish, there are a variety of pellets and flakes available in pet stores.
The Guppy fish diet also includes live or frozen food such as brine shrimp, daphnia, or bloodworms. Just ensure you do not overfeed them as this can lead to health problems.
Keeping guppies is one of the easiest things if you know what you are doing. Hence, overfeeding is totally out of the question, and maintaining the optimum aquarium water is a big yes.
If you see leftover food in the tank, take help from your mechanical filter or just remove it with a net. Or else, these leftovers will stay as a built-up muck making life hard for your healthy guppies and might leave fish prone to various guppy diseases.
I am sure you don’t want to see more dead guppies in the tank after the chaos of not feeding it on time.
Conclusion
We can say that guppy fish are pretty resilient creatures that can go without food for a long time. However, this doesn’t mean you should neglect their needs and not feed them regularly. Instead, provide them with high-quality food and clean water to keep them healthy and happy. Thanks for reading!
We hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. We’ll be happy to answer as best we can. Until next time, take care of your fish! 🙂
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Happy Fishkeeping!!
