Guppy fish are popular freshwater aquarium fish, are easy to care for, and come in various colors. But most importantly, you can breed them at home easily if you follow certain instructions. Guppy fish fry are small and delicate, but they pack a nutritional punch! So, you need to know what to feed these small babies for proper growth and development. So, what do guppy fish fry eat?
Guppy fish fry eat both plant and animal matter that you drop in the tank. You can give them live foods or frozen foods like brine shrimp, daphnia, tubifex, bloodworms, flakes or pellets, vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, and spinach leaves, and some fruits.
These fry are born fully grown and ready to start feeding on their own. They would eat small insects, crustaceans, and larvae in the wild. You can give them algae wafers but crush them into smaller pieces. Feed your guppy fry two to three times a day, but only give them as much they can eat in two minutes.
In this article, we will discuss the diet of guppy fish fry and what foods they like to eat. So if you’re curious about what guppy fish fry eat in the wild or when they start to eat, keep reading! Keep reading for more information about the feeding habits of these little fish!
Are Guppy Fish Fry Omnivorous?
Yes, guppy fish fry are omnivorous, meaning these baby guppy will eat both plants and animals. In the wild, their diet consists of small insects, crustaceans, and larvae. Baby guppy will also consume algae and other plant matter.
It is all genetics; guppy fish are omnivores, meaning their babies will also be omnivores. In the wild, baby guppies eat anything they can find; small insects, crustaceans, and larvae are all part of their diet.
They will also consume algae and other plant matter. For example, if you have a pond or aquarium with live plants, your fry will most likely graze on the algae growing on the leaves.
What Does Guppy Fish Fry Eat In The Wild?
Guppies originate from South America, most commonly found in the wild. So you can easily imagine what these fish fry might eat in the wild.
These guppy fry eat whatever small organic matter floats towards them in the wild. Guppy fish will eat anything that fits in their mouth in their natural habitat, hence the same habit in their babies.
It is a good idea to try and recreate this diet as closely as possible when raising guppy fry at home. Guppy fish fry often becomes the food for other fish before they even search for food in their natural habitat.
You will find baby guppies eating small mosquito eggs, algae, daphnia, other fish eggs, etc., when it comes to food in their native habitat.
These small creatures are often found near the water surface, where the guppy fry can easily snatch them up.
While it is not always possible to find these same foods for your guppy fry at home, there are some good substitutes that you can use.
Guppy Fish Fry Diet: What Does Guppy Fish Fry Eat?
I guess it is not rocket science what guppy fish fry eat as their diet is not that different from the adult guppy fish diet. The only difference is the size of the food they eat. So, what does guppy fish fry eat? Let’s find out!
Baby brine shrimp, daphnia, tubifex, egg yolk, bloodworms, flakes, microworms, vegetables, fruits, etc., are some of the food that guppy fish fry eat.
Baby Brine Shrimp
As your guppy fry grow, they will be able to start eating baby brine shrimp. You can purchase these at most pet stores that sell fish.
To prepare them, you will need to hatch them first. You can do this by using a brine shrimp hatchery or by adding a small amount of salt to a water container and then adding the shrimp.
To feed your fry, you will need to use a small aquarium net to remove them from the main tank and then place them in a separate container with the baby brine shrimp. Once they have eaten their fill, you can return them to the main tank.
You may like to read more about Do Guppy Fish Eat Shrimp?
Daphnia
Another food that your guppy fry can eat is daphnia. These are small freshwater crustaceans that are often used as fish food.
You can purchase them at most pet stores or online. To feed them to your fry, you will need to grind them up into a powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
Once they are ground up, you can add them to the main tank or place them in a separate container, use an aquarium net to remove the fry, and then return them to the main tank once they have eaten their fill.
Tubifex
Tubifex is small freshwater worms that are often used as fish food. To feed them to your fry, you will need to grind them up into a powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
You can buy these at most pet stores that sell fish supplies or online stores. Tubifex is high in protein and makes good food for guppy fry.
To feed your fry, you will need to use a small aquarium net to remove them from the main tank and then place them in a separate container with the Tubifex powder. Once they have eaten their fill, you can return them to the main tank.
Egg Yolk
Egg yolks are another food that guppy fry can eat. They are a good source of protein and fat. To feed them to your fry, you will need to remove the yolk from the egg white using a fork.
Once the yolk is removed, you can add it to the main tank, place it in a separate container, use an aquarium net to remove the fry, and then return them to the main tank once they have eaten their fill.
Bloodworms
Bloodworms are another food that guppy fry can eat. They are a good source of protein and fat. To feed them to your fry, you will need to grind them up into a powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
Once you crush them, you can add them to the main tank or place them in a separate container, use an aquarium net to remove the fry, and then return them to the main tank once they have eaten their fill.
Flakes
Guppy fry can also eat fish flakes. These are a good source of protein and nutrients. To feed them to your fry, you will need to grind them up into a powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.
Once ground up, you can add them to the main tank, place them in a separate container, use an aquarium net to remove the fry, and then return them to the main tank once they have eaten their fill.
Microworms
Microworms are another food that guppy fry can eat. They are a good source of protein and fat.
Microworms are very small, so they can be hard to see. You may need a magnifying glass to see them. Guppy fry can eat these as soon as they are born.
To feed microworms to your guppy fry, you must culture them first. You can buy a microworm culture online or from a pet store.
Microworms are an easy food to culture and are a good source of nutrition for guppy fry. However, it would help if you did not rely on them as the only food for your fry. You should still offer other foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms.
Vegetables
There are many vegetables that guppy fry can eat, such as zucchini, cucumber, and squash. You can either feed them raw or blanched vegetables.
You can also give them blanched spinach, kale, or collard greens. I like to offer a variety of vegetables to my fry so they can get a well-rounded diet.
Fruits
Fruits are a great treat for guppy fry, and they love them! Some good fruits to feed them include: watermelon, canary melon, honeydew, and cantaloupe.
You can either feed them the fruits raw, blanched or freeze them first and then offer them to the fry.
Do Guppy Fish Fry Eat Algae?
Guppies are omnivores and will consume both plant and animal matter. In the wild, algae form a large part of their diet.
Guppy fry does not eat algae, but adult guppies will feed on algae. Guppy fry will consume small amounts of algae if it is in their environment, but they do not require it for survival.
If some small pieces of algae float around the mouth of guppy fry and even fit inside, they will consume them without second thoughts.
Guppy fry cannot digest algae properly, which can cause problems if they eat too much of it. Therefore, it is best to avoid feeding algae to guppy fry and focus on a diet of live foods.
When Do Guppy Fish Fry Start To Eat?
Guppy fry should start eating when they are 5 to 6 hours old. At this time, they should be free-swimming and have a functional digestive system.
You can start to feed them live food or microworms as these are easy for them to digest and catch. Trust me; these fish seem to be born ready to eat or hungry even before female guppies deliver them.
I enjoy how well this fish fry eats and enjoy food even from the youngest newly born age. It is essential to keep fry well-fed as guppy fry grow very quickly, and if they don’t get enough food, they will start to die due to hunger.
You can also offer them food more often, but then you will have to offer smaller meals. It is necessary to keep baby guppy fish alive and healthy.
How To Feed Guppy Fish Fry?
Well, it is not difficult to feed guppy fish fry. You can give them live food, frozen food, or flakes. However, it is best to start with live foods such as microworms, daphnia, or brine shrimp after cutting them into smaller pieces.
Once they are big enough, you can start giving them bloodworms and tubifex. It is also important to give them a variety of foods so that they can get all the nutrients they need.
You can also give them flakes, but crush them first into smaller pieces. Fruits and vegetables are also a good option for guppy fry.
You can either give them fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Just chop them into small pieces so the guppy fry can easily eat them.
How Often Do Guppy Fish Fry Eat?
Feeding your guppy fry several times a day in small quantities is best. They are small fish with tiny stomachs, so they need to eat more frequently than adult guppies.
You can start feeding them four to five times a day and decrease as they grow. It’s important to space out their meals so they can have time to digest their food and avoid getting sick.
How much they eat depends on their size, but as a rule of thumb, you should only feed them as much as they can consume in three minutes.
It would help if you gave them small amounts of food so that they could eat it all quickly. If you give them too much food, they will not be able to eat it all before it sinks and rots.
You can tell if your fry is getting enough to eat if their bellies are slightly rounded. If their bellies are sunken in, they are not getting enough food.
If you see any fry with sunken bellies, you should feed them more often. On the other hand, if your fry grows well and has rounded bellies, you can start feeding them three times a day.
As they age, you can decrease the number of times you feed them daily. However, it’s important not to overfeed your fry, as this can lead to health problems.
How Long Can Guppy Fish Fry Survive Without Food?
Guppy fry can survive for a few days without food, but they will start to weaken and die after 2nd day without food and die after three days.
Cruelty is the right word for the experiment one does when they go around not feeding their newly born fry. I can understand not knowing the presence of fry and miss feeding it, but experimenting with fry is wrong.
If you want to know if fry can live without food, then don’t get any fish for your aquarium and see how long your fish live.
It’s not just about the time they can survive but the quality of their lives. After a day or two without food, the fry will become lethargic, and their color will start to fade.
They will also stop growing; if you continue not feeding them, they will eventually die. So, if you want your fry to survive and thrive, then make sure to give them food regularly.
Feeding them small meals multiple times a day rather than one large meal is best. In addition, it’s important to ensure they have a constant food source, whether live food, frozen food, or flakes.
What Food To Avoid For Guppy Fish Fry?
There are certain foods that you should avoid feeding your guppy fry. These include live food that is too large, like adult brine shrimp; frozen food that has thawed and gone bad; flakes that have sunk to the bottom of the tank and gotten soggy; and anything else that you wouldn’t eat yourself.
I will list other foods you need to avoid:
- Bread
- Grains
- Chocolate
- Egg White
- Chicken
- Beef
Conclusion
Feeding your guppy fry is essential to their survival, but it doesn’t have to get difficult. There are many different foods that they can eat, and you can even find some of them in your own kitchen. Your guppy fry will grow healthy and strong with a little care and attention.
Thanks for reading! I hope this article helped answer some of your questions. If you have more questions, please leave them in the comments below or contact me directly.
Good luck with your fry!
Happy Fishkeeping!!!