What to feed guppies who beg for food

Guppies are peaceful little fish. Happy with their luck in a well-planted and well-managed aquarium to live in. The worst they can be is when the males outnumber the females and sting or bite the tails of the other males. Giving them lots of females usually fixes that problem in the tank.

Guppies are easy to feed and will eat anything that has fish food on it! Their guts aren’t huge, so they only eat small amounts at a time. They will clean the food in minutes and start looking for more if they see you around their tank. Where there are people, there is food in your book! You will see them pecking at plants, usually your algae, but they will occasionally nibble on new plant shoots.

Variety is the spice of life for all living things, and fish are no different. Guppies will go for most fish food. My only favor is the tubifex worms; buy them as small cubes of dried worms. The bucket can be attached to the glass in the tank and the free for all that follows is a lot of fun and lasts until the frenzied feeding pulls the now soggy bucket out of the glass and floats away to be eaten more slowly.

Of course, there are the regular dry foods that you buy at any pet store or supermarket. Look for the finest mix as do not forget that they are small fish with small mouths. I also consider that any fry that is there that you don’t know will also like the food that fits in their mouth.

If we eat peas, I usually throw two or three into the tank for the fish. Guppies are particularly partial to a few peas every now and then. I wouldn’t go overboard, but it’s also a backup if you find yourself out of fish food in the house!

There is the option of “sea monkeys” or brine shrimp, you can buy them dry and grow the quantities you need. Brine shrimp can be grown especially for guppies who love them. Shrimp are particularly good at feeding fingerlings, their growth rates improve accordingly. Shrimp are just another change in your fish’s diet. Guppies love to be pampered, but you should never overfeed as tempting as it may be. The last thing you want is rotting food at the bottom of the tank to cause disease and foul-smelling water.