Care guide
Caring for guppies
- Adult size
- About 5 cm
- Water temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 7–8
- Smallest tank
- 40 litres
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Care level
- Easy
Guppies are lively, colourful livebearers that are easy to keep and breed quickly. Plan for babies before you bring them home.
Their tank
A cycled tank of 40 litres or more with a heater at about 22 to 28 °C and a pH of about 7 to 8 suits them. Live plants give fry places to hide.
Babies
Guppies give birth to live young about every four weeks, and adults eat fry. Thick plants, a breeding box or a separate tank help fry survive.
Keeping only males avoids babies. With mixed groups, more females than males reduces stress on the females.
Feeding
Feed a quality flake or micro-pellet food in small amounts once or twice a day, with occasional frozen or live foods.
Tankmates
They're peaceful and do well with other small community fish. Avoid fin-nipping species, which target the males' long tails.
Further reading
General information to help you prepare, not veterinary advice. Every animal is different: ask an experienced vet about yours. Reviewed by PerfectPal on October 13, 2026.