Having guppies in your home can be fun. But what if you have to go out? You can not take these guppies with you. It is good to note that healthy adults can easily live without food for many weeks (up to 2 weeks). However, the guppy fry can not live without food for more than 2 or 3 days.
Article Contents
How Long Can Guppies Go Without Food?
Most adult guppies that are healthy can easily live without food for many weeks ( for up to two weeks). But note that keeping them hungry for many weeks should not turn into a regular schedule. Most adult guppy fish can store a lot of fat and retain their body mass which helps them survive when there is not enough food to eat.
But if an emergency arises ( for example, you may have to go out for work or travel), these guppies can survive without food for up to two weeks.
However, the baby guppies can not sustain themselves without food for long and can only survive without being fed for a day or two, and they do not have enough stored fat to help them stay for more extended periods.
The more giant and more mature the guppy, the longer it can sustain itself without having to eat. This rule is the same for guppies in captivity and those in the wild. But it would help if you kept them in a cycled tank before going out, which can prevent the imbalance in bacteria inside the tank. Also, you may need to clean the tank’s filter before departing.
How Long Can Guppy Fry Go Without Food?
Most younger guppies and the guppy fry can not survive without food as long as the mature guppies can survive. These baby guppies can hardly survive without eating food for a day or two, and this is primarily because they do not have enough stored fat to help them thrive without food.
So, if you are planning to go out for a vacation, work, or any other purpose and have a guppy fry at home, make sure there is someone in the house or hire someone who can look after them and give them food to eat every day.
What To Do Before Leaving Guppies For More Than A Week?
If you plan to go on a vacation, you may be worried about your guppy’s survival.
Let us discuss the essential steps that you can take to prepare your guppies and the aquarium when you are not present. Note that you may not have to worry about their health if you do the tank maintenance regularly. They can easily survive without food for two to three days.
But if you are going out for more than a week, you may have to prepare the aquarium and the guppy. You need to take care of the regular maintenance of their tank to ensure the proper health of the guppies. But if you are going for more than a week, you may have to take some essential steps to maintain the water parameters.
- First, you need to clean the filter two or three days before leaving. Cleaning the mechanical filter helps remove the unwanted waste particles and debris from the tank. Also, note that the biological filter should not be changed to maintain beneficial bacteria in the tank.
- You also need to change up to 60% of the water a day before going out. This helps remove more significant quantities of nitrates from the water. Adding a water conditioner would also help remove heavy metals and chlorine from tap water.
- Putting the aquarium’s lights on a timer is another essential step you should not skip. This is because you can not keep the lights consistent manually.
- You should remove any dead or dying plants as dead plants would increase the ammonia levels in the water.
- You also need to remove the fish that seem ill and may pass. It is better to keep them in a separate aquarium. This is because fish that are dead would produce larger quantities of ammonia.
- Read More
- What is Safe Water for guppies? Tap or Distilled?
- 12 Reasons Why Guppies Die? + Prevention Tips
- What is Ammonia Guppy Poisoning and New Tank Syndrome (NTS)
Should You Use An Automatic-feeder For Your Guppies?
Yes, an automatic feeder can be used to feed your puppies. These are great options to provide the guppies when you are not at home. However, it is better to test this method before leaving. It is better not to use auto-feeders when going on a vacation.
Eheim automatic feeder is a great option to feed the guppy fry several times a day. These automatic feeders can save a lot of time and ensure the guppies’ proper diet in your absence. It would be best if you did not overfeed your fish as that may cause some health issues and even death of the guppies.
How Often Do Guppies Need To Be Fed?
It would be best if you fed the adult guppies at least once or twice every day, and there should be at least one meal consisting of live food. Though the younger fish would need more food for their growth, adults can survive without food for up to two weeks. Fry or guppy babies, on the other hand, need to be fed at least five or six times every day.
Can You Feed Guppies Once A Day?
Yes, adult guppies need to be fed at least once or twice a day, and one of their meals should contain live food. Unlike most baby guppies that require a lot of food for their growth and development, adult guppies can survive properly with small meals.
The young guppies need to be transitioned to the feeding schedule of a mature guppy when they become at least three months old and after their growth and development period. Baby guppies or fry need to be fed at least six to seven times every day. This is because they need a lot of nutrition for their growth and development. Learn more on How to look after baby Guppies?
Summary
Most healthy and mature guppies can easily live without food for several weeks (up to 2 weeks). But it would be best if you kept in mind that feeding guppies once every two weeks should not become a regular schedule. The mature guppies can store fat in their bodies to help sustain themselves without food.
The guppy fry can not sustain itself without food for even a day or two, and they do not have sufficient fat stored in their bodies to support them without food. Also, they need a lot of food for their proper growth and development. The basic rule is that the bigger the guppy is, the longer it can live without food.
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