While guppies can survive solely on guppy pellets or flakes, a homemade diet is superior in several ways to a prepackaged one. You don't have to spend hours grinding and packaging homemade food. Instead, a few commonly available human foods are ideal for guppies.
Homemade Diet Benefits
Guppies are omnivorous, which means they will readily eat a variety of foods. These tropical fish prefer a varied diet, and a varied diet ensures that your guppy gets plenty of nutrients to support proper growth and health. While prepackaged guppy foods typically contain several sources of plant matter and protein, they don't provide guppies with the variety they crave. Thus an entirely homemade diet or occasional table foods used to supplement prepackaged foods can both improve your guppy's health. Give your fish as much food as she can eat in 15 minutes. Overfeeding can cause cloudy tank water and a host of other aquarium problems.
Protein
Fish fry need more protein than adults, so give them small quantities of protein daily. Adults should get protein two or three times a week. Good sources of protein include daphnia, brine shrimp, mosquito pupae and fruit flies. Many of these foods are available in prepackaged frozen cubes, but you can also feed these items live.
Vegetables
The majority of adult guppies' diets should consist of plant matter. Algae and spirulina are excellent staple foods for guppies. You can also feed your guppies chopped or shredded vegetables such as mustard greens, zucchini, peas and spinach.
Fruit
Small quantities of fruit offer additional vitamins and nutrients, but should not constitute a significant portion of your guppies' diet. Feed fruit once or twice per week, and cut or shred it into small, bite-sized pieces. Good fruits include bananas and grapes. Fruits are high in sugar and guppies eat few or no fruits in the wild, so feed fruit as a treat, not a staple portion of the diet.
References
- The Guppy Site: The Guppy Diet
- Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies; Stan Shubel
Writer Bio
Brenna Davis is a professional writer who covers parenting, pets, health and legal topics. Her articles have appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines as well as on websites. She is a court-appointed special advocate and is certified in crisis counseling and child and infant nutrition. She holds degrees in developmental psychology and philosophy from Georgia State University.