Guppies are bright, beautiful and most unpretentious representatives of the group of live-bearing fish. In most cases, serious aquarium studies begin precisely with the maintenance of these aquatic inhabitants. It is natural that any caring and attentive person wants to extend the life of their pets. How many years have guppies lived? What factors determine their lifespan? How can I extend it?
general information
Practice shows that the life expectancy of guppies is very small. On average, it varies from 1 year to 3.5 years. At the same time, a large number of third-party factors that can have both positive and negative effects affect the lifespan.
It is noted that in captivity these fish live longer than in their natural habitat. This is largely due to the fact that in the wild their lives are threatened by many sources of danger, in particular: predators, environmental degradation (pollution of water bodies), pathogens of serious diseases and parasites.
The main factors affecting the life expectancy of guppies in captivity are:
- conditions of detention;
- purity, level of acidity and hardness of water in the aquarium;
- water temperature;
- oxygen content in water;
- diet and feed quality.
One of the key conditions to extend the life of captive fish is compliance with the rules for caring for the inhabitants of the aquarium. Despite the fact that caring for guppies does not require specific knowledge and skills, many inexperienced aquarists often make rather stupid and gross mistakes that lead to the death of the fish.
Conditions of detention
Guppies must be kept in spacious aquariums (preferably in glass), the capacity of which is at least 20 liters. In cramped reservoirs cluttered with decor and aquatic plants, fish grow poorly, are more often sick and live less.
It is noteworthy that Experienced aquarists recommend keeping guppies in rectangular aquariums. In round containers, the fish experience severe discomfort, under the influence of which they can even get sick.
It is important that the aquarium has sides at least 5 centimeters high. This requirement is due to the fact that guppies in certain situations are able to jump out of the water. For example, this often happens when oxygen levels are reduced in aquarium water.
Another option that can ensure the safety of the fish is an aquarium with a reliable lid. However, containing guppies in such an aquarium, care should be taken about the device for forced aeration of the water.
In the aquarium, there should not be decor items with sharp edges that the fish can seriously hurt. For the same reason, it is not recommended to plant aquatic plants with cutting and stiff foliage. In the best way for decorating a home "pond", plants such as:
- elodea;
- riccia;
- nitella;
- arrowhead.
In addition, one must take into account that Guppies should not be kept together with aggressive species of aquarium fish. Having a peaceful character, guppies are not able to defend themselves and resist.
Often these non-conflict creatures become victims of their aggressive relatives. So, the neighborhood with cichlids, discus, goldfish, angelfish, and large catfish is considered unsafe for guppies.
Cleanliness, acidity and hardness
The life expectancy of the fish also depends on the quality of the water in the aquarium. These creatures are most comfortable in clean, regularly updated water.
The optimal level of hardness is 10–25 °, and acidity is 7–8. Practice shows that guppies hard water is bestwhich before filling the aquarium pre-defend.
It is important to note that after buying new fish it is extremely undesirable to immediately release them into the aquarium to the rest of the inhabitants.
Very often, a sharp change in conditions (in particular, a change in the qualitative characteristics of water) causes the death of the guppy. Therefore, after acquiring pets in a pet store, it is advisable to consult with an experienced specialist about further adaptation of the fish.
Temperature
Experts argue that the temperature of aquarium water is of great importance in the life expectancy of domestic guppies. It is known for certain that the higher the temperature, the less guppies will live.
High temperatures shorten the life of pets up to 1 year or less. It should be noted that it negatively affects the appearance of the fish: they become small, grow worse.
The low temperature of aquarium water, on the contrary, contributes to an increase in the life expectancy of fish up to 3 years or more. However, there is a very real risk that guppies can get sick.
The optimum temperature, ensuring the comfortable existence of guppies in the aquarium, is in the range + 24 ... + 26 °. It is highly discouraged to allow these indicators to increase.
Oxygen content in water
The well-being and health of the fish is largely dependent on the oxygen content in the aquarium water. With its deficiency, guppies begin to feel bad. Experiencing oxygen starvation, they begin to swim close to the surface of the water. In critical situations, the fish may even jump out of the aquarium.
Aerators and filters are used to saturate aquarium water with oxygen.In modern pet stores, you can find models that purify water and enrich it with oxygen.
Before installing a powerful filter, it is recommended to close its suction elements with a fine mesh. It will prevent the accidental pulling of fish into the device.
Diet and feed quality
Despite the fact that guppies are able to do without food for a long time, they can not be forced to starve. In search of food, fish are able to eat all their offspring.
It is desirable to feed pets every day, but little by little. Some aquarists give food to their pets twice a day: morning and evening. However, with frequent feeding of fish, the likelihood that part of the feed will remain uneaten and will soon begin to decompose increases. This can negatively affect the purity of the water and the condition of the aquarium ecosystem as a whole. In addition, rotting food can cause serious illness in guppies.
To feed the fish you must use only quality products. It can be both dry and live food. According to experienced aquarists, guppies very well perceive small live food, which they are easier to digest and eagerly eat. As such, bloodworms, cyclops, mosquito larvae, daphnia, copepods, and tubuli are usually used.
For guppies, a mixed (combined) type of food is also suitable. It provides for feeding fish mainly with dry food with periodic transitions to a living species.
It is strictly not allowed to feed the fish spoiled or expired food. The fact that the feed became unusable is evidenced by the appearance of an unpleasant (usually putrid) smell and the formation of a layer of sticky mucus.
additional information
According to experienced aquarists, guppies do not tolerate loneliness. Such fish should be kept in groups or pairs. A single fish living in an aquarium will not be able to truly delight the eye and will live much less than the time allotted to it.
If the aquarist does not plan to breed guppies, you can restrict yourself to keeping only males. With proper care, a friendly flock of guppy boys with bright and cheerful colors will invariably cheer up their owner and his family for several years.
For guppy fish content see below.
