What Vegetables Can Guppies Eat? Vegetable Preparation Guide
Jaime Douglas
Writer at The Aquarium Keeper
Guppies are known for eating almost anything that fits in their mouth. These colorful fined friends are always up against the glass and are begging for food. If you are a fan or an owner of guppies, it is important to know their dietary requirements, since it is our responsibility as owners to take care of them. You might be surprised, that vegetables can be a good food source for these species. But what kind of vegetables can guppies eat? Continue reading to find out!
Table of Contents
Guppy Diet
To begin, guppies are omnivorous fish, which means they need all sorts of different food, from protein-based to plant-based. In the wild, guppies eat insects and larvae that have fallen into the water, they also graze on plant matter, and algae. In captivity, guppies are usually fed flakes, pellets, blood worms, and brine shrimp.
It is not so popular to feed guppies vegetables since in most cases you need to take extra steps to prepare the vegetable for these fish. Nevertheless, vegetables are very important in the guppy diet, because they are a source of certain nutrients and vitamins, which basic fish food doesn’t have or has very small amounts. It is also healthy to sometimes change what kind of food guppies are being fed for a day, because similar to humans, fish also like to eat different meals, you don’t enjoy eating the same old food every single day, don’t you?
What Vegetables Can Guppies Eat?
There are a lot of different vegetables that you can choose from, and all of them are completely safe for your fish if those vegetables are prepared correctly. It is also important to understand, that vegetables can’t be a permanent food source for guppies. These species need protein in their diet, and I would suggest feeding vegetables only 1-2 times per week. Also make sure not to overfeed your guppies, by only putting the amount of prepared vegetable that your finned friends can eat in 2-3 minutes.
You might also like to read: Can Guppies Eat Betta Food? Guppy Food Guide
Carrot
To begin, the first vegetable on this list is a carrot. This vegetable is one of the easiest to prepare and can be very beneficial to guppies. Carrots are natural antioxidants, are also rich in fiber and vitamins, and can even improve the skin and fin health of your fish.
You will need to peel the skin and wash the carrot with warm water. The second step is to simply cut the carrot into small pieces, and boil them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. After that, be sure to give them a gentle squeeze with your finger, to check if the carrots are soft. Guppies would not be able to eat hard carrots, which is why you need to boil them.
If the carrots are soft, you can break them into very small pieces are feed them to your guppies. Another way of serving this vegetable is simply adding a bigger piece of carrot into the tank. A boiled carrot usually sinks, and your guppies can freely graze the carrot whenever they want to. Make sure to remove the excess food that is left after a couple of hours, because it can start to decompose and alter your water parameters.
Zucchini
Zucchini is another good choice if you want to feed vegetables to the guppies. It is rich in vitamin A and has lots of other beneficial antioxidants, that guppies need in their diet. The preparation of this vegetable is fairly simple: slice some zucchini into medallions, or even smaller species, and boil them for 2-3 minutes. The goal of boiling is to make the vegetable soft, so if it is not in that condition after the initial time, you can boil zucchini even longer.
After you are done boiling zucchini, simply toss it into the tank, and watch your guppies picking at it. Of course, there is a very high chance, that your guppies will not manage to eat the whole zucchini, so be sure to remove the leftovers after a couple of hours.
Peas
Moving on, peas are an excellent vegetable, if your guppies are having digestive problems. Peas have a lot of fiber in them, and can easily help your guppies defecate. You can also use frozen or fresh peas for feeding, guppies will eat both options.
To begin, boil your peas for 2-3 minutes until they become soft. After that, simply remove the skin and crush your peas into soft mush, and feed your guppies. There is very little chance, that a guppy can eat a whole pea, that is why you need to crush it into smaller pieces. If there are any leftovers after some time, be sure to remove them from the tank.
Broccoli
Broccoli can also be fed to guppies but is a more popular food option for fish like plecos and other bottom-dwellers. To begin, simply cut the broccoli into small pieces, and boil it for 2-3 minutes until it becomes soft. After that, let the broccoli cool down, and add it to the tank. Boiled broccoli should sink, and your guppies will definitely try to eat some part of it. After a few hours, simply remove the leftover vegetables from the tank.
Pumpkin
Moving on, pumpkin is another vegetable, that helps with constipation. Guppies are known for eating everything, and sometimes they easily get constipated. Pumpkin is very rich in fiber, and other beneficial vitamins, so you can definitely choose this vegetable as a food source.
Preparing pumpkin is even easier than other vegetables on this list. Simply cut the pumpkin into small pieces, remove the skin and seeds, and that is it, you are ready to feed your guppies some pumpkin. Be sure to remove the leftovers, because that can cloud your water and even change your water parameters.
Potato
Some fish keepers argue that potatoes are not suitable as food for fish, because it can sometimes be hard for them to digest them. Although in some instances this might be true, feeding small amounts of potato to guppies is perfectly fine. Sweet potatoes can also be used food for guppies.
When it comes to potatoes, guppies can eat both boiled and raw, but it is best to feed boiled potatoes only. Raw potatoes are even harder to digest, and guppies are known for getting easily constipated. Preparing a boiled potato for guppies is fairly easy: simply boil the potato until it is not raw, and then peel off the skin. Cut the potato into small pieces and add them to the tank. Be sure to remove the leftovers after a couple of hours.
Spinach
Moving on, spinach has lots of fiber and vitamin C, which is what guppies need in their diet. It is a perfect vegetable for guppies, and can be prepared fairly easily. Guppies can eat raw or boiled spinach since this vegetable is easily digestible.
If you decide to feed raw spinach, simply wash it with warm water, and break it into small pieces. After that, add it to the tank and watch your guppies devour it. You can also simply boil your spinach for 1-2 minutes to make it softer, and then add it to the aquarium.
Lettuce
Lettuce is very similar to spinach, and can also be used as food for guppies. Your fish can also eat raw or boiled lettuce since it is easily digestible. The preparation is the exact same as spinach: wash your lettuce with warm water, boil it if you want to for 1-2 minutes, and then cut it into small pieces and add it into the tank. Remove the leftovers after a couple of hours.
Cucumber
Moving on, cucumber is another easy vegetable, that you can feed to your guppies. Mostly this vegetable is fed to plecos and shrimp, but guppies will also gladly try it. Cut your chosen cucumber into small pieces and boil them for 2-3 minutes. After that be sure to remove the seeds and the jelly parts of the cucumber since that can contaminate your aquarium water. You can then add it to the tank, and watch your fish eat it.
Tomato
Tomatoes are one of the favorite vegetables that fish keepers use for feeding. Guppies can easily digest tomatoes, but it is a little tricky to prepare this vegetable. Tomatoes are fairly watery and jelly, which can be difficult for some people.
You will need to cut your tomatoes into small pieces and boil them until they become soft (usually 2-3 minutes). After that be sure to remove the skin and the seeds of the tomato, and any jelly parts. You only want to feed the tomato part itself, not the skin or seeds. When you are done preparing, simply add your tomato pieces to the tank.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should Guppies be Fed?
Guppies enjoy eating everything, but you can’t overfeed them, because these species can easily develop digestive problems. Try feeding guppies 1 time per day, and only the amount of food that your guppies will eat in 2-3 minutes.
Do Guppies Eat Eachother?
Guppies can show a tendency to be canibalistic if the conditions are very gruesome in the tank. If there is not enough food, or if there is very little space, larger guppies can eat their babies or even harrass smaller guppies!
Writer's Thoughts
Vegetables are a nessecary food source for guppies, but be sure to feed them only 1-2 times per week. You not replace a protein diet for a plant-based one, because guppies mainly need protein, and vegetables to them are like a supplement food source.
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