Can A Guppy Kill Another Guppy?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Can a guppy kill another guppy? Can Guppies Kill Each Other?

It’s entirely possible that guppies male or female can kill other guppies in their tank

. If you don’t remove a bully or aggressor, then the chances of another guppy in your tank dying are going to increase. While it’s not as likely that they’ll outright kill each other by attacking.

Why is my guppy attacking my other guppy?

Fighting may occur whenever you add a new guppy to the tank or, in some cases, any new fish. The guppies in the tank will begin to fight

to assert dominance over the other fish in the tank

. And if the newly added fish is timid, then they may end up becoming bullied themselves.

Can guppies hurt each other?

They’re known and marketed as peaceful, sociable fish that make a great addition to a community aquarium. So, it comes as a surprise to many, and especially to aquarists that have no previous experience with guppies, that

these fish can become territorial and can become aggressive

.

Do guppies chase each other?

Unlike females,

male guppies have numerous reasons to chase each other constantly through the tank

. They may do so due to: High territorial instincts – Guppies, albeit generally peaceful, are territorial fish and will display territorial behavior.

How many guppies should be kept together?

Generally, you should keep guppies in groups. And ideally, you should keep

at least a trio of guppies

in at least a 5-gallon fish tank. You can keep more than a trio of guppies but then you will also need to increase the tank size of your fish tank according to the number of fish you are going to keep in the tank.

Are my guppies playing or fighting?

Look for signs of fighting, particularly

damaged or frayed fins and tails

. In some cases, fish that are picked on may hide in your tank and you won’t see them very often. You may also discover a dead fish that seems to have died for no apparent reason. Look closely to see if his fins and tail show signs of damage.

How do you stop guppy aggression?


Giving them lots of hiding places

will help reduce the chance of aggression occuring. Not only, can your guppies get away when there are more hiding spots, but they also break lines of sight a lot easier. When lines of sights are broken, then it’s much more likely that a guppy will cease acting aggressively.

Will 2 male guppies fight?

Male guppies have no problem cohabiting. With that said,

male guppies can sometimes exhibit aggression towards other males

. For example, they may chase each other to assert dominance or fight over a female.

How do I know if my fish are playing or fighting?

There will be visible signs if a fish has been attacked in the tank. Such signs include

marks on its body and nips on its fins

. A fish that is injured will shy away from the other fish to give itself time to heal. Territorial fish are likely to be aggressive toward fish of their own species that are of the same sex.

Can I keep 5 male guppies together?


You can keep only male guppies in a tank

. However, when you keep only male guppies in a tank, you will see a lot of aggression and bullying among them. To spread out the aggression, it is recommended to keep at least 6 male guppies in a male-only guppy tank.

How does a pregnant guppy look like?

The easiest way to tell if a guppy is pregnant is to look for

a dark spot under her tail toward the backside of the stomach

. This dark spot is called a gravid patch and as the babies grow, this guppy gravid spot will increase in size while also becoming darker.

How long are guppies pregnant?

Guppy. Guppies are highly prolific livebearers giving birth to between five and 30 fry, though under extreme circumstances, she may give birth to only one or two or over 100. The gestation period of a guppy is typically

21–30 days

, but can vary considerably.

Can you mix guppy types?

Can You Keep Different Types of Guppies Together?

Yes

. I actually recommend this option if you want a more diverse tank. There are nearly 300 species of guppies available with a variety of subspecies and presenting incredible color and pattern variations.

Can you mix male and female guppies?

Now you know that

you can keep male and female guppies together in a tank

. And for the best success and happiness, adding lots of hiding places, keeping more females than males, and keeping the tank conditions perfect are key.

How fast do guppies breed?

A female guppy under optimal conditions can give birth

every 30 days

— and each batch of fry can range from 20 to 50 baby guppies. This combination of maturing rapidly, birthing live young and almost constant reproduction means guppies reproduce very rapidly.

Do guppies like light or dark?


No, guppies don’t need light at night

. Guppies need darkness to sleep and rest properly. Having the aquarium lights on all the time may result in poor sleep quality, sickness, and eventually, death. Guppies need six to eight hours of sleep each day and thus, you should keep the lights off for the same amount of time.

Can guppy tails regrow?

Don’t expect your guppy to regenerate a completely destroyed tail because it’s not going to happen.

Most guppies, however, will regenerate their tail fins within 4 to 6 weeks if the cause of the injuries was mechanical in nature

. If the damages come from fin rot, your guppy may not be able to regenerate it.

How do I know if my guppies are mating?


Male guppies will bend their spine to the side and will start flaring, dancing, and jiggling around female guppies

. I can ensure you, that there is nothing wrong with your fish. This is the mating behavior of guppies. Males will do this mating ritual all day long.

Can you keep a single guppy?

While technically guppies aren’t schooling fish, they do tend to stick around in a group. To answer the question of whether you can keep guppies alone, I’d say

no, guppy fish cannot live alone because they’re social fish that require company

. Plus, having only a single fish in an aquarium is a pretty sad sight.

How many guppies can you have in a 10 gallon tank?

The general rule of thumb is one gallon per one inch of fish. Therefore, in a 10-gallon fish tank, you can add

10 inches worth of guppies

. More precisely, you can keep six males in an aquarium of this size. When it comes to females, you may keep four, but experienced people can push for three.

How often should you feed guppies?

Mature Guppies

Feed adult guppies

once or twice a day

. At least one meal should consist of live food. Unlike young fish, whose frequent meals support rapid development, adults function well with fewer meals.

Is it OK to keep just male guppies?

Is It OKAY to Keep Only Male Guppies?

Yes, it is

. Tanks filled with male guppies-only do exist, but there’s a catch. A male-only guppy population will inevitably lead to war, aggression, and bullying.

How many guppies can I put in a 5 gallon tank?

A 5-gallon aquarium is suitable for a group of

4 or 5 MALE guppies

. Guppies are live-bearing fish, meaning the females give birth to live, free-swimming baby fish.

Do fish play dead?

Let’s revisit the example of the fish playing dead.

Some species play dead to fool other fish, often targeting scavengers as a food source

. The Central American cichlid is a perfect example. In other species, though, this behavior might hint at a health issue.

Do guppies recognize their owners?

They recognize you – Guppies are smarter than most people give them credit for.

They can recognize their owners

, even though they have limited capabilities of showing it. They may see you sticking your hand in their aquarium as an opportunity to greet and interact with you.

What does it mean when a fish follows you?

Because fish often rely upon a complex web of senses beyond sight,

many signals – chemical, hormonal, activity and sound – will attracts them and they know when you are, and will trail you, long before you see them

.

Why do male guppies shake?

Shimmying is a symptom rather than a single disease, and

an indication that a fish no longer has proper control of its nerves and muscles

. It occurs when fish are under severe stress, most often because of environmental problems. The classic scenario is when mollies are kept in soft or acidic water conditions.

Why are male guppies so colorful?

This is quite interesting because in a way genetic mixing is quite small. Male guppies inherit a lot of genes exclusively from their male parents. Scientists found that this

low rate of genetic mixing

enabled the evolution of the colourful appearance of the males, because it was conserved through generations.

Do guppies eat their babies?

How do I know if my guppies are mating?


Male guppies will bend their spine to the side and will start flaring, dancing, and jiggling around female guppies

. I can ensure you, that there is nothing wrong with your fish. This is the mating behavior of guppies. Males will do this mating ritual all day long.

How do I know if my fish are playing or fighting?

There will be visible signs if a fish has been attacked in the tank. Such signs include

marks on its body and nips on its fins

. A fish that is injured will shy away from the other fish to give itself time to heal. Territorial fish are likely to be aggressive toward fish of their own species that are of the same sex.

How do you stop fin nipping?

Do male guppies fight each other?

Anyway, to cut a long story short,

yes, male guppies fight

, and yes, if their fins are repeatedly damaged then problems like finrot can occur. They may calm down once a pecking order is established, but don’t bank on it.

Do male guppies fight each other?

Anyway, to cut a long story short,

yes, male guppies fight

, and yes, if their fins are repeatedly damaged then problems like finrot can occur. They may calm down once a pecking order is established, but don’t bank on it.

Jasmine Sibley
Author
Jasmine Sibley
Jasmine is a DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting and design. She has written several blog posts on crafting and has been featured in various DIY websites. Jasmine's expertise in sewing, knitting, and woodworking will help you create beautiful and unique projects.