How Many Guppies In A 5 Gallon Tank?
By Dr. Luqman Javed, DVM (Vet)
Updated on
Guppies are great little fish and they can come in many color variations. They are pretty hardy fish, and keeping them is not too hard. Therefore, they make good fish for beginners like kids or just first-time fish owners in general.
They are resilient, easy to feed, can handle varying water conditions, and they are not too large either. You probably need to know how to house guppies, especially when it comes to keeping them in a tank. Let’s talk about how big guppies grow, how much tank space they need, and how many guppies in a 5-gallon tank are ideal. Keeping more than 3 or 4 guppies is not recommended.
How Big Do Guppies Grow?
Generally speaking, no guppy is going to grow to be longer than 2 inches in length. As we said, these are relatively small fish, which does bring a certain level of convenience for anyone who owns them. Although female guppies will usually grow to around 2 inches long, males tend to be a little shorter and will usually only grow to around 1.5 inches in length. These guys might be small, but their appearance, especially their vastly different colors, has always been a big selling point for the little fish.
How Many Guppies In a 5-Gallon Tank?
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to guppies. Despite their small size, they’re relatively active and they produce a high amount of waste, or bioload, when compared to other fish that reach similar sizes. This means that they need a lot of space.
Guppies are also shoaling fish, this means that they are social and do appreciate the company of their conspecifics, however, unlike schooling fish, they don’t huddle closely together and don’t necessarily require large numbers of their species to feel comfortable. In a group, males often actively chase females around on a near-constant basis, and therefore, space is considered a necessity for these fish to thrive. It provides females with the assurance that they can swim away from the males whenever necessary, and it provides males with the assurance that there are new places to explore where they may find other females.
Perhaps not surprisingly, although just as tragically, many people new to the hobby find that their precious collection of colorful guppies don’t last long in a small aquarium. It’s recommended that a guppy be housed in an aquarium that’s at least 8–10 gallons in volume. Such an aquarium can be either rectangular or square; guppies tend to swim all over an aquarium.
A 5-gallon aquarium is considered somewhat cramped for an adult guppy, and housing more than one guppy in such an aquarium isn’t ideal. If you do have a 5-gallon aquarium and are considering guppies, it’s best to invest in a larger aquarium.
However, a 5-gallon aquarium is considered acceptable as a temporary housing aquarium for a guppy. There are several scenarios where this may be useful:
- Hospital Tank: If you want to isolate an injured or unwell guppy until they recover, a 5-gallon aquarium is a fantastic option to consider as a hospital tank; its smaller volume also makes dosing medication more economica
- Birthing Tank: Guppies indiscriminately eat their young whenever the opportunity arises. A 5-gallon aquarium is a great birthing tank. With plenty of plants, cover, and more importantly, no other guppies nearby, a female would definitely be comfortable giving birth to her babies (fry) in such a space.
- Nursery: Guppies give birth to multiple fry at once, and they’re extremely tiny! Once your female has given birth in a 5-gallon tank, it’s convenient to just remove her from the space and use the space as a nursery for your new guppies.
Other Guppy-Keeping Tips
A Suitable Filter
Make sure to have a good filtration unit that engages in all three major types of filtration. All three types, including mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration are important. However, the most important aspect is to have a good biological filtration system. Also, it’s best to ensure that you have a pretty fine substrate, a few good plants, and a decent lighting system.
Temperature
Guppies are able to adapt to a wide range of tropical water temperatures. They can be kept in temperatures ranging from 18–28oC (64.4–82.4oF). The most important aspect of temperature regulation for pet fish (including guppies) is to ensure that it remains constant; fluctuating temperatures can cause stress to pet fish.
To ensure that your temperature is steady, it’s best to use a water heater. In addition, ensure that your heater has enough wattage to heat the entire volume of your tank. The water heater should be set to a thermostat setting higher than the ambient temperature of the room the aquarium is in. This ensures that your heater works to keep the temperature steady.
For example, if your room temperature is 65oF, setting the heater setting to 70oF will ensure that it keeps your aquarium temperature stable. If your room temperature exceeds 70oF, the heater will not function consistently.
Feeding
A sinking fish pellet intended for small tropical omnivorous fish is considered acceptable for guppies. Other options include fish flakes; however, it’s best to pre-soak these in some aquarium water a minute or so before feeding them to your fish. You can also supplement some meals with freeze-dried krill, baby mealworms, and insect larvae.
Tank Mates
Guppies are peaceful, which means that you should keep them with other peaceful community fish. They won’t do too well with fish that are much larger, faster, or more aggressive. While these little guys look cool, they won’t be able to stand up to larger and more aggressive fish too well. In addition, you’ll need a much larger aquarium for a community setup. A good starting point if you’re considering a community setup is a 30-gallon aquarium.
FAQs
How Many Guppies Should I Get?
Guppies are shoaling fish; this means that they prefer each other’s company but don’t necessarily need it in order to thrive. It also means that some guppies may harass others at times, especially if they feel stressed. If necessary, they can be kept alone. For instance, you might keep one alone on a temporary basis in a 5-gallon aquarium.
It’s important to keep in mind that guppies, when kept in groups, should be in a ratio of at least 2 females per male. The more females per male, the better. This is because the males relentlessly chase the females around on a near constant basis; having more females per male gives each female some downtime from the unwanted attention of males keen to breed.
How Many Guppies In a 3-Gallon Tank?
Generally speaking, you don’t want to house a guppy in a 3-gallon tank on a long-term basis. Such an aquarium should only be used as a hospital tank if necessary.
How Many Guppies Can You Have In a 10-Gallon Tank?
You can keep five guppies in a 10-gallon tank and they should be fairly comfortable. The recommended male to female ratio for such a tank is 2 males and 3 females, or 1 male and 4 females. Alternatively, you can also keep an all-male or an all-female setup if desired.
Conclusion
Guppies are fascinating, colorful, active fish that are often sought by both novice and experienced fish keepers. However, despite their relatively small size, they need considerable amounts of space. Therefore, in a 5-gallon tank, keeping more than one adult guppy on a temporary basis is not recommended. Nonetheless, a 5-gallon aquarium can serve other purposes for your guppies, and is definitely worth considering for these applications.
Featured Image Credit: panpilai paipa, Shutterstock
