Guppies can live alone. However, the size of your tank should determine the number of guppies. You can keep a single guppy in a relatively small tank. Several guppies in a small tank will cramp them for space. But in a large tank, you should keep more guppies as they tend to enjoy having company.
Now, if you keep a single guppy in the fish tank, there are certain things that you need to consider. So let’s understand in detail every aspect of keeping a guppy alone.
Can Only Male Or Female Guppies Live By Themselves?
Male and female guppies can certainly live by themselves.
Keeping only a male or female guppy is entirely up to you.
A male guppy is more colorful than a female guppy.
So, a lot of people prefer to keep a male guppy as it makes their tank look colorful and vibrant.
In addition to that, keeping only one male guppy or just one female guppy by itself also reduces the risk of harassment and stress.
However, if you keep only a male or a female guppy, they cannot mate, and so your number of guppies will not increase.
You need to keep that in mind.
Alright! Now that you know that male and female guppies can live by themselves, can they get lonely?
Do Guppies Get Lonely?
Any living creature loves to be in good company. Guppies are no different.
They also like to be in the company of their own species or any other non-aggressive species.
Guppies do not feel lonely. Unlike humans, fish species do not have any strong feelings or emotions.
However, they do have an urge to breed a lot.
So, it is better to keep two or more guppies together rather than keeping them alone.
But if you still decide to keep your guppy alone, then the next question that might come to your mind is, will your guppy feel stressed and die due to loneliness?
Can Guppies Die Of Loneliness?
Guppies do not have emotions like any other species of fish.
So guppies do not die due to loneliness, but they can die if they get stressed.
If you keep a single guppy, chances are there that your guppy might get jaded.
And that can lead to stress and eventually death.
To avoid this, you can decorate the tank with plants to make your guppy feel comfortable.
This way, you will avoid any risk of causing stress to your guppy.
Okay! Now, if you have made up your mind to keep your guppy alone, you should start thinking about the tank size.
Can A Guppy Live Alone In A Small Fish Tank?
Guppy can live alone in a small fish tank.
Ideally, you should keep just one guppy is a small fish tank.
If you keep multiple guppies in a small fish tank, then they will not have enough space to move around.
This can stress out your guppies, and they can die due to the stress.
So, if you have a small fish tank, then definitely consider keeping only one guppy in it.
Having said that, you should also keep in mind that guppies are shoaling fish.
So, if you can, you should think of getting a bigger tank so that you can keep several guppies together.
That way, you will ensure that your guppies can mate and multiply.
Okay! We have talked a lot about grown-up guppies. But, what about baby guppies?
Is It A Problem If You Keep A Baby Guppy Alone? Does A Baby Guppy Have To Interact With Other Guppies?
Guppies are shoaling fish.
It means that they usually hang out together and interact with each other or other fish in the tank on a regular basis.
Your guppy fry will interact with other friendly or smaller fish as long as they aren’t big enough to eat them.
Since guppies are friendly in nature, interaction is necessary for their optimal development.
So it is not advisable to keep your baby guppy alone.
If you fear that your guppy fry will be eaten by other guppies, then you can put a partition in between the tank.
Putting a partition will serve both the purposes.
Your guppy fry will not be alone, and at the same time, it can see and interact with other guppies.
Do Guppies Need To Be In Groups?
Guppies do well when kept in large groups.
They co-exist peacefully with other non-aggressive or small to medium-size species of aquarium fish.
You will find your guppies happy and comfortable in the tank if they are kept in groups.
However, guppies do not like commotion, and they usually thrive in well-oxygenated water.
So when you keep your guppies in groups, just ensure that they have enough space in the tank to swim around comfortably, just like their natural habitat.
Alright! Now that you know guppies prefer to be in groups, the next question that comes up is…
How Many Guppies Should Be Kept Together?
The number of guppies that you can keep together depends on the tank size.
If you have a relatively large tank, you can keep 3 to 5 guppies per 10 gallons of the fish tank.
The ideal ratio is 1 guppy per 2 gallons of water.
And if you keep male and female guppies together in the same tank, then the ideal male to female ratio is 2:1.
That means 2 female guppies to each male guppy.
Also, note that you should not keep too many guppies in the same tank other than what is suggested above.
If you keep too many guppies together, then your guppies may feel sick, timid, stressed, or even become aggressive.
