Guppies are great beginner friendly fish and can live in indoor aquariums as well as outdoor ponds. If you own guppies or are looking to get guppies you will need to know the ideal water conditions for them.
Can You Keep Guppies In Cold Water? Guppies are hardy fish and can live in cold water down to 60 °F, but the ideal temperature for guppies to thrive in is 72-82 °F they will not thrive in lower temperatures and will most likely develop issues as diseases.
- Less Active : Guppies are cold blooded and work the same as a lizard, they require heat to become active, they will become lethargic without heat.
- Less Likely To Bread : Guppies are also less likely to bread in lower temperature water, In fact if they do bread the young fish are less likely to survive as they are more fragile to the lower temperature.
- Slower To Grow : Guppies thrive in warmer temperatures and as such will grow at a much healthier rate than in cooler temperatures
- More Open To Diseases : Guppies are more likely to develop diseases in cooler water
So as you can see it is important to give the fish ideal living conditions so they can thrive.
The best way to maintain a water temperature of around 72-82 °F (22-28 °C) is to use an aquarium water heater. I can recommend the FREESEA Aquarium Fish Tank Submersible Heater from amazon.
Keeping Guppies in Cold Water
Guppies are actually tropical fish which naturally prefer warmer waters, They are also hardy fish which can survive in conditions outside of there recommended conditions (72-82 °F / 22-28 °C)
I have kept guppies for most of my life and have kept them in cooler temperatures as well, Below I have a few tips for you if you wish to keep them in cooler water.
Leave Your Central Heating on 24 / 7
If you live in a cold country (I live in the UK) keep your central heating on 24 / 7 during the colder months. Yes this will cost you a lot more in heating costs but it will insure the guppies are comfortable.
One year I went away for Christmas (Winter time) and forgot to leave the heating on, As you can imagine the fish struggled whist I was away 🙁
Put The Tank Near A Window
If you put the tank near the window it will benefit from getting direct sun light which the fish love. This will help to heat the fish up and make them more active.
Put The Tank Near A Radiator
If you have a radiator that you can place the tank next to I recommend to do this. When the radiator it hot it will transfer the heat to the tank, The tank water will then be able to keep the heat for a few hours.
Typically guppies do not like changes in water temperature so if you are heating up the tank and letting it cool down frequently the fish could react to it overtime.
Regulate The Water Temperature With Temperature Control
Guppy fish thrive the most when they have a water temperature of around 72-82 °F (22-28 °C) Guppies can also benefit from not having constant changes to the water temperature.
The best way to maintain a water temperature of around 72-82 °F (22-28 °C) is to use an aquarium water heater. I can recommend the FREESEA Aquarium Fish Tank Submersible Heater from amazon.
With this heater you can just set it to the required temperature via the temperature function. When the water temperature reaches the specified temperature value the heater will automatically stop heating. Then when the water temperature is lower than the set temperature the heater will automatically start heating.
You will need to buy the correct size heater depending on your tank size.
5 Gallon / 20 Liter = 25 W Heater
10 Gallon / 40 Liter = 50 W Heater
20 Gallon / 80 Liter = 100 W Heater
25 Gallon / 95 Liter = 125 W Heater
40 Gallon / 150 Liter = 200 W Heater
50 Gallon / 190 Liter = 250 W Heater
65 Gallon / 250 Liter = 2 X 200 W Heater
75 Gallon / 285 Liter = 2 x 300 W Heater
For piece of mind I would buy a aquarium thermometer (Shown Below) and place it on the front of the tank so you can monitor what the current temperature of the water is.
Can You Keep Guppies In An Outdoor Pond?
Guppies can happily live in a pond outside as long as the temperature does not drop below 68 °F (20 °C. If the temperature is going to drop below 68 °F (20 °C) it is recommended to move the Guppies to an aquarium inside.
You can buy outdoor pond heaters which will enable the fish to stay in the outdoor pond all year round, but these pumps can be expensive to run.
If you do plan to keep guppies in an outdoor pond you can expect them to be lethargic during the colder hours of the day and more energetic during the warmer hours.
I recently came across this interesting article where someone kept guppies in a pond outside to see what temperatures they could withstand. It seemed they could survive in temperatures of 50 – 60 °F but when it went down to 42 °F sadly the guppies did not survive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Listed below are the frequently asked questions on this subject. If you have a question that is not listed below please post it in a comment at the end of this article.
Will guppies die in cold water? Guppies are hardy tropical fish and can survive in cold water at around 60°F. At this temperature guppies will have less energy, will bread less and more open to diseases
Do guppies need heated water? Guppies are tropical fish and it is recommended to keep them in water temperatures of around 72-82 °F (22-28 °C). They can survive in colder water but they will not thrive. You will need to buy a aquarium heater to keep the water temperature at the recommended level.
Can guppies survive in tap water? Guppies are a freshwater fish, but you may not be able to use water straight from the tap. … You could buy water for the tank, or you could use tap water and leave it in an uncovered container for 24 hours. This lets the chlorine evaporate.
At what temperature do guppies die? When the water temperature reaches 82 °F / 28 °C the oxygen level becomes very low and the fish can suffocate as a result.
Can Guppies live in 85 degree water? Guppies are hardy tropical fish and can survive a wide range of water temperature, It is recommended not to keep them in water hotter than 82 °F / 28 °C as the oxygen level becomes very low and the fish can suffocate as a result.
Can guppies survive the winter?
What is the best temperature for breeding guppies?
Are guppies cold water fish?
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