Guppy fish love to have aquarium plants in their tank. The plants help to make the fish feel more relaxed in their environment and can also help to keep the environment healthy.
The best aquarium plants for guppys are
- Java moss
- Amazon Sword
- Java Fern
- Hornwort
- Moneywort
- Chain Sword
- Anubias Barteri
- Amazon Frogbit
- African fern
- Anacharis
Guppies are one of the biggest plant lovers, and the presence of plants in their environment makes them happy and healthy.
Guppies love green plants that can provide a hiding place for them. This is because guppies are skittish and are easily frightened. The presence of the above plants can make the guppies happier in the aquarium.
Are You Looking To Keep Guppies? If yes check out our care guide here
Best Aquarium Plants for Guppies
So, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 plants for guppies in an aquarium.
Java Moss
| Growth Rates : | Medium |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 10 – 15 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Guppies love to have the simple freshwater type of java moss in their environment. This plant can easily fit into the aquarium because of its size and it can easily anchor to the bottom of the aquarium. Its long stringy leaves make it a perfect hiding place for guppies.
The presence of java moss in an aquarium can also be of more advantage because it serves as a natural filter, and it can be grown without CO2 or fertilizer. Java Moss is available to purchase on Amazon
Hornwort
| Growth Rates : | Medium |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 15 – 20 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Hornwort is a moss-like plant that is suitable and cool for guppy tanks. Hornwort is suitable for guppy tanks because of it is a leafy and moss-like plant. The leaves provide a good hiding place for guppies and also provide them with a nice green view. Hornwort can be easily grown, and it also serves as a good water filter.
Java Fern
| Growth Rates : | Large |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 10 – 15usd (Available On Amazon) |
Java Fern has its origin from the Philippines. It is a very clean plant that appears like a hybrid of java moss and Amazon sword. The shape of Java fern provides a perfect hiding place for guppies and allows them to swim under. The java fern is easily anchored at the bottom of the aquarium. They also help filter the aquarium water.
Amazon Sword
| Growth Rates : | Small |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 25 – 30 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Amazon sword as the name implies, is a beautiful plant from amazon. It is the most recommended choice for beginners because it can thrive in varying environmental conditions. The long, wide and flowering leaves of the plants provide a good hiding place for guppies. They also appear to have lots of fun while swimming around this plant. Another unique thing about the plant is that 3 different species of Amazon Swords can fit for aquarium perfectly.
Chain Sword
| Growth Rates : | Small |
| Difficulty Level : | Medium |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 10 – 15 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Chain Sword is one of the easiest plants that you can add to your aquarium for guppies. It can cope with fairly low lighting and with minimal CO2. Likewise, it does not require much plant care, making it suitable for beginners. These plants have tall and wide leaves that provide an ideal hiding place for guppies.
Anubias Barteri
| Growth Rates : | Medium |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 10-15usd (Available On Amazon) |
Anubias Barteri is an ideal plant for fairly shallow and small aquariums. It has wide and broad leaves, but its overall growth fits into aquariums. The nature of this leaves makes it ideal for guppies to hide under. Not just that, Anubias Barteri can create beneficial biofilms, and can also help water filtration of the tank as well.
Moneywort
| Growth Rates : | Small |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 20 – 25 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Moneywort is a plant that is more ideal for larger aquariums because of its size. The plants have nice views because of its long thing flower-like stems, as well as rounded, flat and short leaves. Aside from the nice views that it provides, Moneywort can also provide a hiding place for guppies, produce beneficial biofilms, and helps to filter out water.
Amazon Frogbit
| Growth Rates : | Small |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 15 – 20 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Amazon Frogbit is unique because it floats on top of the water and does not require any substrate. It has wide rounded leaves that provide shades for guppies while also providing a hiding place for them. This plant does not need any special care except for occasional trimming because of its rapid growth.
Anacharis
| Growth Rates : | Medium |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 20 – 25 usd (Available On Amazon) |
Anacharis is one of the live aquarium plants that does not require any special condition. It is more suitable for larger aquarium because of its size and rapid growth. It keeps guppies at all times because of the nature of its leaves. This plant has long stems with smaller leaves, making it easy for guppies to swim and play around it.
African Fern
| Growth Rates : | Large |
| Difficulty Level : | Beginner |
| Water Type : | Fresh Water |
| Price : | 20 – 25usd (Available On Amazon) |
African fern is a very beautiful plant that is suitable for guppies. It has a broad wide and pointed leaves that provide a good hiding place for guppies. However, African fern needs to keep under certain conditions like a good level of CO2, good nutrient, and good lighting conditions for it to grow healthy and maintain a good growth cycle.
Do Guppies Need Live Plants?
Guppies do not need like plants but they really do love to have plants in their tank. There are many benefits of keeping live aquarium plants in your tank which will help your guppies keep healthy.
Live aquarium plants will help to keep the water clean and reduce the risk of algae appearing in your tank. Check out this article I wrote about guppies and algae.
The plants will also help to keep the water parameters balanced as well as adding oxygen to the water.
So what live plants will guppies eat? They will eat all plants when they are hungry
Do Guppies Eat Live Aquarium Plants?
Guppies will always eat live plants that you put in to the aquarium. They will only nibble at the plants if they are hungry and can not find anything to eat.
If you want your aquirium plants to survive you will need to feed your guppies twice a day fish flakes to keep them from eating the plants.
Do Guppies Eat Floating Plants?
Adult guppies will typically not eat floating plants, the reason is because only the plants root will be available to get at by the guppy.
Having said that the roots will host small creatures such as icrofauna such seed shrimps, copepods and other small creatures which make a perfect meal for guppy fry due to there size.
Do Guppies Like Heavily Planted Tanks?
Guppies love heavily planted tanks at they give them lots of places to hide and explore. Having a heavily planted tank will also promote breeding between guppies.
And when the fry hatch it will also give them many places to hide which is very important when they are young.
If you do plan to have a heavily planted tank just make sure there is enough open space for your guppies to swim in.
Can Too Many Live Plants Kill Guppies?
Having to many plants will not kill guppy fish, but if the plants are not well looked after it could lead to issues which could kill your guppies.
For example if the plants get a lot of sunlight which in turn the plant will produce more oxygen and also raise the pH level of the tanks water. If you do plan to keep a lot of plants in the tank make sure to check the water condition using an aquarium water test kit.
If plants die they must be removed from the water as soon as possible. A plant that has died will release harmful bacteria in to the water which can make your guppies ill
Conclusion
Guppies love plants in their environment. Aside from the fact that it helps stimulate their natural environment, it also provides them with good hiding place to get away from the disturbing tank mate.
Most fish love aquarium plants to be present in their environments, particularly in aquariums. Aside from the fact that the presence of plant help them simulate their natural environment, it can also make them feel comfortable and thrive better.
Guppies are peaceful fish, hence they love plants that can complement their peaceful life. Guppies like plants that allows them to swim underwater, and also provide shelter for them. Likewise, they like plants that can provide cover for them because they are easily frightened and are susceptible to aggressive tank mates. They also like both floating plants, and plants that are close to the bottom of the tank as both serve different purposes for them.
Guppies also show a preference for plants that they can nibble on and plants that can hold their eggs as well. Guppies also prefer live plants to plastic plants in an aquarium. This is because plastic plants don’t filter water and the guppies cannot eat them.
Nevertheless, having just any plant in your aquarium is not enough, it is important to choose suitable plants for your guppies. When it comes to the best aquarium plants for guppies, the above plants are top choices to consider. Always bear it in mind that guppies prefer green plants that give them beautiful views, provide shades, and also provide them with an ideal hiding place.
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