Do Plecos Eat Guppies? -

Plecos are one of the favorites of fish keepers for keeping a fish tank clean. They are excellent at keeping algae off of your glass and decorations. They make an excellent clean up crew. But let’s dive into if your guppies are safe or not.

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Will plecos eat guppies?

Plecos are fairly friendly fish and don’t actively hunt fish. This includes guppies.

Plecos are scavenger fish. They are like vultures or hyenas. They will look for easy food that doesn’t fight back or run away.

They will definitely eat other fish but only if it was dead first. So if you see your pleco chowing down on a fish in your tank something else killed it.

There is no need to worry even if they wanted to hunt your guppies (which they don’t) they don’t even have the body structure or the skills to hunt fish.

Do plecos eat guppy fry or guppy babies?

Plecos equally don’t have any interest in eating guppy fry or babies.

Many people are concerned about their guppy fry because they are small and vulnerable. And have no way of protecting themselves.

One reason people are concerned about their plecos eating their guppy fry is that they have heard the common saying that if it fits in a fish’s mouth they will eat it.

This is true for most fish but plecos aren’t willing to put the effort out to catch guppy’s babies.

The bigger threat to guppy fry or guppy babies is actually their own parents. Guppies often eat more of their own babies than any of their tank mates.

Guppies don’t have any parental instincts. Which they don’t need due to their babies being born fully able to take care of themselves.

Do plecos attack guppies?

Plecos are for the most part a peaceful fish. They will not go out and attack your guppies.

That being said plecos are a territorial fish, especially the males. Plecos are a cave dwelling fish so they will find a cave, tight space, or a decoration to hide in.

So while they won’t go out and bully or attack you guppies they will defend their special space from other fish.

Can plecos and guppies live together?

Yes, plecos and guppies are compatible tank mates. I keep guppies and plecos together in many of my fish tanks and they get along really well.

Plecos feel safer when they see fish swimming above them because if there was a predator or some other type of threat around then the top dwelling fish scatter and hide.

So when your pleco sees fish above it, like your guppies, then they know there is no danger.

Also one of the great parts of keeping guppies and plecos together is that they occupy different parts of the tank. Which is nice because more of your tank space is used.

Guppies like the top of the tank and always waiting for food to hit the top of the water and plecos like the bottom of the tank and hide till night time.

Since they live in different parts of the tank, plecos will rarely if ever need to defend their cave or special spot from a guppy. So the aggression that comes from plecos defending their territory will rarely if ever happen.

Category	Pleco	Guppy
Size	Can grow up to 2 feet (60 cm) depending on species	Small, usually 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm)
Tank Size	Depending on species 10-55 gallon tank	Can live in a small tank, 10-20 gallons (38-76 liters)
Water Parameters	Prefer warmer water (75-82°F or 24-28°C), pH between 6.5-7.5, and soft to moderately hard water	Prefer warmer water (75-82°F or 24-28°C), pH between 7.0-8.0, and hard water
Diet	Omnivorous, will eat algae and sinking pellets or wafers	Omnivorous, will eat flakes or pellets, and also benefit from live or frozen foods
Tank Mates	Peaceful fish and can be kept with most fish.	Peaceful and can be kept with other community fish
Behavior	Nocturnal, prefer hiding places	Active and social
Breeding	Difficult to breed in captivity	Easy to breed, females can give birth to up to 200 fry
Lifespan	Can live up to 20 years	Can live up to 5 years

Tips for keeping guppies and plecos

Plecos tips

-You should always have a cave or hiding place for your pleco. Plecos in the wild hide most of the day and only come out at night to feed. Their cave is their home and what makes them feel safe.

-Plecos prefer temperatures between 75-82 Fahrenheit. They are a tropical fish from South America and need those temperatures to thrive.

-Plecos like clean water so it is suggested to do a water change of 25% or more each week.

-Plecos aren’t a schooling fish so you don’t need more than one. If you do choose to have more than one pleco make sure you have 5 gallons per pleco and there is a hiding space for each one.

-Feed your plecos!!! Many people think because their pleco is the clean up crew in the tank they don’t need to feed them. Make sure that some food reaches the bottom of the tank for them. I suggest putting in an algae wafer as you turn off the lights so that your pleco can eat without other fish trying to steal it.

-Plecos love high amounts of oxygen in a tank so having a good filtration in the tank is a must. I prefer sponge filters but any type of filter can work as long as it is adequate for the tank size you have.

Guppy tips

-Guppies can be extremely hardy fish but with new coke strains and types their genetics aren’t as strong as they used to be 10-15 years ago. Take good care of your guppies.

-Guppies in the wild have a heavy protein diet so you should try to copy this in your tank. When picking out a protein based food look for foods that have a specific protein like bugs or a specific fish. If fish meal is the first ingredient then it’s likely a low grade food.

-Guppies are happiest in a clean tank. To achieve this it is suggested to do frequent water changes. I would suggest 25% weekly.

-Guppies are susceptible to fin rot and ich. Guppies have a much lower chance of getting these diseases if they live in a warm tank. I would suggest keeping the tank temperature above 75 degrees Fahrenheit but below 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Plecos and guppies are great fish tank companions. Plecos will not eat your guppies, their fry, or babies. This peaceful fish is one of my favorites and I hope to see it in your tanks with your guppies.