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It is easy to see why guppies are one of the most popular fish in the hobby
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They are kept and bred in their millions across the globe. One question I am frequently asked is how long do guppies live
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And in this video, I will not only answer that question, but I will also discuss the factors that typically affect the length of a guppy's life
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I will also share with you my tips for increasing your guppy's lifespan
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Hello friends, welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Richard, and I'm the owner of the fishkeeping answers.com website
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On average, guppies live for between two and four years, although it's not uncommon for some guppies to live even longer than that
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There are many factors that affect how long your guppies might live. Some of these factors are within your control, and others are not
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The first factor is one that is well and truly out of your control, and that is the genetics of your guppies
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Guppies are super easy to breed, and that can lead to some less than scrupulous breeders
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churning out poor-quality guppies that are inbred and genetically weak. In years gone by guppies were bred by breeders who put their name behind their fish They were proud of the guppies they developed and they worked hard to ensure they only bred the highest quality fish These days many guppy strains are developed by fish farms in far corners of the world and typically quantity and profit are favoured over quality
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The next factor that affects guppy's lifespan is the food they're fed
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Guppies are omnivores which means they need a diet based on both meat and vegetable matter
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To give our guppies the best chance of a long, healthy life, they should be fed a good quality flake or pellet food. Ideally, to give your
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guppies a full range of vitamins and minerals, that food should also be interspersed with some
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live or frozen food like bloodworm, daphnea or mosquito larvae. In my experience, feeding
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guppies good quality food not only increases their lifespan, but also boost their ability
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to reproduce and leads to the male showing even brighter colours. Now temperature is another factor
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that can affect how long guppies live for. Essentially, the warmer we keep our guppy aquariums
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the faster their metabolism runs, and the more frequently they breed. The warmer the water
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the faster pace the guppies live their life and therefore typically the shorter their lives will be Guppies kept their entire life at 74 degrees may well live for three to five years whereas guppies that are kept at 82 might only live for one to two years
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Of course, water temperature is only one variable, but there is no doubt, in my experience
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when kept at a cooler temperature, guppies eat less, breed less and typically live longer
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Now if you'll find in value in this video, please take a moment to tap the light button
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It helps show support for the channel and spread this video to others who might enjoy it
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The final factor on my list which affects guppy longevity is water quality
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Guppies are hardy fish, but when they're kept in aquariums where the water quality is less than perfect, their lives can be shortened
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Typically, guppies kept in aquariums with poor quality water can be susceptible to
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bacteria infections including finrop or parasites such as ick. I found carrying out
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frequent partial water changes is one of the best ways to increase the life expectancy of my guppies. On average I will change around 25% of the water in
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each of my guppy aquariums every week I found this to be the best way to keep water quality high and prevent my guppies from becoming susceptible to bacterial infections
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One further thing to take into account that can help increase the life expectancy of guppies
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is reducing stress. Stress is a bit of a catch-all word that can cover dozens of different issues, but in
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the case of our guppies, stress is frequently caused by boisterous tank mates, incorrect water
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parameters, overcrowding or a lack of hiding places. Having too many males to females can also create a stressful situation due to the male's
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over-enthusiastic desire to breed. All of these factors can add up to reduce the lifespan of your guppies
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When we provide ideal living conditions for our guppies, we can expect them to live for
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four or maybe even more years. Guppies' lives can however be cut short when conditions are less than favourable
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Another question I'm frequently asked is why are my guppies always hungry
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I answer that question in the video linked on screen. Thanks for watching
