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If you've ever looked into your aquarium right after adding some food and seen all your guppies
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going gangbuster trying to force down as much food as they can, you will be well aware they
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have healthy appetites. However, you may find yourself asking the question, can guppies die
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from overeating? Hello friends, welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Richard
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and I'm the owner of the fishkeepinganswers.com website. The short answer to this question is yes
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guppies can die from overeating. So if we know they can die from overeating we are left with
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two questions. Why do they die from overeating and how can we prevent that from happening
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Let's start by addressing why guppies might die from overeating. Guppies have evolved in the world
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to eat little and often. They probably eat from the minute the sun comes up to the moment it sets
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Every time they find a tasty morsel of food they eat it. Our guppies may be many many generations
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removed from the wild, but these instincts still hold strong deep down inside the guppy
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In our aquariums we typically feed once or twice a day meaning our guppies have access to a vast quantity of food all in one go As such they will typically gorge themselves which can lead to bloating and constipation
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Unfortunately, when a guppy becomes constipated, the food inside its body may begin to rot
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and this rotting not only causes the levels of bacteria inside the guppy to rise
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which can in itself be fatal, but the guppy can also become bloated
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and bloating can lead to problems with the fish's internal organs. Guppies are small fish and their internal organs are crammed into an impossibly small space
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Inside their tiny bodies, guppies have an organ called a swim bladder
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This organ is common to the vast majority of fish we keep in our aquariums
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The swim bladder's job is to keep the fish neutrally buoyant in the water
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Think of it a bit like their equivalent to our ability to balance
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but it works in all directions, meaning the guppies do not sink to the bottom or float
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to the top of the aquarium. Without a swim bladder guppies would have to expend huge amounts of energy just to stay
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still and upright in the water. If you ever had a fish that had swim bladder issues you will have noticed it found it almost impossible to stay upright in the water Fish with swim bladder problems don usually die from the swim bladder problem itself but rather from complications relating to that issue such as exhaustion lack of food or stress
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A fish's swim bladder is incredibly sensitive and if a guppy is allowed to overeat it may become
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bloated. When guppies become bloated their internal organs can end up moving ever so slightly
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Unfortunately, when a swim bladder gets moved, it throws the guppies ability to remain neutrally
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buoyant into disarray. Even the smallest distortion of the swim bladder can have fatal consequences
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Now, if you are finding this video helpful, please take a moment to tap the like button
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It helps show support for the channel and spread this video to other like-minded people
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So now we know that guppies will overeat, how can we prevent them from doing so
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we should take a two pronged attack. Firstly we need to feed our guppies more frequently
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but in smaller quantities. I will often feed the fish in my fish room 4 or 5 times a day
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but only a pinch or 2 of food at each feeding. This way even if the guppies try and gorge
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themselves there simply won be enough food for any individual guppy to overeat Secondly try and feed your guppies with a varied diet I a self foodaholic and I probably have 10 or more different foods on the go at any one time
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But you don't need to be as obsessed as I am. I would love to know in the comments what you feed your guppies
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I'm always on the lookout for the next best food. Try giving your guppies some flake food in the morning, a mini pellet in the afternoon
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and then maybe some live or frozen food like blood worms, daphnia or mosquito larvae in the evening
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By adding variety you provide your guppies with a mixture of vitamins and minerals
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keeping them healthier overall and you increase the chances that they receive sufficient roughage in their diets
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to prevent constipation and bloat him. Guppies can die from overeating but providing we are aware of the problem
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we can prevent it from happening by taking some simple steps. Another question I'm frequently asked is how often do female guppies have babies
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And I answer that question in the video linked on screen
