Can Guppies Live In Saltwater? 7 Clear Saltwater Guppies Facts

Petting guppies isn’t an easy task, it comes with a lot to learn especially to completely understand the way guppies live. Many people don’t know what type of water guppies live in if they live in saltwater or freshwater. Some even think that guppies can live only in freshwater.

Can guppies live in saltwater? Yes, guppies can live in freshwater and saltwater. Guppies are flexible enough to stay on both types of waters but the owner should understand that acclimation of guppies from saltwater to freshwater or vice versa shouldn’t be done too frequently or immediately.

Can Guppies Live In Saltwater?

Guppies are extremely exotic and good to pet fishes and they are very flexible when it comes to their terrarium. One of the most important questions that an owner may ask for their saltwater guppies – Can guppies live in saltwater? Yes, guppies in saltwater tank can be easily kept. However, owners are required to take extra care if they are putting their guppies in saltwater tanks.

Do guppies need salt? Guppies are flexible enough to live in freshwater as well as saltwater.

How To Convert Guppies To Saltwater

Can guppies be in saltwater and how to acclimate them? Yes, guppies can live in saltwater. The owner is required to be very careful when they are adding their guppies to saltwater. Guppies can only bear around 140-150% of salinity in seawater.

Many owners don’t know this but guppies can survive in freshwater and brackish water. However, guppies prefer being in freshwater or even brackish water but in the wild, their natural habitat is brackish water.

An owner can easily mimic the natural habitat- brackish water in their tanks. To prepare a tank that comprises brackish water, the owner should follow the below steps: 

• At first, the owner would need a hydrometer to measure the gravity of the tank. In addition, the owner should also avoid using a tank that has metal framing, hoods, thermometers that are not required and should be avoided by the owner in a brackish water tank. 
• Now the owner is required to add unchlorinated freshwater to the tank.
• As per the direction, the owner should add the required amount of marine salt. The owner should never use freshwater aquarium salt or table salt. You can get marine salt easily at any local pet store. 
• Once the salt is added to the tank, the owner should mix it up with water, till the water gets clear and the salt gets fully dissolved. 
• The owner should check if they have added the right amount of salt that brackish water requires. It can be done with a hydrometer. Brackish water has a density of around 1.003- 1.010. The owner should adjust the salt in water by adding more fresh water to decrease the proportion of salt or by adding more salt in the same quantity of water to increase the salt in water. 
• The tank should be properly cycled, the owner should check the temperature, pH of water (pH levels should be around 7 to 7.6) and water gravity should also be checked before adding guppies in it. 
• If the owner is transitioning guppies from freshwater to brackish water. It shouldn’t be done immediately. In that case, the owner should wait and add brackish water gradually. Adding 20-25% of the water once than adding more water every week until the tank gets to the required gravity.

Are Guppies Freshwater Or Saltwater Fish?

Do guppies live in freshwater or saltwater? Guppies can live in freshwater, marine water, and even brackish water. Guppies are flexible fishes that can be kept in brackish, fresh, and marine water.

However, the owner should understand that it can often become very difficult for guppies to live in saltwater if it is not taken care of properly. So the owner should properly maintain the saltwater if they are keeping their pets in saltwater.

Can guppies live in saltwater after buying them? When adopting guppies the owner should ask the pet stores if their guppies were raised in high mineral concentration or if they were raised in salinity. If that is the case the guppies would need salt in their water. However, if the water in which the guppies were raised contained a lot of minerals, then salt is not required.

Furthermore, the owner should understand that they should never add too much salt in the tank of guppies as it may deteriorate their health, damaging the kidneys of guppies, which can lead to early death.

How Much Salt Should You Put In Your Guppy Tank?

Guppies in brackish water require a specific amount of salt. The quantity of salt depends on the size of the tank and the quantity of water. To give an idea, it is best to use one tablespoon of salt for every 10 gallons of water. If the water is already saline, then it is best to not add salt at all.

Process Of Acclimating Guppies To Saltwater

Before understanding the process of acclimation, the first question that owners have for saltwater guppies – Can guppies live in saltwater after living in freshwater? Yes, it is possible, but the owner should never do such changes frequently. It can have harmful effects on guppies.

If the owner wants to acclimate their guppies from freshwater to brackish water or vice versa. It is best to not change the water immediately, it will be bad and would increase the stress levels in fish and if the fish is very sensitive, sudden change of water may lead to death.

If the owner wants to acclimate their guppy salt water, they should first prepare the brackish water in a separate tank or bucket, then add it gradually, like adding 25% of brackish water every week, until the whole water furnishes required density and same goes when an owner wants to change water from brackish to freshwater.

To keep the guppies healthy, the owner should know the required water temperature that is 72-82° F, water pH levels should be 6.8 – 7.8 and the hardness of the water should be between 8 – 12 GH.

Are There Saltwater Guppies?

There are no different guppies that can live in saltwater. All guppies can live in saltwater.

Can guppies be kept in saltwater? Yes, guppies can be kept in saltwater. Some owners may ask, are guppies saltwater fish? In the wild, guppies live in brackish water, however, they can also live in freshwater. Many owners ask where to adopt saltwater guppies for sale? The owner can get guppies from local pet stores.

Saltwater Fish That Eat Guppies

Many fishes can eat guppies. However, it is not recommended feeding saltwater fish guppies to other fishes. Some of the fishes that eat guppies include: large angelfish, cichlids, jumping guanine, leopard bush fish, goldfish, blue acara, and clown knife fish.

Final Verdict – Saltwater Guppies – Can Guppies Live In Saltwater

The most common question in regards to saltwater guppies – Can guppies live in saltwater? Yes, guppies can live both in saltwater and freshwater. Guppies are very flexible to integrate into both types of water. Though they live in brackish water in the wild, they would prefer freshwater.

It is also recommended to use freshwater because it often becomes difficult for owners to provide the proper care that a saltwater tank demands. If talking of guppies, they can live in saltwater and freshwater as well.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet fish a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️