Fish That Eat Guppies – (9 Interesting Facts)

There are times when you may find yourself keen on knowing which fish eat guppies. That is, for instance, if you have too many guppies in a tank, and you need to do some natural population control. In this article, you will find information on which fish eat guppies, and which ones don’t.

Fish that eat guppies in an aquarium setting include the bigger angelfish, Oscar fish, leopard bush fish as well as clown knife fish. Guppy fry are eaten by bettas, gouramis, swordfish and pufferfish, among many others. In the wild, guppies are food for cichlids, blue acara and red tiger sharks, among many others.

Knowledge on fish that eat guppies can be useful when, for instance, it comes to figuring out what fish not to put with guppies.

It can also be essential when trying to identify the best fish to control guppy population. Having fish that eat guppies fry, for instance, can help you avoid ending up with more guppies in your tank than you can take care of.

What Fish Eat Guppies?

This, in other words, is a question on what kills guppy fish for food.

As it turns out, there is a wide range of fish that eat guppies. This is because guppies are, for the most part, small colorful fish.

Now in answering the question on fish that eat guppies, there are two approaches we can take.

The first is where we focus on freshwater fish that eat guppies first. Then we focus on saltwater fish that eat guppies.

The other approach is where we focus on aquarium fish that eat guppies first. Then we turn to fish that eat guppies in the wild thereafter.

We will go with the second approach.

Therefore let’s start with aquarium fish that eat guppies. And this is where we find that the aquarium fish that eat (adult) guppies include leopard bush fish, clown knife fishes and Oscars. Larger angelfish are also known to eat guppies.

As for aquarium fish that eat guppy fry, the list is longer. It starts with the guppies themselves: as adult guppies are known to eat their very own fry. The list then includes bettas, pufferfish, gouramis and swordfish.

In the wild, cichlids are guppies’ key archenemies. But we also have the likes of red tiger sharks and the blue acaras among those that commonly eat guppies.

Then again, these lists are by no means exhaustive. For instance, if you were to ask, do archer fish eat guppies, the answer would be in the affirmative.

Similarly, if you were to ask, will rainbow fish eat guppy fry, the answer would still be in the affirmative.

Therefore the best thing to assert is that any carnivorous or omnivorous fish with a mouth big enough to ingest a guppy is a potential predator.

Which Fish Eat Adult Guppies?

An example of a fish that is known to eat adult guppies (in the aquarium setting) is the leopard bush fish.

Another example is that of Oscar fish.

Yet another example is that of clown knife fish.

The bigger angelfish do sometimes also get to eat adult guppies.

Therefore these can be the best guppy control fish, even where you happen to be dealing with adult guppies. And if you were to research on what eats feeder guppies, these are also the names you would be most likely to encounter.

In the wild, fish that eat adult guppies will include blue acaras, red tiger sharks and cichlids.

A common question that typically comes up in these discussions on fish that eat guppies is, are guppies aggressive fish? In other words, are guppies aggressive with other fish?

And the answer is that guppies are among the most peaceful fish. They are also rather small in size (and colorful), which makes them easy prey for so many types of fish.

What Fish Will Eat Baby Guppies?

The best fish for eating guppy babies include bettas, gouramis, swordfish and pufferfish. Adult guppies themselves are also prolific eaters of their own fry.

Therefore those are the best predator to eat baby guppies.

They can be useful to you if, for instance, there has been overbreeding in your aquarium – leaving you wondering, what do I do with all these guppies?

In other words, if you are wondering, how do you get rid of unwanted guppies, these natural predators can be very useful to you. They are some of the best fish to control guppy fry.

But we do have to mention that the fish we are making reference to here are only those that commonly pursue and eat guppy fry. But the list is not exhaustive.

For instance, if you were to ask, will angel fish eat baby guppies, the answer would still be ‘yes’. So that is similar to how posing the will betta fish eat guppy fry question yields an affirmative answer.

Frankly, pretty much any fish that eats other fish is a potential predator for baby guppies. They are small enough to fit into almost any fish’ mouth. And they are colorful enough to be easily spotted by almost any fish that is in search of food.

It is just that for some of the biggest fish, these baby guppies are too small to be worth pursuing.

What Aquarium Fish Will Eat Guppies?

Fish that eat guppies in the aquarium setting include the leopard bush fish, clown knife fish and Oscar fish. The bigger angelfish are also on that list.

Those ones are actually able to eat adult guppies. They have mouths big enough to eat adult guppies. And they are agile enough to catch and eat adult guppies.

But what if we expand the list to include fish that eat guppies fry (but not necessarily adult guppies)? Then the likes of betta fish, gouramis, pufferfish and swordfish come in as well.

Even rainbow fish may be able to eat guppy fry.

Therefore if you have too many guppies in an aquarium, and you want to reduce their numbers, introducing such predators can be a worthwhile strategy.

What Fish Won’t Eat Guppies?

Fish that don’t eat guppies include the cory catfish, plecos and mollies. Cardinal tetras are also not known to eat guppies, as are platies.

Therefore if you are trying to figure out what fish you can sustainably keep together with guppies, these would be good choices.

A question that sometimes arises in this context is on what the guppies themselves eat? For instance, what do freshwater guppies eat? More specifically, do they eat other fish?

And the answer is that, for the most part, guppies themselves live off algae and insect larvae. They are not the sort of fish to go hunting for other fish. But they may eat other already dead fish they happen to chance upon.

What Fish Will Not Eat Guppy Fry?

This question, on what fish will not eat baby guppies is one that is commonly posed by people who are considering establishing community aquariums. Those are community aquariums in which guppies are to coexist with other fish.

Fish that don’t eat guppy fry include glass catfish, ottos and blue danios. Neon tetras also don’t commonly eat guppy fry, just like cardinal fish.

Final Verdict – Fish That Eat Guppies

Because guppies are relatively small and colorful fish, there are many other fish that eat them.

In the wild, fish that commonly hunt down and feed on guppies include cichlids, red tiger sharks and blue acaras – among many others.

In the aquarium setting, fish that commonly eat (adult) guppies include the leopard bush fish, the bigger angelfish, Oscar fish and clown knife fish.

Those that may eat guppy fry but not adult guppies in the aquarium include gouramis, betta fish, swordfish and pufferfish.

On the other hand, fish that don’t eat (adult) guppies will include the likes of  plecos, mollies, cory catfish and cardinal tetras.

Fish that don’t eat guppy fry include ottos, neon tetras, glass catfish, blue danios and cardinal fish.

This information on fish that eat guppies and those that don’t may come in handy when trying to figure out which fish to keep together with your guppies.

It can also be helpful in trying to figure out which fish you can use as predators for natural guppy population control.

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! ❤️