Guppies are the most common fish every aquarist prefers to add to their aquarium due to their hardy nature and peaceful temperament. They are easy to take care of and live peacefully in a community tank with other peaceful fish.
Guppies sometimes show some strange behavior of disappearing, which panic the owners. However, you should know some essential things when encountering such a situation of guppy fish disappearing. So let us know the reason behind guppy fish disappeared from tank.
Your guppy fish disappeared due to these reasons:
- Guppy fish has passed away and got eaten.
- Guppy fish has stuck in the filter and pump.
- They are suffering from diseases like fin rot.
- They have jumped out of the tank.
- They are hiding in the decor.
This article will discuss the reason behind guppy fish disappearing and how to find the missing guppy. So, let us get into it.
Contents
My guppy fish disappeared from the tank.
There can be numerous reasons behind your guppy fish disappearing from the tank.
Guppies sometime get stuck in the filter or pump.
It is also possible that your guppy fish has passed away and been eaten by shrimps and snails.
Guppies are good jumpers and can jump out of the tank for numerous reasons.
Guppies can get stuck in the decor or hide in them.
Let us thoroughly discuss the possible reasons behind guppy fish disappearing from the tank.
What are the reasons behind guppy fish disappearing from the tank?
These are the reasons behind your guppy fish disappearing from the tank:
- They have got stuck in a filter or pump.
- They passed away and got eaten by other fish.
- They were suffering from sickness.
- They are stuck in the decor of your tank.
- They jumped out of the tank because of some reason.
Stuck in a filter or pump
Guppies can sometimes get into the filter or the pump and get stuck into that.
Whenever your guppy is missing and you are not able to find them, consider checking the filter and the pump very first.
Guppies can get stuck there and can pass away if not removed in a short period.
Guppy fish passed away and got eaten.
It is possible that your guppy fish has passed away and got eaten by the other fish.
If you have shrimps and snails in your tank, they may have eaten the dead guppy.
Shrimps and snails can eat the dead fish overnight.
Guppy fish was suffering from sickness.
It is also possible that your guppy fish was suffering from some disease.
Guppies are prone to diseases like fin and tail rot or other bacteria and parasites.
Such diseases can make your guppy fish body part fall into pieces.
Also read: How To Treat Guppy Fin Rot?
They are stuck in the decor of your tank.
Guppies are small in size and can hide in the decor easily without being seen.
Lift the decor and go through the crevice hole to find your guppy fish when missing.
Guppy fish jumped out of the tank because of some reason.
Guppy sometimes jumps out of the tank when something unusual happens in their environment.
Aggressive fish chasing, inadequate water parameters, poor water conditions, stress, and overcrowded tank can explain such behavior.
Guppies also jump to explore.
Also read: Do Guppy Jump Out Of The Tank?
Why is my guppy fish hiding and not moving?
There can be numerous reasons behind your guppy fish hiding.
Some of the reasons for guppy fish hiding behavior are:
- Your female guppy is pregnant and hiding when it is about to release the fry.
- Your guppy is under stress because of the overcrowded tank.
- There is a presence of aggressive fish in your guppy fish tank.
- Your guppy is suffering from disease or injury.
- The water condition of your guppy tank is not adequate.
- You are providing too much light to your guppies tank.
Also read: Why Is My Guppy Fish Hiding?
Pregnant female guppy.
Pregnant guppy will hide from other fish when they are about to release the fry.
However, you will notice other behaviors like aggression, sitting at the bottom of the tank most of the time, and refusing to eat.
Also read: 8 Signs Guppy Is About To Give Birth.
Overcrowded tank
Guppies require ample space to live and swim comfortably.
If you have both male and female guppy in the same tank, they will breed out of control, and soon your guppy tank will be full of guppies.
Follow the one-inch one-gallon rule, which means one inch of fish per gallon of water.
The one-inch one-gallon rule will help you prevent your guppy tank from being overcrowded.
Also read: How Many Guppies In A 20 Gallon Tank?
Aggressive tankmates
The presence of aggressive fish like angelfish will make your guppy fish hide.
Aggressive fish will constantly chase and try to hunt down the guppy, and to save itself from the aggressive fish, the guppy will hide.
Also read: Can Guppy Fish Live With Angelfish?
Guppy is suffering from disease or injury.
Hiding is the primary of guppy fish suffering from any disease.
When guppies are sick, they hide and separate themselves from the rest of the fish.
However, with such hiding behavior, you will not be able to detect that your guppy fish is suffering from disease until it reaches the primary stage.
Look for eating behavior and change in the appearance of your guppy fish to monitor their health.
Poor water condition
Contaminated water conditions can make your guppy fish hide.
Contaminated water will lack oxygen, making your guppy fish suffer from breathing.
Also, inadequate water parameters will make your guppy fish hide most of the time.
Consider providing your guppy fish water temperature between 72-82 °F and water pH level between 6.7 and 7.8.
Too much light
Guppies do like light, but not when they want to relax.
Guppies are diurnal, which means that they remain active during the daytime and sleep at night.
However, sometimes they want to relax during the daytime.
For relaxing, your guppy fish require a dark environment like us humans. So, they will hide in hiding spots where the light doesn’t come.
Consider not turning the lights on of your guppy fish tank for more than 6-8 hours in a day.
Also read: Do Guppy Need Light?
How to find the missing guppy?
If you are not able to find your guppy fish in the aquarium, try these things to locate guppy fish:
- Search every crevice nicely.
- Look for your guppy fish in the surrounding area.
- Perform water quality checks.
- Search your missing guppy in a filter or pump.
Search every crevice nicely.
Guppies are small and are also good hiders.
If you cannot locate your guppy fish, check the decors and all the crevices nicely, as they may be hiding there.
You can also check for your guppies under sand and rocks as they can also hide there.
Look for a guppy fish in the surrounding area.
Guppies are good jumpers and will jump out of the tank for numerous reasons.
In their natural habitat, guppies jump to explore.
Also, inadequate water parameters, overcrowded tanks, and aggressive fish can make your guppy fish jump out of the tank.
| Particulars | Guppy Requirement |
|---|---|
| Water temperature | 72-82 °F |
| Water pH level | 6.7-7.8 |
| Water TDS level | 400-600 ppm |
So, if the aquarium lid does not cover your guppy fish tank, search for the missing guppy in the surrounding area.
Also read: What Is The Ideal Water Temperature For Guppies?
Perform water quality checks.
If the guppy fish has passed away, then there will be an ammonia spike in your guppy fish tank.
Check the ammonia level. If it is high, your guppy has passed away and eaten by other fish or shrimp.
Also, it is necessary to keep a regular check on ammonia levels to ensure good water condition.
| Particulars | Guppy Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ammonia | 0ppm |
| Nitrite | 0ppm |
| Nitrate | Below 25ppm |
Ammonia spike can make your guppy fish come into critical condition by affecting their gills and burning their body.
We recommend using the API ammonia test kit as it shows accurate results.
You can buy it from Amazon API TEST KIT.
Perform a weekly water change of 35% and clean your tank monthly to keep your guppy fish’s water and tank conditions adequate.
Make sure to treat the water using a water conditioner to dechlorinate it.
We recommend using the API water conditioner to treat the water, as it will help you eliminate chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, nitrite, and heavy metals from the water.
You can buy this product on amazon:Â API TAP WATER CONDITIONER.
Also, use a good filtration system with biofilter media to keep the water clean from excessive waste and protect your guppy tank from harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrite.
You can consider using a Fluval high-performance aquarium filter for your tank, as it will ensure that your water is clean and protected from harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrite.
You can buy this product at amazon: Fluval High-Performance Aquarium Filter.
Search your missing guppy in a filter or pump.
Guppies can sometimes get into the filter or pump.
Looking for your missing guppy in a filter or pump is the primary thing you should do as they can pass away if stuck for a long time in a filter or pump.
Conclusion:
There can be numerous reasons behind guppy fish disappearing from the tank.
Guppy fish passed away and got eaten, stuck in the filter or ornaments, and hiding is the reason behind guppy fish disappearing.
Guppies are also good jumpers and can jump out of the tank if the aquarium lid does not cover your tank.
Look in the tank’s surroundings and check the decors, filter, and pump when you are not able to locate your guppy fish.
Reference: PHYS, Sciencedaily, ResearchGate