Guppies are the most common fish people love to add to their aquarium. They are peaceful fish and do great in a community tank.
Sometimes guppy show strange behavior, which becomes a concern. Guppy swimming so fast is one of the behaviors which makes us worry, and knowing the reason and prevention behind such behavior is essential. So, Why is my guppy swimming so fast? Let us find out.
Stress due to poor water quality is why your guppy moves so fast. Other reasons are overcrowded tanks, aggressive tankmates, and inadequate water parameters. Providing good water quality and ample space for living will prevent guppy from stress, and they will stop moving so fast.
This article will discuss the reason and prevention for guppy fish moving so fast. So let us get into it.
Contents
My guppy is swimming so fast
Your guppy is swimming so fast because of stress.
Guppy fish show such behavior when something unusual is going on around them.
Poor water quality is the primary reason your guppy fish moves so fast and comes under stress.
There are other reasons for your guppy fish coming under stress like inadequate water parameters, unstable water parameters, irregular supply of food, aggressive tankmates, and overcrowded tanks.
Also read: Are My Guppies Stressed?
Is it normal for guppy fish to swim so fast?
It is not normal for guppy fish to swim so fast.
Your guppy fish is under stress if it is moving so fast.
There can be numerous reasons for your guppy fish coming under stress.
Poor water quality is the primary reason for your guppy fish coming under stress and showing swimming so fast behavior.
Sometimes, the female guppy moves fast to ignore the male guppy’s constant chasing for mating.
Female guppy come under stress because of being constantly chased by the male guppy for mating.
Also read: What To Do If My Guppy Is Stressed?
What are the reasons behind guppy fish swimming so fast?
Stress is the reason behind your guppy fish swimming so fast.
Your guppy can come under stress for various reasons that make them move so fast.
These are the reasons why your guppy is moving so fast:
- The water condition of your guppy fish aquarium is poor.
- You have an overcrowded guppy tank.
- Guppy fish is living in a small size tank.
- You have aggressive fish in your guppy fish aquarium.
- Your guppy fish is suffering from illness.
- Female guppy moving faster to avoid constant chasing of male guppy.
Poor water condition
Poor water conditions can make your guppy fish come under stress, showing fast-moving behavior.
There will be an ammonia and nitrite spike in dirty water.
Not only your guppy fish will come under stress, but they will also suffer from diseases because of poor water conditions.
Toxic chemicals like ammonia will burn your guppy fish gill.
All these will make your guppy fish come under stress and suffer from a critical condition.
Overcrowded guppy tank
Guppy living in an overcrowded tank will come under stress and can show swimming fast behavior.
The overcrowded tank can come with many issues like:
- Oxygen will be deficient in a crowded tank.
- Your guppy will not have to live comfortably because of less space.
- Your guppy tank will get dirty faster than usual.
Guppies show such fast-swimming behavior when they are under stress.
And if you have an overcrowded tank, then it is the reason behind your guppy fish such behavior.
Small size tank
Guppy living in a small size tank will make them come under stress.
Guppy requires enough space to live comfortably.
Small-sized tanks can make them stressed out and show such fast-swimming behavior.
Aggressive tankmates
Aggressive fish present in your guppies aquarium is the primary reason for your guppy fish in stress.
Fish like angelfish will constantly chase your guppy fish.
Because of constantly chasing, your guppy fish will come under stress.
Also, they will swim fast because of constant chasing.
You must know that guppies under stress for a long time will lose their appetite and will be prone to various diseases and infections.
Illness
Guppy suffering from any illness will come under stress and can show fast swimming behavior.
Many reasons can make your guppy fish ill, of which the primary reason is poor water quality and inadequate water parameters.
Female guppy moves fast to avoid male guppy chasing.
Female guppies usually move fast when male guppies try to chase them for mating.
Female guppies come under stress because of the constant chasing of male guppies for mating.
This is natural behavior, and we cannot do anything about that.
But, we can increase the number of female guppies so that the stress level pass to every female guppy, and a single female guppy doesn’t face all the chasing.
How to prevent guppy fish from swimming so fast?
These are the ways you can perform to prevent your guppy fish from swimming so fast:
- Provide good quality water to your guppy fish.
- Avoid overcrowding your guppy fish tank.
- Make sure not to add any aggressive fish to your guppies aquarium.
- Maintain male to female ratio of guppies.
- Provide your guppy fish large size tank.
Good quality water
Providing your guppy fish with good quality water will prevent them from coming under stress and stop showing fast swimming behavior.
You can provide your guppy fish good quality water by making sure of these things:
- Ensure the ammonia and nitrite level of your guppy fish aquarium water is at 0ppm.
- Consider adding a good filtration system to your guppies aquarium.
- Add biofilter media to your aquarium filter to develop good bacteria.
- Perform a regular water change (at least 35 percent weekly).
Also read: Can Guppy Survive In Muddy Water?
Avoid overcrowding
Overcrowding your guppy’s tank will make them come under stress can show such fast-swimming behavior because of stress.
Follow the one-inch one-gallon rule to ensure that you have not overcrowded your guppies tank.
One inch one-gallon rule means one inch of fish per one gallon of water.
This way, you will not overcrowd your guppies tank.
Aggressive tankmates
Aggressive fish like angelfish will constantly chase your guppy fish and make them come under stress.
Guppy fish are peaceful fish species and prefer to live with non-aggressive fish.
These are some best tankmates you can add to your guppies tank:
- Neon tetra
- Mollies
- Platies
- Gourami
- Shrimps
Also read: Can Guppy Fish Live With Angelfish?
Maintain male to female ratio
You must know that the gender of the fish also matters when it comes to keeping guppies.
More male guppies and one female guppy will result in male guppy continuously chasing female guppy for mating.
This way, female guppy will come under stress because of male guppy chasing and swim fast to avoid chasing.
Consider keeping male and female guppies in a ratio of 1:2, which means one male guppy for every two female guppies.
You can also keep one male guppy and three female guppies.
Keeping guppies in this ratio will eliminate aggression, and a single female guppy will not be chased every time by male guppy for mating.
Provide large size tank
Providing your guppies with enough space to live by keeping them in a large size tank will prevent them from coming under stress and showing such fast-swimming behavior.
In this case, the one-inch one-gallon rule will help you make sure that your guppy has ample space to live comfortably.
| Guppy Fish | No of Guppies |
|---|---|
| Male guppies (0.6-1.4 inches) | 10-12 |
| Female guppies (1.2-2.4 inches) | 5-7 |
| Both male and female guppies | 5-8 |
Also read: How Many Guppies In A 20 Gallon Tank?
Conclusion:
Guppy moves so fast when they are under stress.
Poor water quality is the primary reason your guppy fish moves so fast.
There are other reasons for your guppy fish coming under stress and showing fast swimming behavior.
Another reason why guppy fish come under stress is an overcrowded tank, aggressive tankmate, inadequate and unstable water parameters, and improper male to female ratio of guppies.
Reference: NCBI, ResearchGate,