Guppies are some of the most common fish kept by aquarists. The fish are available in different colors and can give your aquarium a vibrant look. Guppies are affordable and easy to care for. They require less attention, provided the aquarium offers a clean, safe, and spacious environment. But are guppies schooling fish?

Guppies are categorized as schooling fish, but they rarely school in an aquarium. In the ocean, guppies school together when they’re threatened by predators or other bigger fish, which means they align and swim closely together in the same direction. Different varieties of guppy fish, however, don’t school together.

Are guppies schooling fish?

Schooling is their defense mechanism to ward off predators and protect each other. Guppies are schooling fish in their native range. When they swim together in groups, they form a barrier that scares away predators from attacking them. This stance makes guppies appear prepared to attack and fight back. 

However, it’s rare to see guppies schooling in an aquarium because they are less threatened. But when they are out in the sea or lake, guppy fish school in a coordinated and tight manner. Therefore, you should keep more than one guppy in a fish tank.

Guppies measure between 0.6 inches and 2.4 inches in length. You can keep many guppies in an aquarium because of their small size. Keep at least three guppies in an aquarium so they can play together and provide each other company and a sense of security in a school.

However, you want to maintain a healthy population to prevent deviant behavior such as nipping among guppies in the aquarium.

To identify a schooling group of guppies in an aquarium, they need to be in a group. They could be facing the same direction and mimicking each other’s movements. In standard home aquariums, schooling guppies are usually between 3 – 6. But you can keep more than that, provided you can give them adequate care.

Can different types of guppies school together? 

There are over 275 guppy species worldwide. That’s why guppies are also called million fish. To distinguish between guppy species, observe their color, body shape, and pattern. 

Despite being a social and friendly fish, different types of guppies cannot school together. Only guppies of the same species school together. In other words, guppies with the same color, body pattern, and body shape will swim with their kind. 

When guppies sense danger, guppies of the same species come together and align to protect each other. However, that does not mean that you can only keep guppies of the same species in an aquarium. 

Guppies are calm and social fish, especially in their own species. They do not prey on each other or on other fish because they are omnivorous. You can keep different guppy species in your aquarium as long as you balance them in schools of threes.

Schooling vs Schoaling Fish

Schooling fish swim together tightly, usually in the same direction, while shoaling fish stay and move together in a loose group for social reasons. Therefore, guppies fit both definitions. 

Guppies are schooling fish, schooling both in the aquarium and in the wild whenever they detect danger. They are also shoaling fish; they are very social and friendly, and that’s why they can be kept in an aquarium with other kinds of fish. 

However, there is a thin line between schooling fish and shoaling fish. Differentiating the two can be challenging.

Here is a difference between schooling and shoaling fish.

Schooling

When your guppy fish are in a group aligned together while swimming in the same direction at the same pace, they are described as schooling. They tend to school when they sense danger or threat on their way. 

While in an aquarium or the wild, the fish will school together in order to protect each other. Fish used to schooling can become stressed if separated from its kind. 

Some examples of schooling fish to keep in your aquarium include Cardinal Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, Silver Tip Tetra, and Lambchop Rasboras. 

Shoaling

You say fish are shoaling when they are swimming together in a group for social reasons. They do not swim in a pattern, and they do not have to be from the same species. 

Happy and healthy fish shoal together in circles and other directions within the same area or aquarium to play. They also don’t have to be of the same sizes or shapes. Shoaling often happens when the fish are playing or eating together.

Here is a summary of the difference between schooling and shoaling fish:

Schooling fish	Shoaling fish
They swim in groups for protection reasons	They swim in groups for social reasons
They have to be from the same species	They do not have to be from the same species
They have to be in a group of 6 or more to be identified as schooling group	They swim in the same direction with a similar pace and pattern
They have to be in a group of 6 and more to be identified as schooling group	They do not have a specific number, but they have to be more than 3

Do guppies school with other fish?

Guppies only school with guppies from the same species. They do not school with other types of fish or different species of guppies. If your aquarium has enough space to keep more than one fish species, you can add them, but your guppies won’t school with them. 

Ensure that the other fish are not aggressive to guppies. Most importantly, ensure that the new fish species share the same aquarium characteristics, such as water temperature, humidity conditions, swimming space, and diet.

Guppies are timid and friendly and will happily share the fish tank with other types of fish. Fish that are roughly the same size as guppies are the best. They will swim, eat, and play together without preying on each other.

How many guppies should be kept together?

Guppies are small-sized and colored pets that are known to be social. Generally, three guppies in a 5-gallon tank are sizable and spacious enough for the fish. The larger the gallon size, the more guppies you can keep together.

The best female-to-male ratio for keeping guppies is 2:1. Otherwise, create a school by keeping guppies in multiples of three.

Male guppies tend to be more aggressive and dominant than females. However, they are much smaller than the females. Ensure your aquarium holds at least one gallon of water for every one inch of a guppy fish. It means female guppies require more aquarium space than males.

Tank size is the most important variable to consider when keeping guppies and other fish together. If you want to keep more guppies, increase the aquarium size depending on how many guppies you keep. 

Your intention for keeping guppies also impacts the tank size. Breeding tanks should be larger than ornamental tanks. You need a minimum of 55 gallons to breed guppy fish because they give birth every month, and their numbers increase rapidly.

Can male guppies live together?

Although they are smaller than female guppies, male guppies are aggressive and territorial species. They are also more active than female guppies. 

Therefore, they compete a lot for mates when kept together in a tank. Although guppies can live together in a tank, aquarists say that a male-only guppy fish tank increases their mortality. 

It is better to keep male and female guppies together in a ratio of one to three to achieve balance. However, a male-only fish tank should have only six guppies. At first, they might be aggressive and fight each other, but they will get tired in the next two or three days. 

After that, they will notice they are only male, and the aggressiveness will fade, making them play and swim peacefully together. However, the male guppies will have nothing to do inside the aquarium except eat and swim.

Can female guppies live together?

Just like male guppies, female guppies can also live together. Although not aggressive, the females may frequently harass each other if there are no tank mates.

Additionally, a female-only guppy fish tank has the added advantage of breeding. Guppies have special reproduction structures that store male sperm for several months. An aquarium with female guppies may experience a startling population explosion.  

The major downside to a female-only guppy fish tank is that they are not as colorful as males. Therefore, an aquarium full of female guppies is dull and might lose the aesthetic aspect. 

On the contrary, male guppies are brightly colored, and they spike up the aquarium hues. Generally, female guppies thrive best when kept together with males. 

Can guppies live alone without tankmates?

Guppies can live alone in an aquarium, but it is recommended to keep them with other compatible species. A community of fish is pleasant not just to watch but also for your aquarium’s biodiversity. 

The fish you choose to add to your guppies’ fish tank should have the same characteristics as the guppies. They should not be bigger than them to avoid predation.

If you keep guppies alone in a tank, they get bored and stressed. Guppies should live in your aquarium, knowing they are not the only kind of fish in the world. It also gives them a sense of belonging and will respond positively to feeding and competing. 

Some fish that will live peacefully with guppies in your fish tank are molly fish, glassfish, platyfish, and rasboras.

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Reference

Xin, C. Y. Poecilia reticulata – Guppy. The National University of Singapore.

Betty Staugler (2018) Schooling Fish, University of Florida

Steve Lundeberg, Research shows flocking birds, schooling fish, other collective movements can stabilize ecosystems, Oregon State University College of Science