Can Upside Down Catfish Live With Guppies?

The upside-down catfish is much popular fish breed among fish lovers. This fish has sharp fins and big eyes so that you can identify them more quickly than other fish. They have an amazing skill which is they can fast swim Upside down.

Can Upside Down Catfish Live With Guppies? Yes, the guppies are considered a great companion of upside-down catfish. This is because guppies are small in size, and also they do not need too much care. In addition, the peaceful nature of the guppies allows them to live peacefully with the upside-down catfish.

This pair of guppies and the upside-down catfish can live without any trouble in a medium-sized tank. The tank should have a water level of 6 inches, and there should be enough plants to hide away in.

The upside-down catfish belongs to the armored catfish family. It is a small fish that is easy to house and can tolerate warmer temperatures in the tank. Since these two fish species can live together, they prefer to hide in the plants than water.

However, there should not be any filter or heater in the tank since the upside-down catfish and guppies will not live comfortably.

What To Do If Your Upside Down Catfish Are Chasing Guppies?

Can Upside Down Catfish Eat Guppies Food?
- You can feed them both vegetables and live foods such as:
What Size Tank Is Best To Upside Down Catfish With Guppies?
Can Upside Down Catfish Fish Kill Guppies?

How Many Upside Down Catfish Can You Keep With Your Guppies?
What Temperature Does Upside Down Catfish And Guppies Need?
Can Upside Down Catfish Eat Guppies Fry?

What To Do If Your Upside Down Catfish Are Chasing Guppies?

If you are wondering what to do if your upside-down catfish are chasing guppies, then you’ve come to the right place. The best thing is that it does not matter who these fish are because their behavior and how to deal with them are universally applicable.

Catfish can chase other fish when they are likely hungry or simply searching for food. They are not intentionally chasing their tank mates around, which is not a sign of aggression.

They will stop chasing if you move your guppies around to a different location. You can also try to give food to your fish separately so that they do not gather at a single place and won’t start a food fight.

By chasing them, these fish can put stress on the guppies and eventually cause them to become sick. Furthermore, your upside-down catfish can get so out of control chasing the guppies that they can cause damage to themselves.

So to stop chasing fishes in your tank, you can use the sliders to separate the tank, or you should keep the chasing fish to another place till they stop doing it.

Can Upside Down Catfish Eat Guppies Food?

Some food items are suitable for both guppies and upside-down catfish. But apart from it, they also have their separate need for vitamins and minerals in their food.

This means to meet the need of their nutritional requirement, and you should feed them food that is good for their health.

As you know, guppies are omnivores, so they are easy to take care of when it comes to feeding them.

You can feed them both vegetables and live foods such as:

Brine shrimp
Blood worms
fish flakes

daphnia
boiled egg
carrot

spinach

Whereas you can also give worms and dried and frozen foods items to your upside-down catfish. They also eat tubifex and catfish pellets.

What Size Tank Is Best To Upside Down Catfish With Guppies?

So you’re about to bring a new catfish into your aquarium, but you are not sure if it will be too big for the tank. Before you order a larger tank, let’s talk about what size is best for a tank with guppies.

It is essential to have some background information on the two species before determining which size is best. Catfish grow much larger than guppies do.

Guppies max out at about an inch, and catfish can get bigger than 5 inches. So, according to their size, a twenty to forty-gallon water tank would be enough to fit the guppies and upside catfish.

Can Upside Down Catfish Fish Kill Guppies?

In general, the upside-down catfish is a peace-loving creature that does not show signs of aggression. But if you put babies guppies, there are the chances that the catfish kill and eat them.

This is because the upside-down catfish eat smaller fish to fulfill their hunger. That is why keeping the adults and fully grown guppies with the catfish are suggested. In this way, guppies won’t fit catfish’s mouths, and they would not try to eat them.

So yes, there are possibilities that your upside-down catfish can kill guppies. Also, it is a rare case to happen.

So if you want to bring tank mate to your catfish, you can go for guppies without any worries. But you have to keep an eye on them if they are not chasing or nipping each other’s tails off.

How Many Upside Down Catfish Can You Keep With Your Guppies?

You should keep at least three to four upside-down catfish in a single tank with your guppies. Every fish needs fish of its kind to socialize well in the tank.

Whereas if you talk about guppies, they are also schooling fish, this means that guppies also prefer to house in groups. Therefore, you should put at least five to six guppies with the upside-down catfish.

What Temperature Does Upside Down Catfish And Guppies Need?

You all know how important it is for fish to have a fully cycled aquarium. So when you plan on introducing your new upside-down catfish and guppies to their forever home, you need to make sure they are in an aquarium that is the right temperature.

You should maintain the water temperature between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the perfect and optimal temperature for your fish to live comfortably.

You will also want to provide them with many places to hide and places where they can dig in the gravel and create the type of habitat they need to thrive. So make sure that you maintain the right temperature in the aquarium.

Please do not leave your fish unattended for many days because the water temperature drops, which could also affect their health.

Can Upside Down Catfish Eat Guppies Fry?

Yes.Species like upside-down catfish can hunt on smaller prey like guppies fry. Upside down, catfish will eat guppies fry by first sniffing them out with its barbells located around the mouth.

Once a catfish has found a fish to eat, it will use its barbell to attach itself to the fish’s head. Yes, the upsides down catfish are known to eat small fishes, and they can hurt the guppies fry too.

If you are thinking of the guppies to be a tank mate of the catfish, then you have to put a lot of effort into looking out for them.

Also, you should give them enough food to fulfill their hunger, so that they won’t cause any trouble to each other. You should at least feed your fish thrice or four times a day.