Do guppies eat each other?

[TaraZahara]

I recently purchased 4 male guppies. 2 chase each other all the time and appear quite aggressive - these 2 are the largest ones. Then there were 2 smaller more docile ones. Today the smallest one has gone missing, could they have eaten him? How can I prevent this aggressive behaviour?

 

[connorlindeman]

I recently purchased 4 male guppies. 2 chase each other all the time and appear quite aggressive - these 2 are the largest ones. Then there were 2 smaller more docile ones. Today the smallest one has gone missing, could they have eaten him? How can I prevent this aggressive behaviour?

Guppies will sometimes bully each other to death. Once dead, they may eat them.
Its likely your males and establishing who's the dominant one.

 

[TaraZahara]

Any ideas what I can do to prevent it? I didn't want to mix male/female as I don't want to breed but they seem very angry with each other.

 

[connorlindeman]

Any ideas what I can do to prevent it? I didn't want to mix male/female as I don't want to breed but they seem very angry with each other.

They will probably calm down soon.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

How long have you had the guppies? What size tank are they in? Is the tank cycled?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Newly purchased fish can take a few weeks to find their boundaries within the aquarium and with each other.

Have you got plenty of sight blocking decor and planting (real and/or artificial) as that will add a sense of safety and security for fish that are being harrassed?

 

[TaraZahara]

This is my tank, it's 80L. They have the skills to hide in and bogwood plus plants but the plants don't seem to last too long.

 

[TaraZahara]

Welcome to TFF

How long have yopu had the guppies? What size tank are they in? Is the tank cycled?

Had the guppies about 2 weeks, tank had tetras and catfish in for about 2 weeks before that and was cycling for around a month before I got them. 80L tank

 

[Slaphppy7]

More guppies would help spread any aggression, but be sure to get males only

How many neons? What kind and how many catfish?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Also, what is the hardness of your source water?

Guppies prefer hard water, tetras prefer soft

 

[Back in the fold]

All fish eat each other.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

View attachment 164912This is my tank, it's 80L. They have the skills to hide in and bogwood plus plants but the plants don't seem to last too long.

Some more tall decor and plants, and especially some dense floating plant, like water sprite, would help to break up lines of sight and reduce bullying, and establish areas of territory. Agreed with @Slaphppy7 that adding the plants/decor along with a few more males to spread out the behaviour will likely be all that's needed. Male only guppy tanks can work, I have one, but you do have to think about things like the tank scaping to give it the best chance of working out.

Very occasionally you'll get the odd male who is an unholy terror and will terrorise the other males, and a male like that won't work in a male only tank. But one like that is pretty rare, like 1 in 200 of male guppies. A bit of chasing and displaying is normal, but if it's targeted at the same individual all the time or seems relentless, then you need to step in. They're not trying to eat each other, they're trying to chase off/display to their competition and establish a pecking order, but any fish that is under stress for too long can pass away from it, and most any fish will eat a dead one.