Guppy grass makes a great addition to any aquarium – it’s easy to care for and pretty to look at. You can float it in the tank or plant it at the bottom, and it will help to keep the water clean as well as improve the aesthetic. But more about that later.
Most fish and other aquatic creatures love guppy grass, especially shrimp of all types. A great aquarium plant for beginners, because you’ll have to try pretty hard to kill it. Here are some of the cool benefits and things you should know before you add it to your tank. Let’s go learn a bit about this plant!
I prefer to plant my guppy grass. I find the stems a little stronger and less brittle than floating it, although I’m not sure why. And it’s definitely easier to prune it to a consistent shape and keep my tank properly staged and looking good.
FAQ
Origin
Guppy grass is native to the Americas, and is also known as najas grass. It originated in Canada and much of the United States, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the West Indies. It’s usually found in streams, ponds, and ditches, but is sometimes found in fast running water as well.
It’s a fast-growing plant that is great for beginners and will help to remove toxins from the water, so ideal for an aquarium with fish. It tends to be popular in the aquarium trade for a number of reasons.
It now grows in many countries, and in some it’s even considered an invasive species because of its tendency to spread fast.
Appearance And Colors
Guppy grass is a beautiful vivid green, and looks particularly stunning with the light filtering through. The plants vary a bit, with some being lighter and some being darker in color. It has long, delicate tendrils that wave satisfyingly in the water.
Guppy grass is also very thick once it gets going. It provides stunning forests of foliage which both look amazing and give fish and other water creatures some great hiding spots. The plant has little flowers and tiny white roots.
Drifting freely in a tank, it looks very serene and adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Required Tank Conditions
Guppy grass likes a pH value between 6.0 and 7.0, or even higher [1]. They will tolerate a range of water hardness, ranging from 2 – 20 GH. This is great because if your other plants can put up with hard water, you won’t have to soften it.
The grass is good with varied temperatures; it prefers 68°-79° F, but will cope at both above and below that range.
Because guppy grass is a fast-growing species, a large tank is better. Although you can grow it in pretty much any size tank you choose. A recommendation of around 10 gallons should be sufficient for this plant to reach its potential.
Guppy grass also does not need a lot of light. If you don’t have a light with your aquarium, that makes it an ideal choice for an aquarium plant, as it won’t mind low light levels.
However, if your tank is bright or in very direct sunlight, it might struggle a little, and may not thrive. If light levels are extremely low, you might find that the plant takes on a yellower tint, and loses some of its juicy green coloration.
Guppy grasses are not particularly fussy about the flow of the water; in the wild, they are often found in fast-flowing streams, but equally will tolerate still water. They are a very versatile plant!
This is great, because it means you can tailor your aquarium to suit your other plants and fish, and guppy plants will simply adapt themselves to pretty much any conditions they are given.
Substrates And Fertilizers
You can float your guppy grass directly in the tank, in which case you won’t need to use a substrate for it; it will drift about happily without minding that it is not anchored.
If you want to plant your guppy grass, you’ll need a substrate to plant it in, but guppy grass is not fussy at all, so you can base this on other aquarium requirements, such as which fish you have chosen. You might prefer to anchor it in sand, or in pebbles or stones – you can choose pretty much anything.
Guppy grasses eat a lot of the nutrients out of the tank, so they manage well without much input from people, but you can provide liquid fertilizer if your water is very soft and your plant is looking a bit yellow. There’s no need to add extra CO2 or soil, and you can base the fertilizer more on your other plants’ needs.
Once again, guppy grasses are easy-going and don’t have any major requirements.
Common Problems
The biggest danger with guppy grass is that it is fast growing, so it can easily out-compete your other plants and fill up your tank, especially if it has particularly good growing conditions.
If you grow guppy grass in a tank that is very small, it might clog up the filter intake and swamp the light away from any other plants which are growing there. Regular pruning will help overcome this problem, but you have to keep on top of your guppy grass or you’ll have only guppy grass!
The other common issue with guppy grass is called “najas grass melt,” which is not as pretty as it sounds. This “melt” occurs if the conditions change abruptly, usually if you have planted guppy grass that was previously floating, or vice versa.
Najas grass melt will result in the leaves drooping and starting to look as though they are melting. However, with a bit of time, the grass will recover and turn back into a beautiful, swaying forest. You don’t need to do anything if your guppy grass melts; just let it settle into its new environment and give it time.
Which Fish Are Compatible With Guppy Grass?
Most underwater species like guppy grass – including, of course, guppies. Tiny fry enjoy hiding in the fronds, and adult fish like to swim through the leaves. Some herbivore species will eat the guppy grass, but this is fine as the plant is fast-growing and should cope with the odd nibble.
Crayfish and freshwater crabs can be destructive in tanks [2], but the guppy grass should be resilient enough to stand up to their onslaught and keep growing happily.
Shrimp also enjoy guppy grass, as do snails, and it makes a great breeding plant for fish rearing.
Planting And Propagation
It’s not hard to propagate guppy grass! It will grow from side shoots and clippings very readily, so it’s best not to propagate it deliberately unless you have a means of selling it, and spare tanks to keep it in.
The hard part may lie in not propagating your guppy grass, especially if it’s very happy in the growing conditions you provide!
Benefits
Guppy grass is a very good choice for beginners as it is so hardy and forgiving of mistakes. It will cope with varied temperatures, different levels of water hardness, overstocking, or forgotten water changes.
It’s particularly good at preventing algae, because it absorbs excess nutrients in the water and helps to keep it clean. It is also capable of absorbing heavy metals, ammonia, nitrate, and other problematic substances, so if you want an easy way to keep your tank clean and healthy, it’s a great idea.
Its free-floating ability is a further benefit that many aquarium enthusiasts enjoy; you can have it drifting around in your tank, or plant it in the bottom – or both.
Because it’s fast growing, it’s a great option for a big tank, as it will rapidly fill up empty spaces and provide your fish or other aquatic creatures with wonderful hiding spaces. It is also extremely pretty and will produce a lot of oxygen, keeping the levels up throughout the tank.
Herbivore aquatic species will particularly enjoy guppy grass as a floating snack they can munch on whenever they fancy. Many fish like to breed in its dense leaves, laying their eggs in the foliage, where the fry will find plenty of micro-nutrients to snack on when they hatch.
Maintenance
Guppy grass needs minimal maintenance, except that you need to trim it back sometimes, especially if your tank is small. You can sell cuttings online easily, or to fish stores, as it is a very popular plant and in frequent demand.
Otherwise, the only maintenance your guppy grass may need is an occasional adjustment if light levels are getting too high for it to cope with. As long as you don’t let it swamp your tank and other plants, it really doesn’t need any other attention.
Where To Buy
You can buy guppy grass online and in fish and aquatic stores everywhere. Because it’s such a useful plant, it’s commonly available and you shouldn’t need to buy a large quantity of it, as it will quickly fill spaces with its speedy growth.
You may also be able to get cuttings from a friend if you don’t want to buy it; they might be glad to get rid of some!
Conclusion
Guppy grass is a great addition to aquarium tanks no matter what species you’re keeping; it’s so versatile and flexible about its environment that you can pair it with almost anything else, and prioritize the growing conditions of your second choice. Many different kinds of fish love it!