Introduction
This article deals with The Guppy Grass Guide. Aquarium owners often use plants to help maintain the quality of water in their tanks. One plant that is ideal for this task is Guppy Grass. The roots are long so they can reach down into the substrate below and extract nutrients from it.
This provides an extra level of filtration which helps keep your ammonia levels low. Another advantage of guppy grass is that it can be used either as a rooted plant or as a floating plant or both together.
This blog will tell you all about guppy grass, its benefits, maintenance, basic facts and more.
Basics about Guppy Grass
Guppy grass is a type of aquatic plant that thrives in freshwater aquariums.
It has the scientific name Najas Guadalupensis and is also called najas grass or water nymph. (Since the year 2003 it belongs to the hydrocharitaceae family).
Guppy grass is a submerged plant that provides shelter and food for several types of fresh water fish.
It can also be used as a floating plant which is its best feature.
It has leaves which are small, round, delicate and pointed at the tip.
Guppy Grass can range in color from bright green to dark green. Excessive tank light can even turn it reddish.
Guppy grass is called so, because it is most suitable for guppies. This is so because guppies eat it more than any other fish. Nevertheless, other fish, crustaceans and invertebrates also benefit from it.
Guppy grass is an aquatic plant species native mainly to tropical regions of Asia.
Guppy grass can grow up to seven inches tall in the water, making it a perfect addition for your aquarium or pond if you are looking for something that adds height and color without taking away room from other plants.
Fish love this grass because they use it to build nests!
Guppy Grass is a good plant for starting aquarists to learn about plants because it’s very hardy and easy to care for. It can be planted in the substrate and is a good plant to add to your aquarium even as a floating plant.
Guppy grass should be easy enough that anyone with the slightest bit of experience should not run into any problems. Guppy grass thrives best in soft water conditions but can survive just fine in hard water too!
Even Shrimps, Snails, Small Fish etc  find Guppy grass very beneficial.
Benefits of Guppy Grass
Guppy grass is a great way to keep your tank clean and healthy. It can remove any heavy metals from the water as well as toxins such as pesticides that may be present in the aquatic environment.
Guppy grass helps to keep your fish tank clean. Guppy grass absorbs nitrates and other harmful substances from the water, keeping it healthier for both you and your bubbly pets. Fish also love to play in the plants as well!
It also helps reduce nitrates which are harmful for fish if left untreated! Guppy Grass will grow quickly once planted so you’ll have better results than trying other live plants requiring both soil and water (which means more maintenance). Some plants even need an external CO2 system.
Guppy grass is completely amenable to any type of substrate including soil, gravel etc. This makes it a very adaptable plant.
Guppy grass helps to keep your tank looking better and also keeps it healthier for a longer period of time. Guppy Grass is ideal in aquariums because it provides shelter, food and filtration all at the same time without having to add more than one plant!
Guppy Grass helps your filtration system sustain for a longer time. Guppy grass has the effect of calming down your fish because they can hide and feel safe and even feed. This means you can see enhanced colors in your fish.
Guppy grass is a perfect plant for any aqua scape. Guppy grass can be used to add some green in your aquarium without creating too much of an ecosystem disturbance.
Also, guppies love grazing on the leaves and roots, so they’ll enjoy it as well! Guppies will also happily eat from food left over from when you fed them earlier in the day.
Guppy grass can be used as an alternative to chemical algaecides in ponds and aquariums, including those with fish that eat plants.
Guppy grass grows quickly and provides dense coverage depending on where you have planted it, and prevents the growth of algae since it absorbs all the nutrients.
Pro Tip: If you’re going to use Guppy grass in your aquarium, then it would be better to avoid having algae eaters. If you do, then do remember to use Algae wafers to feed them because Guppy grass inhibits the growth of algae in your tank.
Guppy Grass forms a spawning site for all types of fish. It’s also an ideal plant for fry to hide in when they’re young. This is more so when guppy grass stays on the top of the water, or at least floats around with ease!
Pro Tip : Guppy Grass can grow into an unwieldy and unmanageable level. So trimming at regular intervals if it is in a rooted state and using a thread to tie them if it is floated state is important.
The leaves have holes in them which provide air pockets allowing oxygenated water through while reducing evaporation from the surface area meaning less loss of temperature during hot days.
The roots absorb nutrients from the dirt that settles in the substrate below providing cleaner water. Guppy grass is also easy to remove if you don’t want it anymore.
Ever heard of infusoria? You know, those tiny organisms that live in the water and provide food for small fish? Well, it turns out you can grow infusoria at home! All you need to do is have guppy grass.
Infusoria is the perfect size for small fish and fry’s because it allows them to easily swallow it. It also has an added benefit of being highly nutritious due to its high protein content, so when your fish are eating this, they will also be getting their daily dose of protein.
Guppy grass cleans your water by removing nitrogen and phosphates so you don’t have to clean your tank as often.
Apart from all of this, guppy grass is a great buy for aquarium owners because it provides aesthetic value as well. It does not require much maintenance or care so you can spend less time tending to plants and more time enjoying your pets!
The variety of colors make it aesthetically pleasing to look at, which can be a welcome change.
It offers a whole new world for the fish to explore, where they can swim through and even play. Guppy grass is also great for beginners because it does not require much care and maintenance.
Aquarium owners often use these plants to create living walls or even an underwater scene complete with rocks and aquatic life like crabs and shrimp. This is a great way to make sure your fish have plenty to do while they wait for you to come home from work at night (or on weekends).
It can be used as an alternative to other plants which need special precautions and fertilizers. So if you want to give your guppies something new and exciting, guppy grass is your answer.
Here is a summary of the benefits.
How to plant guppy grass
Guppy grass seeds are very small, they look like dust particles on top of the gravel or substrate in your fish tank. To plant guppy grass just pour some into each separate compartment of an aquarium that has a lot of stones or rocks around its edges and just watch them grow in a span of about two weeks.
If you do not see green sprouts growing within two weeks, then mix in some liquid fertilizer (that is high in potassium) to help speed up the growth process.
If you want a guppy grass to be a floating plant then all that you need to do is sprinkle them on the surface of the water.
Pro Tip: you can restrict the floating seeds to a particular place by using straw wrapped in thread.
How to Plant a grown grass plant into your aquarium
The first step to planting guppy grass in your aquarium is to plan out the placement. Decide where you want it and if there are any rocks or other decorations that will be obstructing the area.
Next, take a few sprigs of guppy grass from its pot and was the plant thoroughly. Once you are sure that all the dirt is gone, place them into your aquarium.
You can use tweezers for this task as well as a long stick to help guide them down. Ensure the roots go in about 2 inches down into substrate or gravel. Continue to monitor until they’ve grown enough so that you can trim them up to give them a nice look.
Pro Tip: Remember if you are planting Guppy grass for oxygenation then you will need to plant more of them than for decoration purposes.
Remember: Guppy grass cannot be interchanged from a floating plant to rooted plant or vice versa. You will have to decide at the very beginning whether you want to have it as a floating plant or a rooted plant or both. Then plan accordingly. Although some claim that it can be done this is a cumbersome process where you can see the guppy grass melt.
Water parameters required for Guppy grass
Guppy grass requires fresh water and a minimum tank size of 15 gallons. Guppy grass withstand a range of temperature from over 68° to 80° Fahrenheit.
Guppy grass does not require any carbon dioxide or other supplements and very rarely, you may need to add a liquid fertilizer if really really necessary. The ideal PH is between 6 to 8. T must be between 320 to 500 PPM. GH must be between 5 to 12 dKH.
Here is a comprehensive chart.
More About Guppy Grass
Guppy grass can grow up to about 3 feet. The leaves can go up to 1.2 inches and less than quarter inch wide. Guppy grass can be a great addition to an aquarium or in a small pond.
Guppy grass is not only for Guppies but other fish as well such as Catfish, Tetras and Danios. This means it will take your fish quite some time before they get bored with this plant.
Plus, because guppy grass grows so tall it makes it perfect for hiding places from other aggressive species.
Did you know that the aquarium grass plant known as Guppy Grass also has small white flowers? And it can be found in many pet stores and garden centers for under $10.00!
Maintenance
 Guppy grass does not need much maintenance and you don’t have to change the water or fertilize it! You just need to trim the brown edges often. That’s all there is to maintaining your new Guppy Grass.
The best part is it is amenable to any kind of substrate including gravel or rocks. The normal tank lighting is more than sufficient for your guppy grass.
Regular trimming is necessary because the guppy grass is capable of blocking the light to the other plants and thus stunting the growth of the other plants below. This fast growth is sometimes termed as a disadvantage but with regular trimming I don’t see it as either a disadvantage or a nuisance.
Other plants which require higher level of maintenance and in comparison, Guppy grass is much easier to maintain.
Pro Tip 1: If at any point of time you feel that your Guppy grass is fading or melting just allow it to adjust to the water condition. You could probably add some liquid fertilizer at this point of time. Remember that Guppy grass by itself grows very fast and unwanted use of liquid fertilizer will only make the grass unmanageable.
Pro Tip 2: You need to know that guppy grass can grow from all the places where you clip it. So ensure you clip it exactly straight and not cross-ways. As in the diagram below.
Wrapping Up:-
Guppy Grass brings a lot of advantages with it including minimal maintenance. Most importantly adds oxygen levels into the tank making it an ideal choice. This apart, the benefits of protective space, breeding ground and even feeding material, make guppy grass a cheap and optimal option.
With regular trimming, guppy grass can be a great addition to your tank both aesthetically and filtration wise. With its capacity to remove toxins, guppy grass comes at a low cost and is available easily.
The most lovely, part, is its ability to de-stress the fish and bring out the best colors in them which is why we love having an aquarium in the first place.
Do let me know how you used guppy grass for your aquarium. I would love to hear about it.
