Last Updated: March 22, 2023 by Flora Gibbins
Can we all agree that the best part about having fish as pets is that they don’t wander about in the house, lounging on couches, creating a mess, and destroying property? The cherry on top is that their houses, the aquariums, add life to the room since they are such a sight to behold!
Here’s the deal!
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Our best guppy tank pick for these freshwater fish was the 20-gallon Tetra Aquarium Fish Tank Kit. It was the most ideal for guppy fish keepers’ needs and had the most reliable accessories.
We’ve also sampled five more options in case you aren’t feeling our top plug.
Top Six Tanks for Guppy Fish
1. Tetra Aquarium 20 Gallon Fish Tank Kit – Best Overall
Besides being reasonably priced, the Tetra Aquarium is a splendid 20-gallon guppy fish tank. Guppies are highly reproductive and can procreate up to 30 times in a lifetime; the 20-gallon tank gives you moderate room for adult guppies and guppy fry.
It has low noise pollution. The air pump and filter occupy little space and leave more room for your guppies. It would help if you fixed noisy tank equipment upon discovery as it irritates and stresses the fish.
The tank is also easy to maintain, an aspect that is too imperative, especially for beginners who usually have difficulty finding their way around tank equipment.
All you need to complete this kit is 26lbs of gravel and, of course, some guppy fish. The Tetra Aquarium has various accessories, like the hinged hood for easy access, which helps you clean your gallon tank and feed your guppy fish. It’s an excellent combination of practicality and simplicity.
Tetra Aquarium Fish Tank Kit is easy to put together.
Pros
- Low noise output
- Easy to assemble
- Great value for money
- Good tank size
- Good for beginner aquarists
Cons
- Bright lights
Takeaway
If ever in possession, you will find that the Tetra Aquarium Fish Tank Kit is highly conscious of your daily needs. The 20-gallon tank goes very easy on the owner and is the best for many of these popular tiny aquarium fish.
2. Marineland Portrait Glass LED 5 Gallon Aquarium Kit – Best Lighting
As we had earlier come to a consensus, guppy tanks make for gorgeous room decor and never fail to lighten up even the dullest of spaces. The Marine Portrait Glass Aquarium Kit took serenity to heart.
It has two dominant lighting options, moonlight, and a glistening sunlight effect, from the blue and bright white LED lights. This simple yet effective combination brings an incredible vision into existence. Perhaps, it’s all about the natural feel of the shimmers caused by LEDs in the water.
The Marineland Portrait Glass has numerous upsides. For starters, the simplistic design provides easy access to the aquarium. Notable features include the hinged LED lights and a canopy glass roof, and the latter is also responsible for greater viewing angles.
The rounded corners allow for wider and continuous viewing angles while keeping a significant surface-to-air ratio. A high surface-to-air ratio makes the tank water properly oxygenated, giving your fish sufficient breathing air. It also has a 3-stage filter that is out of sight and very quiet.
The low-maintenance hidden filtration system prevents clogging while taking nothing from the view.
Pros
- Good lighting
- 3-stage hidden filtration
- Minimized noise output
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Small tank
Takeaway
Besides the breathtaking views, the aquarium also has excellent quality. The only downside is the miniature tank size of 5 gallons.
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3. Colibrox Aqua 10 Gallon Aquarium – Best Value for Money
Colibrox Aqua is excellent as it has little detail that helps you direct your focus on the quality of the glass rather than amenable secondary components. It is an empty tank making it less expensive than its accessorized counterparts.
Although there is the question of additional expenses on accessories for your empty tank, picking your add-ons like live plants could be less costly. An empty tank is the best fit; suppose you need to replace an older one or already have air pumps, filters, lights, and other tank equipment.
The empty aquarium allows you to have a hands-on guppy project as you can design the Colibrox Aqua to fit personal tastes and preferences.
The end product of developing your tank is much more fulfilling and is more likely to appeal to specific aquarist needs.
Colibrox Aqua Aquarium is very compact and easy to clean. However, its ten gallons isn’t much if you consider guppies’ inordinate breeding patterns, yet it is still the best size for starters.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Good quality build
- Easy to clean
Cons
- No lid
Takeaway
An accessory-free tank like the Colibrox Aqua makes for an excellent aquarist adventure. I promise you will come to cherish your self-accessorized aquarium. Do not forget to get a lid!
4. Fluval SPEC Freshwater Aquarium Kit, 5 Gallon – Best Design
Though on a higher pricing scale, the 5-gallon Fluval SPEC Freshwater Aquarium Kit has quality features and a sturdy build. This silent beauty has a 3-stage filtration system with a mega-sized mechanical, biological, and chemical Fluval filter.
This means your guppies will live in a high-quality water habitat, free of diseases and harmful residuals.
Fluval SPEC Freshwater has a sleek design that agrees with its utility. There is only one opaque side occupying the width of the tank. The view under the 37 LED lighting is gracious, utilizing both long sides of the tank. These lights will doubtlessly improve your room’s elegance.
The SPEC connotes that the light is for freshwater, and at 7000K color temperature with over 800 lumens, it is excellent for live plants. It is also suitable for other freshwater fish.
Pros
- Sleek and practical design
- 3-stage filtration system
- Negligible noise
- Great for beginners
Cons
- A high expense
Takeaway
If the price is not under the lens, the Fluval SPEC Freshwater Aquarium Kit is an effective masterclass design that can make it to the top of any best guppy aquarium list.
5. Aqueon Aquarium Starter Kit, 10 Gallon – Best for Beginners
This aquarium is a more straightforward tank for beginner aquarists to maintain. It has one 78-degree Fahrenheit heater, keeping a constant water temperature suitable for tropical fish like guppies.
Aqueon Aquarium Starter Kit is clear on all sides, purposefully for you to watch your guppies. The open-style view offers more underwater scenery to the onlookers. You could observe your pets for injury or illness with minimum effort.
This starter kit pushes its charismatic championship for beginners a notch higher. The filter has a flashing red light that notifies you to change the cartridge, making for excellent water quality.
Aqueon Aquarium Starter Kit offers adequate space for your guppies. With a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, you’ll have more time to decide what to do with the guppy fry once the breedings begin.
Pros
- Easy on beginners
- Good value for money
- A sturdy build
- Well accessorized
- Transparent on all sides
Cons
- Non-adjustable accessories
Takeaway
The Aqueon Aquarium Starter Kit is highly efficient, and its interactive system will assist you in caring for your fish, like the red flashing light telling you when to change your cartridge. The assistance encourages anyone to start a hobby as an aquarist with little hustle.
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6. Aqueon LED Minibow Kit, 5 Gallons – Best for Water Quality
All Aqueon Minibows have Smartclean technology. The mechanical tap can partially fill and drain the tank with a simple nudge and twist. This technology cuts the time for a water change to about two minutes for a tank size of 5 gallons.
The tank’s water changing process is straightforward, permitting clean and clear waters. Although Aqueon Minibow has a smooth water change process, please exercise restraint. More than twice weekly, habitual water changes are very stressful to guppies.
This featherweight is only 5.25 pounds. As it is built mainly for starters, the lightness can help you explore several spots before you home the fish. This highly portable tank requires minute resources to transport.
The list of pros goes on to low noise accessories, creating a stress-free environment.
It is easy to use and assemble. And a stable, durable tank that saves you money on aquarium replacements.
Pros
- A workable cleaning technology
- Easy on beginners
- Low noise yield
- Highly portable
Cons
- Small tank size
Takeaway
Aqueon LED Minibow Starter Kit has a compilation of simple yet pragmatic qualities. It makes it easy to care for your fish without overcommitting.
Our Ranking Methodology for the Best Guppy Tank List
1. Cost of the Aquarium
The price per gallon of the aquariums was a significant factor. We earmarked aquariums with favorable prices per gallon as better buys. Less expensive tanks are more accessible to a bigger population. We considered one hundred dollars or more per 10-gallon aquarium to be pricy.
2. Tank Size and Quality of the Tank
We favored an aquarium with a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, given how guppies wildly reproduce. One female guppy fish can have about 600 baby guppies in a single lifetime. Sturdier tanks last longer and are also more cost-effective.
3. Accessories Offered
We examined whether accessories like filters, pumps, and nets were of valuable quality standards. A tank may have more accessories, but only a few are helpful. Highly efficient add-ons boosted the ratings of the aquariums.
4. The Practicality of the Aquariums
We looked into the rationality of the design. Some qualities were redundant. Case in point, the Marineland Portrait Glass’ low lighting adds no value as guppies can do well in much brighter light.
Others were spot on and intricately matched with the tank, like the SPEC’s 7000K light for freshwater live plants. The essence and usefulness of the add-ons was a key determinant.
Fun Fact: No matter how beautiful your tank does not matter at all if you do not fill them with guppies! Bring more excitement into your new hobby (and aqua buddy) by reading our post on Guppy Care for fool-proof tips.
The Best Aquarium Size for Guppies
Ideally, a five to twenty-gallon tank size is a great start. Guppies have a narrow window of six weeks between birth and parenthood, after which a single female guppy can add about 20 new fries to the tank every month. Factor in this aspect even as you go for the minimum tank size.
If you are a breeder, then you’ll require a larger aquarium, like a community tank. Getting a separate same-sex tank will be a good idea if you desire to care for more guppies. Same-sex guppies can flourish in one tank, although males can exhibit aggression towards each other or other fish.
If you’ve been contemplating having guppies and other fish in one community tank, then this video shows how that arrangement works:
The best guppy fish aquarium should bring the best out of these tropical eye candies and have water parameters with the closest semblance to the guppies’ natural habitat in South America. Unlike large fish, guppies do not need a large aquarium, occupying too much space.
In my opinion, the best tank size is dependent on how many guppies you are planning to keep.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guppies should I keep in one tank?
The best gallon-to-guppy ratio is two gallons to one adult guppy. Male guppies tend to be more aggressive and require a female-to-male balance of at least three to one. The popularized “two females-to-one male” ratio isn’t so effective.
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Dominant guppies will still bully other tank mates. Your tank size determines how many guppies you can keep.
As an aquarist, you must not ignore the recommended balance, even with a huge tank size of over 50 gallons.
Are guppies the most popular aquarium fish?
Some would say that goldfish is the most popular fish, but the guppies are sociable and can thrive in a community aquarium, as they require a sense of society. Guppy tanks often contain many guppies, arguably qualifying them as the most common aquarium fish.
Does my aquarium need a filter pump?
Yes. Filter pumps are the key safeguard against the aquarium’s chemical, biology, and mechanical wastes. The chemical and mechanical cleaning components are responsible for the high clarity of the tank’s water. Guppies are vibrant in filtered, clean water.
The biological component makes the conditions conducive for (a) safe bacteria responsible for breaking down ammonia to nitrates and (b) maintaining the nitrogen cycle necessary for high-quality water parameters. Filter pumps keep aquariums free of infections and diseases.
Conclusion
The aquarium you choose is crucial to your experience as an aquarist. A wrong tank can bring about distaste for a once-beloved hobby or profession.
I recommend the Tetra Aquarium Fish Tank Kit. It’s cost-effective, less noisy, and spacious enough to accommodate many guppies and other fish. I also endorse it because it’s easy to assemble and requires low maintenance. Remember, the best aquarium is one tailored for your needs.
