Guppies are a tropical fish found in, well, tropical climates and even in saltwater. This means that you should keep that in water that is a tropical temperature.
To answer the question, guppies can live in cold water. However, you should not keep guppies in cold water.
We recommend a minimum water temperature of 72F for your guppies. But even that is a little cold for guppies and they will develop more disease and reproduce slower in water that cold.
A more ideal water temperature for guppies is the 78F to 82F range.
What Is The Coldest Water Temperature Guppies Can Live In?
Guppies can probably survive in water as cold as 65F for a few days, but they will not live very well nor will they live very long. You may start seeing them swim oddly, acting strange, and not eating very much food.
In other words, your guppies will survive if your water heater breaks and it takes you a few days to get a replacement water heater up and running. But please don’t keep your guppies in water that cold.
Use a Water Heater to Keep Your Guppy Tank Warm
A water heater is the best way to keep your guppy tank warm. You don’t really need a fancy water heater to keep the tank warm, either.
A cheap water heater from WalMart or Amazon will work fine, especially if you have a smaller fish tank.
That said, there are other ways to keep your guppy tank warm.
2 Other Ways to Keep Your Guppies Warm
Here are two other ways that you can keep your guppies warm. We still recommend a water heater, especially if you live in a cold environment, but these methods will work in a pinch or if you live in a more temperate climate.
Place The Tank Near a Window
Do you have a window that gets a lot of sun?
If you do, then placing your fish tank near the window will work for keeping it warm.
Now, this is not the best strategy because the tank can quickly buildup algae, but it works. Just make sure to stay on top of your algae cleaning or the tank can quickly overrun the tank.
The other benefit of placing your tank near a window is that the tank does not require a light.
Near a Heater
Do you live in a colder climate and have a furnace in your home?
One option is to place your fish tank near the furnace.
I don’t really recommend this because it’s hard to control the heat and the guppies will die if the heat goes out. But your guppies will love all the extra heat.
Final Thoughts
To reitierate the answer to the question, guppies can live in cold water – they don’t like it and it’s not healthy for them. However, if the water is not literally freezing, then you will find that your guppies should do just fine in it.