The best food for your fish all depends on their breed, diet, water temperature, size and where they prefer to eat their food. But once you have all of this data, finding the one for you is plain sailing.
There is more information about what to look for in our buying guide, but we have tried to cover all bases for the most popular home aquarium fish breeds.
Here are our top picks of the best fish food, reviewed.
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Best Pellets
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Best Pellets
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Best Flakes
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Best Flakes
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Best Freeze Dried
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Best Freeze Dried
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Check Price |
A unique blend of red, green and yellow pellets which all contain different ingredients, with high-quality fishmeal and a balance of amino acids for good palatability.
These pellets are ideal for most tropical fish with smaller mouths, such as tetras and barbs. Their small size makes them digestible and easily accessible, without losing out on vital nutrition.
They contain a host of vitamins and minerals which can reduce stress and activate their immune system, encouraging feeding. Ideal for surface and mid-water feeders as they are semi-floating and biotechnology will ensure your fish maintains their vivid colours.
Great for any coldwater tank fish, including goldfish, these flakes are packed with high-quality proteins to promote growth and good health.
Goldfish need a higher percentage of plant matter compared to tropical fish, hence why these flakes are specifically for those who live in cold water environments.
Vitamins C and E ensure your fish maintains a healthy immune system, which is vital in their environment. There’s no synthetic flavourings, just 100% natural vegetable and fish flavouring.
It is a complete diet in a flake, to meet the needs of all goldfish breeds and other coldwater species. This is perfect if you have a mixed tank with other coldwater fish too.
These flakes are made for fish which live in a tropical tank, or for temperate fish, such as tetras, angelfish, discus, barbs and guppies.
They are nutrient-rich, ensuring your fish can remain active and healthy. Tropical fish flakes contain more meaty ingredients, and a bit more protein to help them regulate temperatures.
Compared to other flakes on the market, they take a bit longer to properly break down if they go uneaten, meaning your tank water should remain a bit cleaner over time.
You can buy the food in different sized pots to best suit your needs.
Daphnia is a popular choice for fish and their owners, and the fact that it comes freeze-dried makes it a convenient option for you.
Freeze-drying allows you to keep them at room temperature like normal, but it just removes all of the moisture so it lasts longer.
High in protein, the freezing makes them long-lasting so you get better value out of the produce. They can be given as part of a regular meal or as an occasional treat. Depending on the size of the fish, you can drop the flakes in as they are or crumble them up for smaller fry.
Able to float on the top of the water if left whole, they will reduce how dirty your tank gets from leftover food and give your fish a better chance of all finding enough food.
There can be a risk associated with feeding your fish live food, so the freezing makes them pathogen-free and cuts out this worry. The cubes are easy for you to pick up without struggling or any disgusting handling of worms, either.
A gel food, containing natural aquatic animals as well as tons of vitamins and nutrients to ensure a healthy tank of fish.
The fresh taste should maximise the acceptance of your food, encouraging your fish to eat enough to sustain them.
As it comes in a gel, it allows you to undertake controlled and targeted feeding, so you can pay attention to any fish who maybe are the weakest of the tank.
The sachets can be kept for up to three years without refrigeration, making them a perfect option to always have to hand.
Sinking food is needed for bottom feeders such as catfish who don’t come up to the middle of the water and are used to eating the waste off the bottom of the tank.
And as far as trusted brands go, Aquarian is one you can depend on to deliver quality fish food. These pellets contain high levels of antioxidants to support a healthy immune system and are recommended by top aquarists.
They’re also designed to produce less ammonia for cleaner, clearer water and are packed with high-quality ingredients fish love such as algae, shrimp, worms and more. They’re also suitable for both tropical and community fish, including Cichlids, Goldfish, Tetra Fish, Betta Fish, Angelfish and more.
Small fish obviously have smaller mouths, so can struggle to feed on standard-sized flakes and pellets. This can lead to them going hungry, or even fighting for food.
This food is available in either crisps or granules depending on where your fish prefers to feast, and both are pretty ingenious. The miniature nibbles all have different sinking and floating nibbles, which will allow it all to settle at various levels so your fish can feed where they find best. The flakes are just a bit larger.
They both contain the right amount of fats, proteins and vitamins to help your fish thrive, and ensure their scales are shiny and maintained too.
Fish can’t be placed into a kennel or cattery, so when you are going on holiday and there won’t be anyone to feed them, it is vital to have something for them to eat.
These sticks can feed your fish for up to 14 days, which will suit anyone needing a long break in the sun. The feeding block is based on a gel formula rather than a gypsum block, so over time, it won’t cause the water to go cloudy or cause the filter to be overworked.
They also remain intact, as opposed to breaking down, so your fish won’t have to go scavaging near the bottom of the tank.
It is suitable for both temperate and tropical fish, and it is simple to adjust the dosage based on how many fish you have and how large the tank is. You can use a maximum of three blocks in a large tank for 14 days, so it isn’t going to be extreme.
Goldfish need more plant matter than meat in their food, which can make them slightly different from other coldwater fish. Therefore, a dedicated goldfish food is best.
Tetra know best about making goldfish flakes too – they were the ones to invent them over 60 years ago, after all! This food is comprised of four different variations of flake, offering the fish variety of colour, taste, texture and size in their diet.
The food is complete, so can really help when it comes to their vivid colour and vitality.
These tablets are for herbivores only, so can be given as a single food source or with added bloodworm or meat supplements.
Tablets are designed to sink to the bottom of the tank but unlike some of the pellets which do this too, they will break down very slowly, giving your fish food over time.
This makes them great for bottom feeders and timid fish who would rather come out as and when they want. They contain a high level of spirulina algae, and they sink quickly so can be placed wherever needed.
There are a few factors which all come into play when finding the ideal food for your aquarium fish.
Do they eat just vegetables, meat-based food or a mix of both? You will need to do your research and narrow down the food available. Most food out there will contain a balance of both greens and fish derivatives at the very least, but it just depends on the ratio
Pretty obvious, but smaller fish with tiny mouths will struggle eating huge pellets. If you have tiny tropical fish, buy food which is small enough for them to enjoy
Some fish will remain at one height or prefer to feed in certain places. Catfish feed off the bottom only, for instance. You will have to get floating, sinking or slow sinking food to accommodate
How much do they eat every day? Buy a supply which can last for a while and ensure you know how much to put in the tank. You may need to adjust between types of food
It can be good to give them a balance of food types, textures and treats in order for them to have a balanced diet
Fish who just eat plant-based foods and pellets, such as algae. Food will often contain small amounts of fish but this is natural for nutrients
Fish who eat meat and animal-based products, such as worms
These fish will eat a balance of herbivore and carnivore foods. It is good to give an even mix or subsidise algae foods with meat treats
These can come in floating or sinking varieties and you can get them in various sizes which makes them great for any size of fish. They don’t tend to disintegrate, making them great for any water which struggles to stay clean
Probably the most common. What these look like is pretty self-explanatory, and they are available in both tropical and coldwater variants. Most fish will happily go for them, and they can be slower to drop which is good for fish who like to eat higher up
Just like flakes, except even better at floating. This means the fish are more likely to get to them before they fall to the bottom, creating less waste. They’re usually for smaller fish thanks to their size. Also available in varieties with different sinking/floating properties to suit various species
These usually sink quite quickly, making them great for bottom-dwelling fish. They remain intact for longer than any flakes or pellets, releasing food slowly
Longer, so best for larger fish. They provide more nutrients in a packed-in state without needing to use loads of flakes
Perfect if you are going on holiday and need to feed your fish over a few days. They release small amounts of food as they dissolve over time
Often used with high-protein foods such as worms where the nutrients need to be preserved over time.
Some omnivores or carnivores can eat live foods such as worms too. You are limited to what you can buy online for this for obvious reasons, but they could be used alongside a more staple food form. They are commonly found in gels
As mentioned above, coldwater fish do not need quite as many nutrients and proteins as temperate or tropical fish and often have more herbivorous diets, so it is important to purchase food which meets the requirements of their water type.
Before you buy, it is important to know how much food you will be using every day so you can buy the best size.
You should generally feed most fish twice per day, and as much food as your fish will eat in five minutes. The only exception to this is for slow feeders such as catfish, who will need to be given around 30 minutes.
This can make it a bit of a guessing game at first, so we would recommend buying a smaller tub and see how much they get through and whether they actually like it before buying something large.
It depends between types, brands and their target fish group. But in general, they will be a mix of natural foodstuffs such as algae, grasses and plant matter combined with things such as worms, krill, squid, and other fish which contain the vitamins and nutrients for their wellbeing.
Some may contain more of or entirely the meat or greens, to cater to carnivorous or herbivore diets.
There are dedicated ‘holiday’ feeds out there. These usually come as sticks or tablets, and break down very slowly over a matter of days or weeks. The fish are kept fed, either by the particles which break off or by eating as they wish.
