Having an aquarium full of healthy, happy fish is every aquarist’s dream. But keeping fish healthy requires meeting all their needs, especially diet. While fish food is specially formulated to give fish balanced nutrition, it’s not the only option. There are many healthy alternatives you can feed your fish besides commercial fish food.
In this article we’ll explore 12 options for what fish can eat besides just fish food. We’ll cover alternatives like
- Homemade fish food recipes
- Fruits and vegetables
- Protein sources
- Live foods
We’ll also discuss
- Key diet differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores
- How much and how often to feed fish
- Avoiding overfeeding
Armed with this guide, you’ll have plenty of ideas for providing your fish a varied, nutritious diet. Let’s dive in!
Why Consider Alternatives To Fish Food?
Commercial fish foods are specially formulated to provide complete, balanced nutrition. So why consider other options? Here are some key reasons:
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Variety: Just like us, fish appreciate variety in their diets. Alternatives add interest to their meals.
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Nutrition: Some alternatives offer nutrition you can’t find in fish food, like live foods.
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Cost savings: Homemade foods and some alternatives can cost less than commercial fish food.
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Emergencies If you run out of fish food, alternatives can tide fish over
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Picky eaters: Some fish only accept alternatives like live foods.
Just be sure any alternatives you offer meet your fish’s nutritional needs. Now let’s explore some healthy options!
Homemade Fish Food Recipes
One alternative is preparing your own homemade fish food recipes. Benefits include:
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Customization: You can tweak recipes to meet your fish’s needs.
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Ingredients: Use high-quality ingredients not found in commercial foods.
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Cost savings: Homemade food can cost less long-term.
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No preservatives: Avoid unwanted additives found in store-bought foods.
Here are some popular homemade fish food recipes to try:
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Gelatin-based foods: Gelatin, fish/shrimp, spinach, spirulina and vitamins. Firm, nutritious.
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Seaweed-based foods: Dried seaweed, fish, carrots, garlic, vitamins. earthy, natural.
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Seed-based foods: Seeds, grains, seaweed, spinach, shrimp, vitamins. Nutty crunch.
When making homemade fish food, tailor recipes to your fish’s needs. Research proper nutrition for your species.
Fruits and Vegetables
Surprisingly, many fruits and vegetables make healthy fish foods, either fresh or blanched. Some top options include:
Vegetables
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
Fruits
- Bananas
- Melons
- Apples
- Pears
- Berries
Rinse produce thoroughly. Remove peels, seeds, cores. Cut into bite-size pieces. Blanch vegetables to soften. Feed in small amounts.
Protein-Rich Alternatives
Protein is crucial for carnivorous and omnivorous fish. Popular high-protein alternatives include:
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Earthworms: Chop into bite-size pieces. An excellent protein source.
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Shrimp: Cooked, unseasoned shrimp chopped small. Remove shells first.
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Hardboiled egg: Small amount of egg yolk, mashed. Avoid egg whites.
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Crickets/mealworms: Top choices for carnivores. Rinse, then feed whole live or frozen-thawed.
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Muscle meat: Cooked, unseasoned lean beef, chicken, fish, pork. Chop finely.
When sourcing protein alternates, seek out organic, antibiotic/hormone-free options for healthiest nutrition.
Live Foods
Live foods are excellent alternatives, especially for young, growing fish. Benefits of live foods include:
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Instinct triggering: Hunting behaviors are stimulated.
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Fresh nutrition: More vitamins and nutrients than frozen or prepared.
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Variety: Rotifers, daphnia, brine shrimp and more to choose from.
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Acceptance: Picky eaters often accept only live foods.
Culturing your own live foods can seem daunting but starter kits are available. Local fish stores may also sell popular live foods like brine shrimp.
Other Alternatives
Some other alternatives fish may accept include:
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Algae: Naturally growing in the tank or purchased “sheets” perfect for herbivores
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Seaweed: Dried forms like nori are nutritious options.
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Prepared frozen foods: Brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia and more. Thaw before feeding.
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Aquarium plant clippings: Herbivores will munch on.
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Blanched green beans, spinach: Quick boil softens for digestibility.
When trying any new food, watch fish closely. Discontinue if any issues observed.
Key Diet Differences Between Fish
To pick the best alternatives, you must understand your fish’s nutritional needs. Here are key diet differences:
Carnivores
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Need 45-50% protein diets.
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Prefer meaty foods like worms, shrimp, crickets.
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May have sharper teeth and larger stomachs.
Herbivores
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Need 24-32% protein from plant sources.
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Prefer algae-based foods or vegetation.
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Often have flat teeth and no true stomach.
Omnivores
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Need both plant and meat components.
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Will accept flake food or live worms.
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Very flexible on food sources.
Research your fish species’ needs before offering alternatives. An improper diet can cause health issues.
How Much And How Often To Feed
When including alternatives, follow these feeding guidelines:
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How much: Offer amount fish can consume in 2-5 minutes 1-2 times daily.
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How often: Carnivores can be fed 1-2 times daily. Herbivores may need several small meals per day.
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Remove uneaten food: Discard any leftovers after 5 minutes to keep water clean.
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Avoid overfeeding: This can pollute water and cause fish health problems.
Follow package instructions for prepared alternative foods. Adjust amounts based on consumption.
6 Tips For Offering Alternatives
Follow these tips for successfully offering alternatives:
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Stick to 2-3 alternatives in rotation for variety without upsetting digestion.
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Prep alternatives properly, like blanching vegetables, cooking meats, or thawing frozen items.
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Chop foods into bite-size pieces appropriate for fish size.
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Remove peels, shells, cores and seeds first.
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Watch fish closely when first offering a new food. Discontinue if any issues.
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Reduce normal feedings if also providing alternatives to prevent overfeeding.
Putting It All Together
What can fish eat besides plain old fish food? As you can see, quite a lot!
Herbivores enjoy blanched veggies, algae and seaweed. Carnivores crave protein from worms, shrimp or crickets. Omnivores happily eat both!
Homemade gelatin- or seed-based recipes allow you to control ingredients. Live foods provide enrichment.
Follow proper prep steps, offer age-appropriate sizes and amounts. Watch for reactions, adjusting as needed.
With so many healthy, nutritious alternatives, you can give your fish the varied, balanced diet they need to thrive. Get creative, have fun and watch your aquarium prosper!
Live and Frozen Foods
Many freeze-dried fish foods are also sold in live or frozen form. Most frozen fish food comes in cubes that need to be thawed in a cup of tank water before being given to your fish. These foods might only have one ingredient, like bloodworms (midge fly larvae, which are sometimes called blind mosquito larvae), or they might have a mix of ingredients that are meant to fit certain diets.
Live foods like daphnia or brine shrimp can be offered directly. Just keep in mind when offering marine organisms like brine shrimp to freshwater fish that only the food should be offered, not the saltwater it came in. Adding saltwater to a freshwater tank can be harmful for your fish. Instead, net the brine shrimp from their original bag and add them to your fish tank rather than dumping them in along with the water they came in from the store. vgajic via Getty s
Like other animals, different species of fish follow specific types of diet. The three main categories of fish diets are herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
Feeding your fish the wrong type of diet may put them at risk for malnutrition and disease. To avoid this, make sure you research the type of fish you want in your tank. Knowing what your fish need is very important, and a little research can help you do that.
Let’s dive into the details of the three most common fish diets.
Herbivorous fish are plant eaters, so they require a diet of plant-based foods like plankton, algae and vegetables.
Saltwater fish that are herbivores include:
- Surgeonfish
- Parrotfish
- Damselfish
- Rabbitfish
In addition to commercial herbivore flakes, pellets and algae wafers, you can offer these fish fresh vegetables. Popular options include:
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Romaine lettuce
- Spinach
- Sweet potato
Fish will find it easier to eat vegetables that have been blanched before being served. However, if they are not eaten within 24 hours, they should be taken away so they don’t break down too much.
It’s the opposite of herbivores: carnivorous fish eat meat. They mostly eat other fish, but they also eat insects and crustaceans.
Popular examples of carnivorous aquarium fish include:
Carnivorous fish can be offered a variety of meat-based live, frozen and freeze-dried foods. Depending on the species, these may include:
- Worms
- Insect larvae
- Shrimp
- Snails
- Other fish
Research the type of fish you plan to raise to make sure you can provide the right diet.
Be careful when offering other fish to predatory fish species, especially if you don’t raise them yourself. Feeder fish may not be kept separate from ornamental fish in pet stores, and you don’t want to risk putting pathogens into your tank. Either quarantine feeder fish for two weeks to ensure they are healthy or breed them yourself at home.
The majority of popular aquarium fish species are omnivores—they eat both plants and animals. These include:
- Plecostomus
- Bristlenose catfish
- Severum cichlids
- Guppies
- Angelfish
- Most tetra species
- Many bottom-feeders
- Invertebrates like snails and shrimp
There are many kinds of flakes, pellets, wafers, live, frozen, and freeze-dried fish foods that can be given to fish that eat everything.
Flakes, Pellets and Wafers
The most common staple diets for aquarium fish are flakes, pellets and wafers. This is because they can be formulated for different types of fish.
Aquarium fish flakes are ideal for small fish because they can be crushed easily.
When it comes to choosing between flakes and pellets, Dr. Serena Brenner, MS, DVM, CertAqV, a consulting veterinarian and instructor at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis, California, says to offer the largest food a fish can safely consume.
While flakes and pellets are typically made with a variety of ingredients, freeze-dried foods tend to contain a single protein. Some of the most common freeze-dried fish foods are insects and aquatic crustaceans.
Examples of freeze-dried fish foods include:
- Tubifex worms
- Krill
- Brine shrimp
- Bloodworms
- Mysis shrimp
Larger, freeze-dried insects like mealworms and crickets may be appropriate for carnivorous fish.
STOP Wasting Money On Fish Food! What is THE BEST Food For Your Fish?
What kind of food do fish eat?
Flake food is the type of dry food used for herbivore and omnivore fish. It contains a number of high protein ingredients like plankton, shrimp meal, and kelp. Planktons, brine shrimps, bloodworms and krill are some of the favorites of omnivore and carnivore fish. They can be freeze-dried.
Is it good to eat fish?
Fish is one of the healthiest foods on earth. It is loaded with important nutrients such as protein and vitamin D. Fish is also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are very essential for body and brain growth and development. Some fish are high in mercury, which is related to brain developmental problems. Eating fish lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish may combat depression. Fish and fish products are the best sources of vitamin D. Eating fish has been linked to reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes and several other autoimmune diseases. Eating fish protects vision in old age, preventing age-related macular degeneration(AMD).
What is the best fish food?
The most common fish food comes in four different types; each with its own benefits. Dry food is usually best for herbivore and omnivore fish, as it contains dried algae and plant matter that they need to stay healthy and grow.
Do fish eat vegetables?
Whether you’ve ran out of fish food or not, supplementing your fish’s diet with vegetables is always a good idea. From experience, I can tell you that your fish will probably not eat all these vegetables. When they’re used to eating dried food like flakes or pallets, they will not immediately recognize the vegetables as food.