Last Updated: 06/06/2025
Fish Food Guide
There are so many different fish food options available. Read this guide on selecting which food is best for your fish.
Author: Gemma Radcliffe
Reading Time: 11 minutes - short read
Have you ever been guilty of feeding all of the pet fish in your tank a pinch of flakes and walking away? You certainly wouldn't be the first! But did you know that fish nutrition is just as important as nutrition for rabbits, birds, cats, dogs and any other pets? Your fish supplies should always include a high-quality fish food because health starts with good nutrition.
The first step in figuring out what is best to feed your aquarium fish is to figure out if they are omnivorous, carnivorous or herbivorous - all fish differ. You also need to figure out if your fish is a top, middle or bottom-dwelling variety, as this determines where in the tank they feed and also changes the texture of food they require.
Once you've figured out what sort of diet your pet fish should be consuming, there are a range of food options that you can consider/ Whenever feeding fish, remember not to overfeed, providing only enough food that they can eat in 3-5 minutes! Overfeeding causes water pollution and poor quality which leads to poor fish health and illness.
In this article
Flakes and crisps
Perhaps some of the most popular dry food varieties of the food on the market, fish flakes and crisps are baked to remove moisture and ensure a long shelf life and contain macronutrients, trace elements and vitamins to keep your fish swimming happily. Brands such as Nutrafin and Tetra are also formulated so as not to cloud the water of your tank, leading to better water quality, and are available in tropical fish food varieties. They're suitable for fish species such as gold fish, cichlids, betta fish and various tropical fish.
Flakes are best-suited to top-feeding fish - that is, fish that will swim to the surface of the water to feed - as well as some middle-feeder species. Crisps however, are slightly heavier and are suitable for mid- and bottom-feeder fish, such as tetra, gouramis and angelfish, making them a staple tropical fish food. Tetra makes crisps for a variety of fish species including cichlids and betta.
Sticks, pellets and granules
Sticks, pellets and granules are suitable for mid- and bottom-feeding fish such as pleco, corydoras and loaches. Floating varieties are very popular among pond fish, particularly koi, which will swim to the water's surface to devour their meal. Like many dried fish foods pellets, sticks and granules are baked to remove moisture and to help them last longer than even flakes and crisps in their packaging. These denser dry foods also decompose at a slower rate than flakes and crisps, meaning they are less likely to cloud your aquarium tank water and are suitable for any slower-feeding fish you may have.
Wafers
Wafers are a unique option for many varieties of fish that require a plant-based diet, including plecostomus - many are vegetable-enriched, with algae additives that assist with the overall health of your tank water while also releasing a tasty and wholesome meal for your fish. Like pellets, wafers are more solid than crisps and flakes and help to keep your fish tank water clear, since they don't tend to disintegrate quickly.
Further reading
Want to read more? Check out our other articles:
Fish Tank Maintenance and Cleaning 101
A Complete Guide to Setting Up Your Fish Tank
History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Fri Jun 6 2025
Edited by Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)Medically reviewed by Dr Olivia Clarke BSc BVMS MANZCVS (Unusual Pets, Avian)Gemma Radcliffe
Contributing Author
In her life, Gemma has owned cats, dogs, budgies, tropical fish, hermit crabs, chickens, guinea pigs, a rabbit and a stubborn rat named Bijou.
