10 Best Fish Food for Tropical Aquarium Fish
Tropical fish need balanced nutrition to thrive and be healthy. They need suitable vitamins and minerals, as well as proteins and carbohydrates, to grow well.
The options to select from include dry food, freeze-dried, frozen food, live food, and greens.
You may need to use a combination of food if you have different species in your aquarium. The best fish food to consider for tropical fish include:
1. New Life Spectrum Flakes
These all-purpose flakes are suitable for a range of freshwater fish species. They are made from premium natural ingredients, including Squid, South Antarctic Krill, New Zealand mussel protein, and Herring.
Additional ingredients are Spirulina, pluvial, Kelp, and seaweed. The fruit and vegetable extract in the flakes will provide an ideal balance of essential and nutrients to your pets.
The combination of ingredients in the fish food provides a balanced diet to fish. Being a color-enhancing food, you can expect to see some vibrant and vivid colors in your freshwater fish.
The meal is further enhanced with Garlic and Thera-A formula, which have a mega-dose of anti-parasitic ingredients to keep your fish healthy.
2. TetraMin Nutritionally Balanced Tropical Flakes
This upgraded formula features prebiotics and a host of other beneficial ingredients for your fish. It includes Omega-3 fatty acids for energy and chosen proteins for growth and vitality.
The base ingredients ensure that the suitable nutrition for your fish is packed in each and every flake. The included shrimp proteins will add brilliant colors to your fish and promote bone development from jaw to tail.
This formula is also packed with a stable vitamin source as well as guaranteed nutrient percentages to support growth.
The food is suitable for mid and top-feeding tropical fish. Its clear-water formula makes it a highly-digestible meal, and you do not have to worry about a lot of waste in your tank.
When feeding your fish with the flakes, give them an amount that they can consume in a few minutes.
3. Hikari Micro Wafers
The Hikari Micro Wafers boasts of being the world’s smallest wafers. They will particularly suit Catfish, Tetras, Livebearers, and Cichlids.
The best part about the wafers is that they are slow-sinking, and will, therefore, hit all areas of your tank. The flakes will not cloud up your aquarium, and you can opt to give several feedings throughout the day.
These flakes are color-enhancing so that you can look forward to a livelier aquarium. They are rich in Vitamin C to reduce anxiety and stress in your aquatic pets. Being fibrous, the meal will not mess up your tank. Your fish will absorb the nutritious ingredients, and you can expect less fish waste.
4. API Tropical Flakes
These flakes are packed with key nutrients to provide balanced nutrition for tropical fish. You can use them on Guppies, Tetras, Barbs, Discus, and Angelfish.
The flakes are formulated with nutritionally-enhanced protein that promotes optimal digestion and results in up to 30% less ammonia. Your tank will, therefore, have clearer water and lower levels of ammonia.
The flakes have high concentrations of beneficial nutrients. The carotenoids enhance the colors of fish while squid and menhaden encourage growth in your pets.
A blend of worms and shrimp proteins deliver the necessary amino acids for optimal development. The immune system of your tank’s residents will further benefit from the presence of Vitamins C and E, garlic, and yeast.
These food flakes are a solid buy if you want optimal nutrients for your fish.
5. Omega One Freshwater Flakes
The recipe used to make these flakes is particularly rich in Omega 6 fatty acids. By incorporating superfoods like herring and salmon, Omega One seeks to boost the immunity of your fish with these flakes.
The Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids also provide energy and make your pets less prone to diseases and parasites.
The Omega One flakes are naturally insoluble, and they contain significantly less starch to reduce fish waste. These high-quality flakes do not contain any pre-processed protein like digests, meals, or hydrolysates.
The inclusion of beta-carotene will restore the true colors of your pets and brighten up your aquarium.
6. Hikari Tropical Micro Pellets
These micro-pellets are made especially for small-mouthed species like barbs and tetras. They feature a premium mix of vegetable and marine protein that is suitable for small tropical fish who need larger energy reserves.
The soft texture of the pellets suits smaller community fish by encouraging excellent digestibility.
The pellets are multi-colored and semi-floating so that they can be consumed by fish at different tank levels. Hikari has also included unique micro-coating with the pellets to prevent water clouding and nutrition loss.
The blend of spirulina and krill promotes vivid coloring in your aquatic pets.
7. Tetra Freeze Dried Blood Worms
This treat is a nutritious supplement to primary meals like flakes. It is suitable for bettas and other small to medium-sized tropical fish. They are formulated to promote the health of your pets and bring out their best energy.
The bloodworms are specially processed and tested to reduce the presence of harmful organisms found in live bloodworms.
8. Aquacarium Freeze Dried Tubifex Worms
The freeze-dried tubifex worms are an excellent treat for your tropical fish. During feeding time, you only need to press the cube on the inside of your aquarium’s glass.
The freeze-drying process used to make the treats is especially thorough to ensure you end up with healthy and clean food for your pets.
9. Aquacarium Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp
This all-natural fish food can be fed to any tropical fish species. The large shrimp cubes can be broken into small pieces for smaller fish.
Large fish can consume entire chunks as a whole while smaller fish can tear them apart. Brine shrimp makes a good conditioning food and a perfect treat.
10. Aquacarium Spirulina Veggie Algae Wafers
These wafers have been made from high-quality ingredients, including soy meal, wheat germ, and fish meal. The mixture of vegetables and plants include carrots, spinach, broccoli, seaweed, plankton, shrimp, and spirulina.
The wafers also contain mineral and vitamin supplements for additional nutrition.
How to Feed Your Tropical Fish?
The process of feeding your tropical fish starts with identifying the kind of food to give them. The options include dry foods, live meals, and freeze-dried foods.
One conflicting area when it comes to feeding tropical fish is the daily amount to give your aquatic pets. The prevailing advice seems to be to underfeed instead of overfeeding. Wild fish do not eat at specific times, and they will continually graze for food in their surroundings.
Aquarists who intend to mimic the natural habitats will feed their pets up to five times a day. Feeding your pets once a day is the minimum, and most aquarists prefer to do it twice every day.
Feeding tropical fish is as easy as sprinkling in your choice of food, and ensuring you give them only the amount that they can finish in five minutes.
If you have a community tank, watch the residents eat to ensure all of them get enough. If you notice any leftover food, you may be overfeeding the species.
You may need accessories to ensure slower fish get their share or to make the process less messy. Such accessories include automatic feeders, which function off a timer that you can set when going to work. The feeder can either have a series of hoppers or a single hopper to dispense food at set intervals.
Feeding tongs are also commonly used to hand feed fish. They are particularly handy in training predatory species that do not respond to nonliving items as food.
You can use the tongs to wiggle food in front of the fish to mimic prey movements.
You can also use feeding rings to feed your fish as they keep floating meals in one area. Some rings float freely, and others attach to the tank’s glass via a suction cup.
Feeding rings are ideal for peaceful community tanks where the species feed well together. They will reduce mess, but it is best to let the food to float freely in less peaceful setups.
If you want to give your fish live tubifex worms, you can use worm feeds that have holes for the worms to pass through.
It is common for fish to start begging for food once they get comfortable in their environment. You may see them on the surface waiting to be fed, but you should avoid giving in. Underfed fish can be identified if they fight one another during meal times.
After a couple of minutes have passed and your fish have stopped eating, it is a good idea to rid your tank of uneaten meals. Leftover food will only dirty up your aquarium and support the growth of bacteria.
Why You Should Avoid Overfeeding Your Fish?
It is easy to overfeeding fish, especially if your fish always come up at the surface ready for food when they see you approach. Overfeeding, however, has many serious consequences, including:
- Cloudy and Dirty Water – Overfeeding leaves organic waste in your tank that will soon begin rotting. If you are particularly keen, you should be able to see leftover meals at the bottom of the tank. Overfed fish will also produce a lot of waste, which will quickly accumulate in your setup. Your aquarium will subsequently begin to smell and have cloudy water. Water changes are necessary at this point to eliminate waste.
- Algae Growth – Fish waste and the rotting leftover food support algal growth by releasing ammonia, nitrates, and phosphate. An algae boom leaves your tank looking green and unsightly, and it is hard to get rid of it entirely. Algae is known for overrunning an aquarium very quickly and being a headache for aquarists.
- Low Oxygen Levels – Leftover food uses oxygen in the anaerobic process and releases carbon dioxide. This leaves little oxygen for your fish and the aquatic plants you have in the tank.
- Mold and Fungus – The organic material left in the aquarium will also promote the growth of fungus and mold. The presence of these elements is especially critical if your fish have any open wounds or fin damage. The subsequent infections will spread quickly in the tank and result in fish kills if unchecked.
- Pest Snail – Pest snails are a common concern with aquarists. While they are mostly brought about by aquatic plants or water, their population increases rapidly if there is uneaten food in the tank. A food surplus will lead to a pet snail bloom that is hard to eliminate. Fish owners will typically reduce feeding to combat the pet snail problem.
- Ammonia and Nitrates – Every aquarist knows the danger of having levels of ammonia and nitrate in fish tanks. These elements are toxic if allowed to build up, with the problem worse in smaller tanks. Ammonia is especially deadly, and it will kill your fish quickly.
- Low PH Levels – Acids are typically produced as the organic material breaks down in the aquarium. Some fish species are sensitive to PH levels, and the drops may impact them negatively.
- Blocked Filters – Filters perform an exemplary job of filtering the dirt out of aquariums. If leftover food buildup, however, the filters will become overworked and clog up.
What to Feed Your Fish When Out of Food?
Do not panic when you discover that you are out of store-bought fish food because they are plenty of DIY options for any aquarist.
Green leafy vegetables make ideal emergency fish meals, and all you have to do is cut them up in small pieces. You can use lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts, zucchini, and cucumbers.
It is advisable to boil the greens to make them easier to digest. You can also give your fish small pieces of rice and pasta. Hard-boiled egg yolks are good options for smaller fish and shrimps.
Conclusion
Every fish-owners wants to give their pets a balanced diet to strengthen their immune system. There are varieties of flakes, pellets, wafers, and freeze-dried meals you can get from pet stores, depending on the nutrition requirements of your fish.
Experienced aquarists will warn you about the dangers of overfeeding, which is easy to do because fish will sometimes not know when to stop feeding. When in doubt, it is always better to underfeed.