fishkeeping&plantedtanks101

herbivores vs omnivores and carnivores

Herbivorous Aquarium Fish

Surgeon fish

Parrot fish

Silver Dollar fish

Bristlenose Plecos

Some Cichlids

Here’s what you can feed herbivorous fish other than fish food flakes:

Steamed/boiled root vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes, etc.);

Softened peas;

Lettuce and other leafy greens;

Some fruits in small portions (apples, mangos);

Spirulina;

Edible live aquatic plants (duckweed, Brazilian waterweed, Hygrophila).

Herbivorous fish, like omnivores, will be easier to feed new food alternatives, as they are less likely to be picky eaters like carnivores can sometimes be.

Omnivorous Aquarium Fish

Goldfish

Molly fish

Guppy fish 

Tetra fish

Barb fish

Here are some protein-rich food alternatives for fish food flakes designed for omnivores:

Insect larvae;

Insects;

Crustaceans (shrimp, crayfish, copepods, crabs);

Snails;

Hard-boiled egg yolk.

For the omnivorous fish in your tank with a taste for veggies & greens, you can feed them:

Cucumber (seeds & soft inside removed);

Lettuce;

Boiled/Steamed peas;

Boiled/Steamed carrots;

Boiled/Steamed potato;

Boiled/Steamed broccoli;

Boiled/Steamed pumpkin;

Boiled/Steamed cauliflower;

Zucchini (seeds & soft inside removed);

Edible aquatic plants (duckweed, Egeria densa, Hygrophila).

The egg yolk might have taken you by surprise, but they’re actually popular for feeding fish fry and the newborns of livebearers. Egg yolk chunks are also a great treat for some pet shrimp (cherry shrimp, for example). Feed it sparingly, though, as it can mess with the water chemistry inside your tank.

Carnivorous Aquarium Fish

Betta Fish

Angelfish

Oscar fish

Discus

Killifish

You can feed the carnivorous fish in your tank the typical live or frozen food most fishkeepers use:

Brine shrimp;

Bloodworms;

Daphnia;

Crickets;

Mealworms;

Snails.

Or you can experiment with food choices that might seem to be out of your comfort zone but will actually be tasty treats for the predators in your aquarium:

Organs;

Beef heart;

Whitefish (cod, tilapia, pollock);

Table shrimp;

Chicken scraps.

What Fruits Can Fish Eat?

Plant-eaters and omnivorous/herbivorous fish in your tank can benefit from being fed small quantities of fruit once in a while because they can get a vitamin/mineral boost while digesting fruit.

Here are some fruits you can safely feed your pet fish:

Apples;

Mangos;

Pears;

Papaya;

Plantains.

You can feed them as-is without softening them up like you would root vegetables in appropriately sized chunks. Even the invertebrates in your tank will appreciate a fruit treat (snails in particular!).

One fruit you should never feed your pet fish is avocado

How Often Should You Feed Your Fish?

Going by age is the easiest way to determine how your fish feeding schedule should look like:

Newborn Fry: 4 to 5 times daily for at least the first 2-4 weeks of their lives;

Juvenile fish: 2 to 3 times daily;

Adult fish: 1 to 2 times daily.

Regardless of their age, sick fish will eat significantly less frequently, if at all.

Q: Can you feed fish bread?

A: No, bread and bread crumbs are one type of human food that you should definitely not be feeding to your aquarium fish. Bread contains sugar, salt, and additives that have no business being in a fish’s digestive system.

Bread can also bloat fish beyond recovery, and broken-off pieces of bread will cause your tank’s filtering system to malfunction. Not even worth a try!