🐠 Aquarium Fish Feeding Frequency & Diet Guide

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🐟 Small Community Fish

(Tetras, guppies, mollies, rasboras, danios, small barbs)

• 🍽️ Feed 1–2 times daily in small portions (only what they finish in 2–3 minutes).
• 🍲 Diet: flakes, micro pellets, freeze-dried daphnia, frozen or live brine shrimp.
• 🔎 Tip: They have fast metabolisms → small, frequent meals help them thrive.

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🐡 Mid-Sized Omnivores

(Angelfish, gouramis, discus, medium cichlids, bettas)

• 🍽️ Feed once daily, skip a day weekly to avoid digestive issues.
• 🍲 Diet: sinking pellets, flakes, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, vegetables (peas, zucchini).
• 💡 Bettas: prefer floating pellets and frozen/live insect-based foods.
• 🔎 Tip: Discus and angelfish benefit from higher protein when young, more balanced diets as adults.

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🦐 Algae & Bottom Feeders

(Corydoras, plecos, otocinclus, loaches, shrimp)

• 🍽️ Feed daily or every other day.
• 🍲 Diet: sinking wafers, algae wafers, spirulina tablets, blanched zucchini, cucumber, peas.
• 🪵 Special Note: Wood-eating plecos (Panaque) require driftwood to aid digestion.
• 🔎 Tip: Corydoras are scavengers but still need direct feeding — don’t assume they get enough from leftovers.

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🐠 Large Predatory Fish

(Arowanas, datnoids, oscars, bichirs, large catfish, peacock bass)

• 🍽️ Feed every 2–3 days (adults), daily for juveniles. Some very large fish thrive on once-a-week feedings.
• 🍲 Diet: shrimp, tilapia, whitefish, prawns, earthworms, quality carnivore sticks/pellets.
• 🚫 Avoid fatty meats (beef, chicken) → can cause long-term health problems.
• 🔎 Tip: Predators have slow metabolisms compared to small fish — less is more.

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🪣 Fry (Baby Fish)

(Any species when newly hatched)

• 🍽️ Feed 3–5 times daily in very small amounts.
• 🍲 Diet: infusoria, baby brine shrimp, microworms, powdered fry food.
• 🔎 Tip: Overfeeding can quickly foul water — feed tiny amounts but often.

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🍤 Our Feeding Practices

• ✅ Variety is key — we rotate foods to give fish complete nutrition:
  • Raw shrimp 🦐
  • Tilapia fillets 🐟
  • Multiple brands of sinking & floating pellets (meat-based + veggie-based)
  • Vegetables (blanched zucchini, cucumber, spinach, shelled peas)
• ✅ Balanced feeding keeps fish healthier, colors brighter, and reduces aggression.
• 🚫 No live feeder fish (goldfish, rosy reds, guppies, etc.) because:
  • Carry parasites and diseases 🦠
  • Poor nutritional value
  • Stressful to both feeders and predators

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🥦 Supplemental & Enrichment Foods

• 🌱 Algae sheets (nori) for herbivores and tang-like fish
• 🦗 Insect larvae (mealworms, crickets) for predators (only gut-loaded, never wild-caught)
• 🪱 Frozen or live worms (bloodworms, blackworms, tubifex — best from safe sources only)
• 🧊 Homemade fish food mixes (shrimp, spinach, spirulina, vitamins blended and frozen into cubes)

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🕒 General Feeding Guidelines

• 🎯 Adjust feeding by species, size, and age:
  • Juveniles → more frequent, smaller meals (growth stage)
  • Adults → fewer, larger meals (maintenance stage)
• 💧 Always remove uneaten food → protects water quality.
• 🧽 Use feeding rings or targeted feeding tools for top, mid, and bottom feeders.
• 🌙 Some nocturnal species (plecos, loaches) prefer to eat at night.
• 🔎 Observation: Watch your fish — if bellies are constantly bloated or food is left uneaten, reduce feeding.

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⚡ Golden Rule: In the wild, fish don’t eat on a schedule — sometimes they eat daily, sometimes they go days without food. In captivity, moderation, variety, and quality matter more than frequency.