Granules, tablets, flakes, live and frozen food: not only beginners but also advanced aquarists are easily overwhelmed by the range of different aquarium fish foods available in pet shops. In addition, every variety usually has its advantages and disadvantages and not every fish food is suitable for every ornamental fish because they differ in their preferences. However, the choice of the right fish food should be well considered, as it directly affects the well-being of your aquarium inhabitants and can have a big impact on the colourfulness of the animals. Which fish food you should feed in your aquarium, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the individual varieties are explained in the following guide article.

Fish Food Comparison: Flake Food for the Aquarium

The probably most bought aquarium fish food in Germany is the typical flake food, which is available in almost every pet shop and is sold by every big aquarium producer. Simple flake food is probably so popular because it can be fed without much effort: you don’t come into contact with live or frozen food that might deter some aquarists, you don’t have to thaw anything and you don’t have to worry about feeding the animals. The great variety on the market is not particularly different in terms of content: the fish food consists mostly of fish and meat residues, as well as algae, molluscs, crustaceans, vitamins and yeast. A residual cocktail with vitamins, which of course is not harmful for the aquarium inhabitants and can be fed regularly without hesitation. However, one should attach importance to variety and not rely on a one-sided diet with flake food.

My recommendation for Aquarium flake food:

If it has to be flake food, which is fed then one should at least attach importance to the highest possible quality and not reach for the first flake food in the pet shop. My recommendation is clearly Söll Organix Power Flakes. This particularly high-quality flake food is characterized by a low ash content and is therefore more digestible for your ornamental fish. In addition, an above-average proportion of high-quality proteins strengthens the immune system and can positively influence the colourfulness of the animals as well as their well-being. The feed is also particularly suitable as concentrated feed for the rearing of young animals.

Amazon link

How do you feed the flake food in the aquarium?

Flake food is not for nothing a particularly popular aquarium food: the feeding is very uncomplicated and can be easily done by hand, furthermore the food is available everywhere. When feeding, however, one should focus on variety, only flake food alone should not be fed. In general, you should only feed as many flakes as the animals can eat within three minutes. Excess food should then be removed from the tank.

Advantages and disadvantages of frozen food

advantages	drawbacks
Very simple / uncomplicated feeding	Cocktail of food leftovers and vitamins
Perfect as an alternative to frozen food	Often loaded with many additives
Long shelf life	Be sure to provide variety (frozen food)
Well suited for herbivorous species in the form of feed tablets	Does not contribute to animal welfare
	Often no high-quality proteins

 

Fish Food Comparison: Aquarium Granules and Dry Foods

Besides the aquarium flake food, the dry food, which is also often available in the form of granules or food tablets, is one of the most widely used fish foods in Germany. As with flake food, this can certainly be attributed to the fact that it is available in almost every DIY store / pet shop and that feeding the ornamental fish with such a food is particularly easy: you avoid contact with “disgusting” frost and live food, the food can be very well dosed and must generally pay little attention to feeding – absolutely beginner’s so suitable. In contrast to flake feed, dry and granulated feed can consist of much higher quality raw materials. Dried mosquito larvae are also available in almost every pet shop and of course on the Internet. Depending on which animals you keep in your aquarium – carnivorous species – this is probably the best and healthiest dry food you can feed your animals. In contrast to flake food, it does not consist of a mixture of vitamins and feed residues, but of high-quality proteins in the form of mosquito larvae. For herbivorous species, such as many catfish species, feed tablets are also one of the only feeds available. Although it is more advisable to feed them with vegetables such as cucumbers, a food tablet is also very popular on a regular basis. Nevertheless, it is advisable for herbivorous species to also rely on a varied diet, especially because this can be achieved very easily and cheaply anyway by using old vegetables from the refrigerator.

Granulate and dry food for aquariums: my recommendation

Which granulate or dry food you feed in your aquarium is obvious: dried red mosquito larvae from JBL NovoFil are the special treat for your aquarium fish and are particularly suitable as a supplement to standard flake food. The high-quality dry food consists of 100% dried red mosquito larvae, one of the favourite foods of most South American ornamental fish. The food in the aquarium is especially popular with them, of course, but also with catfish, snails and shrimps. In contrast to mosquito larvae in the form of live or frozen food, you don’t have to deal with mosquito larvae, which are unappetizing for weak minds, but can feed them completely contactless – a great thing I think!

Link Red mosquito larvae, NovoFil

How do you feed the dry food in the aquarium?

The feeding of dry food in the aquarium is anything but complicated, mostly there is already on the back of the package a quantitative recommendation for feeding. Basically, you should not feed more than the animals can eat within three minutes. Excess food can easily be removed from the tank.

Advantages and disadvantages of frozen food

advantages	drawbacks
Mosquito larvae rise to the splendour of colour with	Not a complete feed, but to be used as a supplement
High-quality proteins strengthen the immune system	Often loaded with many additives
Very simple / uncomplicated feeding
Well suited for feeding young fish
Long shelf life

Fish Food Comparison: Frozen Food for Aquariums

Let’s get to Aquarium Frozen Food. This ranks second in the fish food comparison and is probably the healthiest and most natural way to feed its aquarium inhabitants after the live food. A good frozen food partly consists of 100% high-quality proteins and is usually not mixed with vitamins or chemicals – apart from phosphorus, which is irreplaceable for the shelf life of the frozen food. Frozen food contributes significantly to the well-being of your aquarium inhabitants: it can positively influence the colourfulness of your fish as well as the lifetime of the animals and strengthen the immune system. Although the advantages of frozen food should clearly outweigh the disadvantages, these should also be mentioned briefly: Frozen food should, especially in small 60 litre aquariums, always be dissolved under running water before feeding, for this you absolutely need an Artemia sieve. For some aquarists the dissolving may be an annoying expenditure of time and I have to admit that I have often caught myself feeding dry food because I was too “lazy” to dissolve it. In addition to dissolving, you need space in the freezer compartment and of course you have to accept the fact that you store the small animals there – this may be a bit too unappetising for some aquarists. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages and you should not do without regular feeding of frozen or live food – the fish will thank you!

Frozen food for aquariums: My recommendation

There are many suppliers of frozen aquarium food who produce high quality fish food, and you can also buy frozen food without hesitation from the local pet shop / DIY store. Nevertheless, I have made the best experiences with SAHAWA Frost Food by far: The Frost Food dissolves very well under running water and usually the fish cannot get enough of it. I can recommend the quartet in particular, as it ensures a varied frost food diet even for small aquariums. The food can be kept in the freezer for a very long time, without it getting bad – sometimes I could still feed the food without any problems after 6 months.

How do you feed the frozen food in the aquarium?

Simply defrost under running water using an Artemia sieve as described above. A normal cube of frost food is sufficient for a 180-240 litre aquarium, depending on the aquarium stock. In a smaller aquarium, for example the 60 litre tank, it is sufficient to feed one third of the cube. You can easily cut the frozen food cube with scissors or a knife before feeding it.,. 

Advantages and disadvantages of frozen food

advantages	drawbacks
Natural, healthy food	Contact to “nasty” frozen food
Contributes to the well-being of the fish	Feeding a little more cumbersome / elaborate
High-quality proteins strengthen the immune system	Storage of unappetizing frozen food in the freezer
Has a positive influence on the colour splendour
Well suited for feeding young fish
Long shelf life
Few additives

 

Fish Food Comparison: Feeding Live Food in the Aquarium

Let’s get to the absolute number one fish food in the  aquarium: live food is the healthiest and most natural way to feed your ornamental fish. Those who have already fed live food will surely remember how much the food is eaten by the aquarium inhabitants. Live food usually consists of 100% high-quality proteins and is mixed with only very few additives in the water – usually with medication, which is why you should rinse the live food well in the Artemia sieve. Those who seriously value a natural keeping of ornamental fish in the aquarium cannot avoid the living food: it awakens the hunting instinct of the animals and leads to a natural behaviour that is otherwise only seen in the wild. It should also be noted positively that the feed, as well as the frozen feed, contributes particularly to the well-being of the animals. This can very quickly become noticeable in a much more beautiful color splendour and has often led to offspring in my aquarium. Of course, the disadvantages are obvious: the feed should first be flushed with an Artemia sieve, which makes feeding more complicated. Besides, you have to make do with the scurrying inhabitants in plastic bags in the fridge – certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. The same of course applies to feeding in general, because sooner or later you will have to touch the unappetizing live food manually when you clean the sieve or one of the animals falls out of the sieve. Nevertheless, the advantages should clearly outweigh the disadvantages. No other food can trigger such natural behaviour and is as healthy for your tank inhabitants as live aquarium food.

My recommendation for Aquarium live food in the aquarium

Aquarium live food does not have to be bought online – you can safely rely on the live food available from the local pet shop. The only problem is that not every pet shop sells this food. In the online trade I can clearly recommend live food from WFW Wasserflora. It was always very gladly accepted by my animals, in addition the dispatch takes place very fast and the bags arrive always intact. Especially for small basins, the retailer offers suitable portion bags so that an open bag in the refrigerator can be avoided. All around a top product and my absolute purchase recommendation.

How do you feed the live food in the aquarium?

Just like the frozen food, the live food in the Artemia sieve should be rinsed thoroughly – this way unnecessary additives, such as medicines, are disposed of in the water. In general, you should feed your aquarium inhabitants about as much live food as they can eat in about 3-4 minutes. With live food an “overfeeding” is otherwise not further problematic, since the animals live on in the water and are eaten sooner or later by the ornamental fish.

Advantages and disadvantages of frozen food

advantages	drawbacks
Natural, healthy food	Contact to “disgusting” live food
Contributes to the well-being of the fish	Feeding a little more cumbersome / elaborate
Awakens the hunting instinct of aquarium inhabitants	Storage of lively live food in plastic bags in the refrigerator
Has a positive influence on the colour splendour	Shelf life only approx. 14-21 days
Well suited for feeding young fish
High-quality proteins strengthen the immune system
Few additives

 

Conclusion: Aquarium fish food in comparison

A large number of different aquarium foods are available in pet shops, with flake and dry foods being particularly popular because feeding is very simple and uncomplicated. In order to ensure that your fish have a long life, a strong immune system, particularly strong colors and show their true behavior, however, you should definitely rely on a varied diet and occasionally allow your aquarium inhabitants some frost or live food. The food is anything but expensive and the feeding is after a few attempts anything but complicated, but the fish will thank you for it and accept the food very willingly. In my opinion, every aquarist should have a bag of frozen or live food in his house and at least at regular intervals, such as 2-3x a week, refrain from dry food and feed high-quality, protein-rich food.