This article may contain some affiliate links to products. The links provide me a small percentage of commission but do not cost you anything extra to use. (See full disclosure statement here
).
Angelfish are an omnivorous fish that will eat both meaty protein and vegetation. However, they do prefer a mainly carnivorous diet packed full of protein.
Freshwater Angelfish enjoy eating live/dried/frozen meaty protein. So, small insects, their larvae and eggs will all be welcome. This means that you can, for example, feed Blood Worms, baby Brine Shrimp, Micro Worms and Daphnia to your Angelfish. They also eat flake foods and small pellets that contain vegetable matter along with the protein.
There are a lot more foods you can offer to your Angelfish and variety is important. You need to feed them foods that are high in protein as the bulk of their diet. You also need to make sure the food is broken down into small enough pieces for them before adding the food to the tank.
Fortunately none of this means that feeding them is difficult. In fact Angelfish are an easy-to-feed fish. And that goes for all colour variations of freshwater Angelfish.
So let’s take a closer look at which foods you can feed to your Angelfish.
Live, Dried And Frozen Protein Foods For Angelfish
The freshwater Angelfish’s native habitat is in the Amazon River Basin of South America. They typically live in deep slow moving rivers, lakes and even in swamp-like water areas. In their native environment they mainly feed on small insects, small worms and tiny crustaceans. Basically they well eat any form of protein that that will fit into their mouths. But they do eat some algae and plant material too.
Live, dried and frozen protein foods for your Angelfish are readily available at Pet Stores, Aquatic Dealers and Online. Angelfish do well on a varied diet so try to vary the way they get their protein.
Here’s Some Of The Protein Foods That You Can Offer To Your Angelfish
- Blood Worms
- Tubifex Worms
- Micro Worms and Banana Worms
- Brine Shrimp (Amazon link)
- Daphnia (Amazon link)
You can also offer your Angelfish Mosquito Larvae, Vinegar Eels and Mealworms. You’ll soon get to know what their favourites are and which ones they’re not so keen on. But you’re likely to find that they’re not fussy when it comes to meaty protein.
Some insects, worms and crustaceans are sold as live food but most can also be bought dried or frozen. If, like me, you’re a little squeamish about feeding, or chopping up live foods, you can go for the frozen or dried options. For example, dried Blood Worms are easy to crunch down and because they’re dried I feel less squeamish about doing it.
Tip: If you opt for dried insects/worms it helps to rehydrate them before adding them to the tank. Soak them in a little tank water for about 20 minutes or so before feeding them to your fish. When rehydrated they will be easier for your fish to eat and digest. They’ll sink into the water more quickly too.
Both Fluval And Hikari (Amazon links) do a range of protein rich foods/insect foods that are dried and easy to break down to feed to your fish. Hikari Vibra Bites are popular with Angelfish keepers so they’re worth checking out. I’ve been feeding Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Formula For Small Fish (Amazon link) along with other foods in all my aquariums. All my fish love it even though some of them are not tropical fish. Nonetheless, they’re fish that love their protein.
DIY Live Food Cultures
If you’re happy to, or prefer to feed your Angelfish with live protein foods you might want to culture your own supply. Growing your own live cultures is easy to do. And growing your own culture will give you a constant supply of fresh live protein food for your fish.
In the YouTube video link below Cory from Aquarium Co-Op shows you how easy it is to culture your own supply of Micro and Banana Worms. He also gives you tips on how to keep the cultures going on indefinitely. So if you’re interested in ‘growing’ your own live protein supply for your Angelfish take a look at the video.
Tip: If you feed frozen protein foods to your fish you need to defrost them first and let them come up to room temperature before feeding. Don’t just drop a frozen block into your fish tank because it will effect the water temperature. And if the food is too cold it won’t be good for your fish’s digestive system either.
Flake Food And Pellets For Angelfish
Flake foods and food pellets generally contain a combination of both protein and vegetable derivatives. They also usually contain added vitamins and minerals. This is because most good quality flake and pellet foods are designed to supply a complete nutritional food source for aquarium fish.
When you’re choosing a flake or pellet food for your Angelfish it’s important to choose a good quality one that contains a range of beneficial nutrients. You also need to make sure that there is a decent amount of protein in them too. Angelfish keepers often feed Krill Flakes (Amazon link) to their fish so it’s worth giving Krill flakes a try.
Although Angelfish like a lot of protein in their diet they also need some vegetable matter to keep their digestive system running smoothly. This is where flake foods and pellets can help with their combination of ingredients.
Feeding flake food and/or pellets to your Angelfish is the easiest way to feed them the bulk of their diet. And if you’re new to the fish keeping hobby they’re a great place to start too. These types of foods are also the least messiest way to feed your fish as long as you don’t overfeed them.
Do Angelfish Eat Vegetables?
Although Angelfish prefer a meaty protein filled diet they do eat some vegetation, both in their native habitat and the home aquarium. So offering them some vegetables as part of their diet is a good idea. Eating vegetables is beneficial to fish as it helps to keep their digestive system healthy and reduces the risk of bloating and constipation.
You may find that your Angelfish are not very enthusiastic about the vegetables to start with. Particularly if their diet is usually protein packed, or they haven’t been offered them before. So give them a chance to get used to the idea and experiment a little with which veggies you give to them. Also, if you feed them vegetables as one of their meals and not as an extra treat they are more likely to eat them simply because they are hungry.
Tip: When feeding vegetables to your fish you need to soften them first. You can do this either by steaming, simmering or microwaving them. Let them cool to room temperature before adding them to the tank.
If you want to tempt your Angelfish with some vegetables Courgette (Zucchini), Cucumber and Shelled Peas are good ones to try. Shelled peas are worth trying because they’re great for avoiding, even solving, constipation problems in fish. You can also try leafy greens e.g. kale and lettuce.
Remember to remove any uneaten vegetables from the tank after your fish have finished feeding so that you don’t foul up the tank with rotting food.
How Much And How Often Should I Feed My Angelfish?
Feeding your Angelfish twice a day is usually the best option. Just feeding one larger meal isn’t good for their digestive system and can cause health issues. So dividing the food between 2, or even 3, smaller meals is a good idea. Really young Angelfish benefit from 3-4 small daily feeds. Only feed both the adults and the young fish as much food as they can eat within about 1 minute or so without any leftovers. This helps to avoid overfeeding and having leftover food fouling up the tank water.
Just like most aquarium kept fish your Angelfish may look like their begging you for food every time you go near the tank. Don’t let them fool you into thinking that they’re still hungry. If you know that you have fed them enough for the day don’t let them tempt you into giving them ‘just a little bit more’. Overfeeding is bad for your fish’s health and the overall health of the tank.
Do Angelfish Eat Algae?
Angelfish will eat some of the algae that naturally grows in your tank. However, they are not considered to be big algae eaters so they won’t help you to solve an algae problem in your aquarium.
They do often nibble on Algae Wafers though (Amazon link). Which is something you will notice if your Angelfish are in a community tank with other fish that enjoy these wafers. It might be because algae wafers usually contain other ingredients with the algae content such as fish derivatives, vitamins and minerals. Or maybe it’s just because Angelfish, like other fish, will eat whatever is available. Whatever the reason, algae wafers are another way to get your Angelfish to eat up their greens.
So even if you have an ‘Angelfish only’ tank it’s worth giving them the occasional algae wafer as a veggie treat.
Do Angelfish Eat Aquarium Plants?
In general Angelfish are not considered as aquarium plant eaters. I know that experiences in the fishkeeping hobby can vary widely but overall most Angelfish keepers say ‘no’ they won’t destroy your plants. So despite being an omnivorous fish Angelfish generally only eat plants as a last resort because they are hungry. If you feed them enough food each day you’re unlikely to have a problem with the plants.
If you’re worried that your Angelfish might nibble on your plants then choose courser, less juicy plants, for your tank. But you’ll probably find that if they have enough protein foods and vegetables in their diet they won’t pay any attention to your plants.
Which is good news because Angelfish do well in a planted tank.
Do Angelfish Eat Their Own Eggs And Fry?
The answer to whether your Angelfish will eat their own eggs and/or fry is one of those ‘Yes and No’ answers. Angelfish are generally considered to be good parents. But they have been know to eat both the fry and the eggs sometimes. This usually happens when a breeding pair are young and inexperienced in parenting skills. As the pair mature and become more practiced they are less likely to eat their offspring. They also become better at defending and protecting them from predators.
Other reasons why Angelfish may eat their fry include: insufficient feeding, poor tank conditions, a lack of defendable areas in the aquarium and feeling under threat/being startled.
What Do Angelfish Fry Eat?
For the first few days Angelfish fry feed off of their yolk sack. Once they are free-swimming and they have used up their yolk sack you will need to start feeding them 3-4 times a day. The food needs to be extremely small and protein packed. Many Angelfish keepers/breeders prefer to feed the fry with live foods at this stage. Newly hatched live Brine Shrimp, Micro Worms and Banana Worms are some of the favourite Angelfish fry foods. If you’re interested in culturing your own Angelfish fry food, or just live food for all your fish, take a look at the YouTube Video link that I’ve added further back up this article.
You can also feed your Angelfish fry on cooked egg yolk. Although it can be a little messy and difficult to remove any leftovers from the tank. Nonetheless, egg yolk is packed with protein and easy for the fry to eat.
There are also prepared foods specifically formulated for fry and are generally available to buy in Pet Stores, Aquatic Dealers and Online. Hikari, Interpet, Northfin and Fluval are just a few of the companies that have a good reputation for their fry foods. There are other brands available too so it’s worth checking them out before you decide.
Whether you buy food specifically aimed at feeding fish fry, culture your own, or you just grind/powder down the food you already have, make sure it’s tiny enough for the fry to eat.
After a few weeks the fry will be able to manage larger foods and will also be able to nibble on the vegetables that you offer to the tank community.
