Feeding tropical fish is where beginners overspend and under-optimise. The £3 flake tub from the pet shop is fine for guppies but bad for bristlenose plecs. The £15 premium pellet tin is great for cichlids but wasted on tetras. Frozen bloodworm is a treat everyone loves but shouldn’t be daily.
This guide covers the best UK-available fish foods for 2026, matched to fish type. Buy the right food for what you keep, and fish are healthier, colours brighter, and breeding more likely.
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- Match food to fish: flake for mid-water community fish, sinking wafers for catfish, algae wafers for plecos, betta pellets for bettas, and frozen food as a treat for all.
- Feed only what fish clear in two minutes, twice a day, with one weekly fasting day.
- Overfeeding is the number-one cause of water-quality problems for beginners.
- Vary the diet — no fish thrives on a single food.
Our top picks at a glance
- Best all-round flake: Tetra Prima — small omnivore flake, works for most community fish.
- Best premium daily food: Hikari Micro Wafers — sinking micro pellets, high quality.
- Best cichlid food: Hikari Cichlid Excel — colour-enhancing formula.
- Best pleco/catfish: Hikari Algae Wafers — sinking algae wafers.
- Best betta: Hikari Betta Bio-Gold — carnivore floating pellets.
- Best shrimp: Hikari Shrimp Cuisine plus Bacter AE.
- Best frozen (treats): Ocean Nutrition frozen bloodworm.
Food types explained
Flake
Thin flakes floating on the surface. Community-tank staple. Sinks slowly to feed mid-water fish.
Best for: community mid-water fish — tetras, danios, guppies, gouramis.
Downside: doesn’t reach bottom-feeders before mid-water fish grab it.
Pellets
Compressed granules. Sinking pellets fall for bottom-feeders; floating pellets for surface-feeders (bettas, gouramis); mid-column pellets for community.
Best for: larger fish, cichlids, catfish, bettas.
Wafers
Larger sinking discs. Take longer to break down.
Best for: plecos, corydoras, larger catfish, nighttime feeding.
Frozen food
Actual insect larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia — frozen fresh. Highest-quality protein, most natural.
Best for: treats 2–3× weekly; conditioning fish for breeding; carnivorous species.
Live food
Fresh live brine shrimp, daphnia, blackworms. Best possible food but requires hatching or fresh supply.
Best for: fry raising, breeding conditioning, difficult-to-feed species.
Detailed picks by fish type
Community mid-water fish (tetras, danios, guppies, harlequins)
Daily staple:
- Tetra Prima Micro Sticks — small sinking granules; the industry standard. £8 for a 45g tin lasting 6+ months.
- Hikari Micro Wafers — premium alternative; higher protein and colour-enhancing.
- JBL NovoBel flake — German quality, well-balanced.
Treats (2–3× weekly):
- Frozen bloodworm — every community fish loves this
- Frozen daphnia — helps digestion
- Frozen brine shrimp — variety
Corydoras and small catfish (peppered, bronze, sterbai)
Daily:
- Hikari Sinking Wafers — small sinking wafers, corydoras staple
- King British Catfish Pellets — UK-made, budget-friendly
Feed after lights-out — corydoras feed at night. See our corydoras breeding guide for full protocol.
Bristlenose plecs and larger catfish
Daily:
- Hikari Algae Wafers — bristlenose gold standard
- Tetra Pleco Wafers — cheaper alternative
Plus blanched vegetables — courgette (best), cucumber, spinach — attached to a veggie clip in the tank overnight.
Cichlids (rams, kribensis, angels)
Daily:
- Hikari Cichlid Excel — colour-enhancing formula, the standard
- New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula — premium option
- Northfin Cichlid Formula — Canadian brand, growing UK availability
Frozen treats 2× weekly:
- Frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp — colour-boosting.
See our best cichlids for beginners UK guide and angelfish care.
Betta
Daily:
- Hikari Betta Bio-Gold — the standard
- Fluval Bug Bites for bettas — insect-based protein
2–3 pellets, twice daily. One fasting day per week. See our betta care guide.
Livebearers (guppies, mollies, platies)
Daily:
- Tetra Prima or Hikari Micro Wafers as above
- Vegetable-based flake or blanched vegetables for mollies (herbivorous tendency) — see our mollies guide
Shrimp
Daily/every-other-day:
- Bacter AE — biofilm booster
- Hikari Shrimp Cuisine — pelleted staple
- Blanched vegetables — courgette, spinach
Feed sparingly. See our cherry shrimp care guide.
Fry (any species)
- Hikari First Bites — powdered fry food
- Sera Micron — alternative
- Baby brine shrimp hatchery — for freshly-hatched Artemia (best possible fry food)
See our livebearers guide and breeding corydoras guide.
Feeding rules that matter
Only what fish clear in 2 minutes, twice a day maximum. Overfeeding is the #1 water-quality problem for beginners.
One fasting day per week. Genuinely healthy — not cruel.
Vary the diet. No fish thrives on a single food. Rotate between flake, pellets, frozen.
Feed AFTER water changes, not before — settled water shows leftover food that might be missed.
Bottom-feeders eat after lights-out — feed them then, with sinking food.
Overfeeding leads to:
- Ammonia spikes from rotting food
- High nitrate (see how to lower nitrate in fish tank)
- Snail population explosions (see get rid of snails)
- Cloudy water (see why is my fish tank cloudy)
- Fish obesity and swim bladder disease
What to avoid
- Very cheap unbranded flakes under £3 — usually filler with minimal nutritional content
- Feeding cichlid food to community fish — too rich in protein for tetras
- Fresh table scraps (bread, meat, cheese) — most cause water quality problems
- Live food from unknown ponds — bring parasites into your tank
- Storing food past expiry — fats go rancid; vitamins degrade
Storage
Keep flakes in the original tin (or airtight container) in a cool dry place. Frozen food goes in the freezer (freezer bag protects flavour).
Buy small containers if you have small tanks — flakes lose vitamins 3–6 months after opening. A 100g tub lasts one small tank a year.
Cost per year for typical UK tanks
| Setup | Weekly food cost | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 60L community | £0.50 | £25 |
| 100L community | £1.00 | £50 |
| 200L community with cichlids | £2.00 | £100 |
| Reef tank (fed daily) | £5.00 | £250 |
Fish food is one of the cheapest ongoing costs in the hobby. Buy quality.
Bottom line
Community tanks: Tetra Prima or Hikari Micro Wafers daily; frozen bloodworm as weekly treat.
Bristlenose or catfish: Hikari Algae Wafers plus blanched vegetables.
Cichlids: Hikari Cichlid Excel or New Life Spectrum.
Bettas: Hikari Betta Bio-Gold.
Two feedings per day, only what fish clear in 2 minutes. One weekly fasting day. Variety matters more than quantity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best food for tropical fish?
For community mid-water fish, a quality flake or micro-pellet like Tetra Prima or Hikari Micro Wafers daily, with frozen bloodworm as a weekly treat. Match specialised foods to catfish, plecos, bettas and shrimp.
How much should I feed my fish?
Only what they clear in about two minutes, twice a day at most, with one fasting day per week. Overfeeding causes most beginner water-quality problems.
Can I feed my fish once a day?
Yes. Most adult fish do fine on one daily feeding, and a weekly fasting day is healthy. Fry and very active species benefit from smaller, more frequent meals.
Related: best aquarium fish for UK beginners, best aquarium filter UK, how to clean a fish tank.
— Jaqline Smalling, FishForever
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