Pick your species, tell us if they're juveniles or adults, and we'll give you a feeding schedule, the right food types in priority order, and the foods to avoid. 25+ freshwater and marine species in the database.
Choose a species to see its feeding schedule, recommended foods, and what to avoid.
Feeding amounts are species-typical guidelines — observe your fish, watch for leftover food after 60–90 seconds, and adjust accordingly. Healthy fish are alert, well-coloured, and have flat (not concave or distended) bellies.
The single most common cause of fish death in beginner tanks is overfeeding. Uneaten food decays, spikes ammonia, and crashes the cycle. If in doubt, feed less.
No single food covers every nutritional need. Rotate between two or three pellet/flake brands and supplement with frozen foods 1–2 times a week.
Surface feeders (bettas, gouramis) need floating food. Mid-water (tetras) need slow-sinking. Bottom dwellers (corys, plecs) need sinking pellets that reach them.
Whatever you feed should be eaten within roughly 60 seconds. Food still floating after 90 seconds is too much — net it out and feed less next time.
One day a week without food is normal practice for most species. It mirrors natural conditions and gives the digestive system a break — particularly valuable for anabantoids and goldfish.
Healthy fish in a cycled tank can go 5–7 days without feeding. Auto-feeders are convenient but unreliable — for trips longer than a week, hire a sitter who only does water checks, not feeding.
Run your aquarium dimensions through our volume calculator to get accurate water capacity, then come back and feed accordingly.
Volume calculator