What Do Angelfish Eat? (And Can They Eat Other Fish Food?)

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If you’re interested in aquariums, then there’s a good chance that you already know a bit about angelfish. This is because angelfish are so very popular.

Angelfish can be considered to be some of the most popular aquarium fish. These fish are sold in pet stores around the world because of how pretty they are.

Perhaps you haven’t ever owned any angelfish yet, though. If you’re new to the idea of caring for angelfish, then you might be trying to gather specific information that will make caring for them easier.

Thankfully, these are very hardy fish that are simple to take care of. The most common angelfish are some of the most beginner-friendly fish that you can purchase.

Even so, you might want to know information such as what you’re supposed to feed these fish. What do angelfish eat and how much do you need to feed them?

Continue reading to get all of the information about feeding angelfish that you need to know. You’ll learn about what you’re supposed to feed different types of angelfish aside from the most common ones as well.

What Do You Feed Normal Freshwater Angelfish?

When it comes to feeding normal angelfish that you find commonly at the pet store, it’s not going to be difficult. Many types of angelfish can be considered to be common freshwater angelfish.

This includes popular types of angelfish such as koi angelfish, zebra angelfish, gold angelfish, silver angelfish, and even platinum angelfish. These are angelfish that have been bred in captivity to look a certain way so that they’re more appealing to aquarium enthusiasts.

You’ll find these angelfish being sold in pet stores around the world. They’re so common that many people who own aquariums will have bought some of these fish at one point or another.

That being said, you should know that the diet of all of the common freshwater fish will be quite similar. You don’t need to get fancy food for these fish since most of them will just eat fish flakes.

You can feed these angelfish fish flakes that have been formulated for angelfish. These will give the fish the nutrients that they need to thrive.

It’s also possible to give the fish shrimp pellets. Angelfish love to eat shrimp because that is one of the things that they will commonly eat in the wild.

Angelfish are considered to be omnivores. They will eat vegetation, but they also eat other living things such as shrimp.

If a fish is small enough to fit in the mouth of an angelfish, then it’s going to try to eat it. This is why you can’t put an angelfish in a community tank with fish that are too small.

Aside from fish flakes and shrimp pellets, people often feed angelfish frozen preparations as well. You can feed angelfish frozen shrimp and they will really like it.

Some also choose to feed angelfish live food. You could feed angelfish brine shrimp or certain types of live worms if you wanted to.

Of course, it’s generally more practical to stick to fish flakes and shrimp pellets. It’s said that alternating between fish flakes and shrimp pellets will be the right way to go.

It ensures that the fish is getting the right variety of nutrients. So long as you do your best, it should be simple to keep the angelfish well fed and happy.

How Often Should You Feed Angelfish?

Knowing how often to feed angelfish will be quite important. You don’t want to feed the angelfish more than you’re supposed to since it can put the fish in danger.

Juvenile angelfish are supposed to be fed three times per day. Adult angelfish only need to be fed twice per day.

It’s easiest to get on a schedule and get used to feeding the fish at the same time each day. This ensures that you avoid making mistakes since you’ll just get into the habit of always feeding the fish like clockwork.

When feeding the angelfish, you’re going to want to avoid giving them too much food. Feeding the fish more than you’re supposed to can be detrimental to them.

The fish aren’t always smart enough to know when to stop eating. For this reason, it’s up to you to only give them a normal amount of food.

It’s recommended to feed the fish as much as they can eat in two or three minutes. If the fish are taking longer to finish the food than three minutes, then you’re giving them too much.

If there is leftover fish food floating around in the tank, then that’s also a sign that you’re putting too much food in the tank at once. You need to remove any leftover food from the tank since organic debris can throw off the water parameters.

Eventually, you should get pretty good at giving the fish just enough food. If you make a mistake once or twice, then you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it.

Correcting your mistakes should be easy enough. As you keep caring for the fish, feeding them is going to become an easy thing to do.

What Happens If You Feed Angelfish Too Much?

Feeding an angelfish too much food has the potential to harm the fish. This is because it could cause the fish to become constipated.

If an angelfish becomes constipated, then there’s a good chance that it will have issues with its swim bladder. The swim bladder is an organ that helps fish to control buoyancy and swim around in the water normally.

Essentially, constipation will cause the angelfish to get a swollen belly. The swollen belly will press against the swim bladder and keep it from functioning as normal.

The swim bladder is basically a sac that is filled with gas. The sac isn’t able to fill up with gas as normal when it’s being pressed on by the swollen belly of the fish.

What happens is that the angelfish will no longer be able to control its swimming as normal. You might see the fish swimming sideways or upside down.

In some cases, the fish won’t be able to get around at all or it might only be able to swim in circles. It can make it hard for the fish to live normally.

This issue can usually be solved by feeding the fish a frozen pea. It causes the fish to poop out the excess food so that it can get back to normal.

Can They Eat Goldfish Food?

Perhaps you’re wondering whether you can feed angelfish the same food that you give to goldfish. If you’re already taking care of goldfish in one of your fish tanks, then this might be quite convenient.

It should be fine to give angelfish some goldfish food here and there, but it isn’t the best thing to give them. Angelfish and goldfish will eat many of the same foods, so angelfish will likely enjoy the goldfish flakes just fine.

However, the protein requirements of these two fish are very different. The amount of protein in goldfish flakes won’t be enough for the angelfish.

For this reason, it’s going to be better to get fish flakes that are specifically meant for angelfish. This ensures that they’re getting the nutrients that they need.

Can They Eat Tetra Food?

Angelfish should be able to eat many of the same foods as tetra fish. One of the most common foods that people give to tetras is called tetra blood worms.

These are frozen blood worms that are given to fish such as tetras. Angelfish are really going to enjoy eating them as well.

They’re freeze dried and then placed in convenient food packaging. You can give them to your angelfish as a meal or as a light snack.

You don’t need to give the angelfish tetra food, though. It’s just good to know that you have the option if you’d like to mix up what the fish are eating.

Can They Eat Cichlid Food?

If you don’t know this yet, then you should be aware that angelfish are considered to be cichlids. This means that they can indeed eat cichlid food.

Many people go to pet stores and specifically buy cichlid flakes and pellets to feed to their angelfish. These preparations are protein-rich and they have exactly what your angelfish will need to thrive.

You should be feeding your angelfish cichlid food most of the time. This is the type of food that the angelfish are meant to eat.

Don’t use goldfish flakes in place of cichlid flakes because the goldfish flakes don’t contain enough protein. You’ll be able to easily get this food by taking a trip to your local pet store.

Can They Eat Betta Food?

Angelfish can eat the pellets that you would normally give to betta fish. They should like them well enough and will seem to be satisfied by them.

However, these pellets are not formulated for angelfish specifically. As such, they aren’t going to have the recommended amounts of protein and nutrients that the angelfish need.

You shouldn’t be feeding angelfish betta fish pellets on a regular basis. This is something that you can give the fish if you forgot to go to the pet store to get their normal food and don’t want them to go without eating.

Be sure to purchase what you need so that the angelfish will have the necessary nutrients. It’d be better to not feed them betta food since it isn’t food that is truly recommended for them.

Can They Eat Tropical Flakes?

Tropical flakes should be just fine to give to angelfish. In fact, many people purchase tropical flakes as the staple food that they give to their freshwater angels.

These pellets should have the necessary protein and nutrients to help your angelfish stay healthy. This is a very common type of fish flake food that you can find at any pet store.

Many enthusiasts say that tropical flakes and cichlid flakes are interchangeable when it comes to feeding angelfish. You should have a fine experience if you purchase these pellets.

Remember to feed adult angelfish twice per day. This will ensure that the angels are getting enough food without going overboard.

Can They Eat Brine Shrimp?

Brine shrimp will be among the most common things that angelfish like to eat. In the wild, angelfish snack on brine shrimp all the time.

You’ll be feeding the angelfish shrimp in the form of pellets, most likely. However, it’s also possible to buy frozen brine shrimp to give to the angels.

They’ll really be happy to eat the frozen brine shrimp. There are instances of fish owners giving the angelfish live brine shrimp as snacks, too.

It’s likely that brine shrimp will be a staple of the diet of your angelfish in some way or another. The angelfish need the protein and nutrients provided by such meals.

Can They Eat Algae?

Since angelfish are omnivores, they might eat algae sometimes. Many angelfish owners have said that juvenile angelfish are more likely to eat algae that can be found in the tank.

You can’t simply feed the angelfish algae and expect them to stay healthy, though. They need much more than that.

It’s recommended to feed the angelfish a steady diet of formulated fish flakes and shrimp pellets. You shouldn’t be giving the fish just algae.

Can They Eat Pellets?

Yes, angelfish can indeed eat pellets. In fact, pellets are some of the most common types of food that you will give to angelfish.

Most people wind up feeding angelfish fish flakes and shrimp pellets. Shrimp are some of the most common things eaten by wild angelfish, and it makes sense that captive angelfish would enjoy shrimp pellets.

You can easily find shrimp pellets at various pet stores. They shouldn’t be very expensive, and you’ll be able to keep the angelfish in good health.

Remember that many enthusiasts say that mixing up what you give the angelfish will be for the best. It might be best to give angelfish both shrimp pellets and fish flakes by mixing up what you give the fish each day.

Can They Eat Bloodworms?

Angelfish can indeed eat blood worms if you would like to give them some. As mentioned earlier, angelfish will eat many of the same things that tetras do.

Tetra blood worms are the most common type of food given to tetras. You can have an easy time feeding angelfish freeze dried bloodworms if you’d like to go that route.

This is said to be a good snack for the angelfish, but it can also be a full meal. You will need to be careful not to feed your angelfish too much because there are consequences to overfeeding the fish that have been discussed earlier in this article.

It’s also possible to feed the angelfish bloodworms directly. You’ll simply have an easier time if you choose to buy freeze-dried bloodworms that come in convenient packaging.

Can They Eat Mealworms?

Angelfish will really enjoy eating mealworms from time to time. If you would like to mix up the diet of the angelfish, then it might be a good idea to give them mealworms as treats.

You should be able to purchase mealworms from pet stores pretty easily. The easiest way to give your angelfish mealworms will be by purchasing freeze-dried mealworms.

Finding frozen mealworms won’t be difficult in any way. Your angelfish will enjoy the snack and you can purchase them for the fish fairly regularly.

As always, be sure not to go overboard giving your angelfish snacks. You already know how bad overfeeding the fish can be.

How Long Can Angelfish Go Without Eating?

All of this information is great, but what if you happen to make some mistakes? Angelfish are supposed to be hardy, so can they go without eating for a while if you happen to be away from home for a day or so?

Thankfully, angelfish are supposed to be able to survive without eating for at least three days. It’s said that they can live much longer than that without food if you’re talking about a healthy adult angelfish.

A juvenile angelfish will probably perish after three days of not being fed. An adult might last for a week or even longer than that.

It depends on various factors such as how healthy the fish is as well as its size and age. Of course, it’s not going to be good to starve your fish.

Ideally, you should be feeding your fish each day. Juvenile fish need to be fed three times a day while adults need to be fed twice per day.

They can survive without eating for several days, but being denied food could have a negative impact on the health of the fish. For this reason, you should try to remember to feed your fish daily.

If you’re going out of town, then try to get a friend or relative to feed your fish for you. Leave them specific instructions so that they know what to feed the fish and how much to give them.

What Do Queen Angelfish Eat?

Queen angelfish are saltwater fish, and as such, they’re going to be different from the freshwater angelfish that have been described above. These angelfish are very big, and they can grow to be as long as twenty inches.

You’ll need a large tank if you want to keep one of these in your home. It’s said that you must have at least a 180-gallon fish tank to keep a queen angelfish in your home.

That’s going to be much too large for many people. If you don’t have the space to dedicate to a large fish tank, then you’re better off forgetting about the queen angelfish.

If you do have enough room for a really big fish tank, then having a queen angelfish might be quite appealing. What do these large fish like to eat, though?

Well, they’re omnivores, and that means that they eat many different things in the wild. You’ll often find them snacking on sponges in the wild, but they’ll also eat algae, soft corals, and jellyfish.

You can feed a queen angelfish many different things in captivity. Many people wind up feeding the fish pellets that contain algae since they eat algae in the wild.

They will also quite enjoy eating foods that have been made using sponges. Clams are a common thing that people give to queen angelfish as well.

You should probably give the queen angelfish occasional meaty treats as well. They really seem to enjoy eating gut-loaded live shrimp.

Final Thoughts

Having learned a lot about what angelfish eat, it should be easier to care for them now. The most common types of angelfish are generally considered to be quite simple to take care of.

So long as you put a little bit of effort in, these hardy fish will be able to thrive under your care. Feeding them often enough will keep them in good health, and you’ll be able to enjoy having them in your tank for a long time to come.

Remember to feed your angelfish a mixture of fish flakes and shrimp pellets. It might be good to give them things such as mealworms or blood worms from time to time as well.

Never feed the angelfish more than you’re supposed to or it will be a detriment. You want to avoid giving the angelfish constipation issues since it can lead to swim bladder problems.

Keeping angelfish in your tank will be a good experience. These fish are great additions to your aquarium, and they can even do well in a community tank setting.

They’re mildly aggressive fish, but you can find many great tank mates for them. Anyone who is looking for colorful fish that are easy to keep alive will adore angelfish.

Let any of your friends who are thinking of buying angelfish know about what you learned. It should prove to be useful information that will help new angelfish owners to have an easier time overall.

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