Freshwater angelfish are omnivores, and eat plants as well as meat. In the wild, Angelfish will eat any worm or insect that comes their way. The best advice for what to feed angelfish is the same as any freshwater tropical fish. Less food is better than more and feed a natural diet.
How Much to Feed Angelfish
David Lass recommends in his book, Angelfish: Understanding and Keeping Angelfish, to feed them what they will eat in 30 seconds. If they are still hungry, give them another 30 seconds worth of food. Many angelfish experts also recommend fasting angelfish once a week. After they eat, they will pick up food that has fallen to the bottom. They are continually swimming in search of food, and if they can’t find some, they will nibble on an available plant.
Food for Angelfish
Feeding angelfish a variety of foods insures they get a complete range of nutrients. This would include flake foods, freeze dried, frozen and live. The food should be fresh. Discard food that has gotten wet. Unless you have many fish, buy small containers so the food does not go stale. You can also count the plants in the tank as food and feed fresh produce, such as leafy greens, peas and slices of zucchini. By feeding a different food every day, freeze dried, flake, frozen and live, the angelfish will get a well-rounded omnivore diet.
Live Foods
Fish enjoy live foods. Live foods are available from the local fish store and over the internet. If kept properly, they can be self-raised for a continuous supply of fish food.
Tubiflex worms may have diseases or parasites that will infect angelfish, or any other fish. Live, they aren’t recommended for fishfood.
Black worms are a good choice for angelfish. They are easy to find and a nice treat for the fish.
Bloodworms are mosquito larvae, and a good fish food. If kept alive too long, they will hatch into mosquitoes.
Brine shrimp is a popular tropical fish food. Brine shrimp is mostly water, so there isn’t much nutritional value. They are a nice treat for adults. They are a common food for fry.
There are several other live foods available, but these are common, and provide good nutrition for angelfish.
Flake Foods
Buy a quality product. The first ingredient on the label should be fish meal or protein. Ignore products that have flour or other starch as the main ingredient. For adults, the amount of protein should be about 35 – 40 percent. Babies up to nine months old need about 50 percent protein.
Freeze Dried
Freeze dried food is a staple for angelfish. Tubiflex, blood, and black worms, krill, and mysis shrimp are some live foods freeze dried for food. There is a wide variety available for the gourmet angelfish. Freeze dried food is safe, healthy and enjoyed by fish.
Frozen
Most of the live food can be frozen and thawed to feed. Brine shrimp is a common frozen food, as are the worms, daphnia and other live food angelfish eat. One food Lass doesn’t recommend for angelfish is beef heart because of the fat content. Beef heart by itself also has very little nutrition.
Angelfish will live and prosper on flake, freeze-dried and frozen food. Giving a different food every day gives them variety and a well-rounded diet. There is no need to feed them live food on a regular basis. They will enjoy chasing their food as an occasional treat. The big concern with fish food is feeding too much. Uneaten, it will decay and contribute to increasing ammonia in the nitrogen cycle.