Proper feeding is one of the most important — and most commonly botched — aspects of marine fish keeping. Get it right and your fish will be vibrant, active, and healthy. Get it wrong and you'll battle water quality issues and sick fish.
The Golden Rule: Feed Less Than You Think
New hobbyists almost always overfeed. Uneaten food breaks down into ammonia and fuels nuisance algae. A good rule of thumb: feed only what your fish can consume in about 2 minutes, twice per day.
It's far better to slightly underfeed than overfeed. Healthy marine fish can easily go a day or two without food — many species graze on algae and pods between meals.
Types of Food
A varied diet is critical. No single food provides complete nutrition. Rotate between:
Frozen Foods
The backbone of a good marine diet. High-quality frozen foods include:
- Mysis shrimp — excellent all-round food, most marine fish love it
- Brine shrimp — good for picky eaters, but lower in nutrition than mysis
- Marine mix / reef mix — blends of seafood, algae, and vitamins
- Cyclops — great for small fish and corals
Thaw frozen food in a small cup of tank water before feeding. Never dump frozen cubes directly into the tank.
Pellets and Flakes
Good for convenience and ensuring consistent nutrition:
- New Life Spectrum — one of the best pellet foods available
- Hikari Marine — quality pellets in various sizes
- Ocean Nutrition flakes — good variety, well-accepted
Nori/Seaweed
Essential for tangs, angelfish, and other herbivorous species. Clip a strip of nori to the glass daily. Even omnivorous fish benefit from the fibre and vitamins in seaweed.
Live Foods
Occasional treats that stimulate natural hunting behaviour:
- Copepods and amphipods — establish a population in your refugium
- Live brine shrimp — great for getting new or stressed fish eating
Feeding Schedule
- Morning: Small amount of pellets or flakes
- Evening: Frozen food (rotate varieties)
- Daily: Nori sheet for herbivores
- Weekly: Soak food in a vitamin supplement like Selcon
Species-Specific Tips
- Clownfish — easy feeders, accept almost anything
- Tangs — need heavy vegetable content, provide nori daily
- Wrasses — benefit from meaty foods, may need multiple small feeds
- Mandarins — primarily eat copepods, very difficult to feed prepared foods (ensure a large pod population before purchasing)
- Anthias — need 3+ small feeds per day, high metabolism
Signs of Poor Nutrition
Watch for: sunken belly, faded colours, lethargy, fin erosion, or a pinched appearance behind the head. These often indicate inadequate or inappropriate diet rather than disease.
Come See Us
Not sure what to feed your specific fish? Bring a photo or the species name into Eastwood Aquarium and we'll put together a feeding plan tailored to your tank.