Feeding Aquarium Fish: How Much and How Often
Overfeeding is the number one cause of cloudy water and sick fish. Here is the fix.
Almost every tank problem a beginner hits — cloudy water, algae, ammonia spikes, sluggish fish — traces back to food that was never eaten.
The two-minute rule
Feed only what your fish finish in about two minutes, once a day. If flakes are still drifting after that, you fed too much. A fish stomach is roughly the size of its eye — they need far less than instinct suggests.
Match the food to the fish
- Surface feeders (bettas, guppies) — floating flakes or pellets.
- Mid-water fish (tetras, barbs) — slow-sinking granules.
- Bottom dwellers (corydoras, plecos) — sinking wafers, fed after lights out so they are not outcompeted.
Variety keeps them healthy
Rotate a quality staple with frozen bloodworm or brine shrimp once or twice a week, and blanched courgette or spinach for herbivores. Colour-enhancing foods are useful but should not be the only thing offered.
Fasting is normal
One fast day a week does adult fish no harm and gives the gut time to clear. Healthy fish handle a week without food, so do not overfeed before a short holiday — use an automatic feeder or ask someone to feed pre-portioned amounts.
Clean up leftovers
Siphon uneaten food during water changes. Rotting food is what feeds ammonia and algae.
