Frozen aquarium fish food
Frozen aquarium food — bloodworm and brine shrimp are the two mainstays, such as Tetra Delica Bloodworm and Monkfield Artemia (Brine Shrimp) in our range — gives fish a closer approximation of their natural diet than dry flake alone, and most fish take to it readily once they've tried it.
Why owners feed frozen alongside flake
Flake and pellet food is convenient and nutritionally complete for most community fish, but frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp add variety and a texture and protein profile closer to what many fish would eat naturally. It's common to feed frozen food a couple of times a week alongside a normal flake diet rather than as a full replacement for it.
Some fish that are reluctant feeders on flake alone — certain cichlids and some finicky community species — often show far more interest in a frozen bloodworm cube than they ever do in flake, which is one of the more common reasons owners add it in.
Thawing and feeding it properly
Frozen food should be thawed in a small amount of tank water before it goes in, rather than dropped in frozen — this avoids a sudden temperature drop in the tank and stops uneaten frozen chunks sinking and fouling the substrate. A small cup or the corner of the tank works fine for thawing a single cube.
Feed only as much as your fish will clear in a couple of minutes, the same rule that applies to flake, since uneaten frozen food breaks down and affects water quality faster than dry food left in the tank.
Storage and hygiene
Keep frozen fish food in the freezer and use a clean implement to remove a portion rather than handling the block directly, to avoid introducing bacteria into food you'll be feeding your fish later. Once thawed, use it straightaway rather than refreezing, and note the date you opened the packet.
Wash your hands after handling frozen bloodworm or brine shrimp before touching anything else, since it's a genuine, if minor, source of bacteria to be sensible about around a kitchen or utility room.
In this section
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Large Aquarium Maintenance Set
A 48-inch condensation tray, a 22-inch glass scraper, a digital thermometer and 250ml of AquaSafe for a big tank.
£32.49
Supa Aquarium Net
Supa aquarium nets in coarse and fine meshes for fish catching and tank maintenance
From£1.65
Marina Digital Aquarium Thermometer
A digital aquarium thermometer that mounts on the outside of the glass and reads easily
£3.49
Marina Deluxe Aquarium Scraper
A four-in-one aquarium tool: two pad faces, a scraper blade and a planter fork
£8.79
Marina Floating Aquarium Thermometer
A floating aquarium thermometer with a safe-zone marker for tropical fish
£3.49
Tetra Gold Japan
Sinking dry pellets for fancy goldfish, with pack-specific label information shown clearly
From£4.56
Tetramin
Complete TetraMin flake food for ornamental fish, offered across several pack sizes
From£2.39
Tetra Goldfish Flakes
Complete goldfish flakes in several pack sizes, with a shared formula across the family
From£3.02
Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers
Sinking spirulina wafers for algae-grazing ornamental fish and bottom feeding
£4.30
Aquarian Tropical Fish
Complete flake food for community tropical fish, sized to suit how big your tank is
From£8.75
Supa Goldfish Flake Food
A complete goldfish flake, free from artificial flavours and preservatives
£4.09
Common questions
- Should I feed frozen food instead of flake, or alongside it?
- Alongside it for most fish — flake and pellet food is nutritionally complete and convenient day to day, while frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp add variety and appeal to fussier feeders a couple of times a week. Very few community setups need to drop flake entirely.
- How do I thaw frozen fish food properly?
- Thaw it in a small cup of tank water rather than adding it to the tank frozen, which avoids a sudden temperature change and stops solid chunks sinking uneaten. It only takes a minute or two to thaw a single cube this way.
- Can I refreeze frozen fish food once it's thawed?
- It's better not to — use a thawed portion straightaway and only take out what you need each time. Refreezing risks food quality and is easy to avoid by thawing small amounts as you go.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.