8 best fish foods for guppies

Last Updated on 2024-07-02

Finding the best food for guppies can be hard. There’s so many on the market, so which one should you use?

This article aims to answer all your questions on which tropical fish food is best for your guppies!

But not only that, but you’ll also learn what to look for when purchasing food yourself. So, you can make your own mind up on what the best food for your guppy is if you ever have to!

So keep reading to find out!

What To Look For When You’re Buying The Best Fish Food For Guppies!

Rather than listing off the best fish food for guppies, it’s important to know why it’s the best. This will help you make an informed decision when purchasing. And if you have to check fish food yourself, you’ll know exactly what to look for!

Here’s what you should be looking for when buying fish food for your guppies.

High-Quality Ingredients

Of course, the most important thing to look for is high-quality ingredients. If the ingredients in your guppies food aren’t high quality then the chances of your guppy becoming sick increase dramatically.

High-quality ingredients will include things such as fishmeal, shrimp meal, plankton, algae meal, and vitamins. Whereas low-quality ingredients will be soybean meal, oatmeal, brown rice meal.

As a rule of thumb if it’s something they’d eat in nature it’s going to be good for them, whereas if it’s something they wouldn’t eat in nature then it’s not going to be as nutritious.

However, it’s important to note that it’s okay for there to be some poor ingredients in the fish food. It’s very unlikely you’ll find food without any. But you want to make sure they don’t make up the bulk of the fish food.

You can do this by seeing where they’re placed in the ingredients list. The ingredients that are placed near the front are going to be the main bulk of the food.

How Good It Tastes

Next up you need to make sure that the food is going to taste delicious for your guppies. After all, there’s no point buying them nutritious food if they don’t want to eat it. This is a lot more trial and error, but for the most part, guppies will eat anything.

If you do have a guppy that’s fussy then try using food that has added shrimp meal. Shrimp meal is delicious to fish and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a guppy that doesn’t like it!

Make Sure It’s For Omnivores

Guppies are omnivores so you need to make sure that the food you’re giving them has a combination of vegetables and meat inside it. If you don’t give them this combination then they’re going to become sick.

Fortunately, most tropical fish food is made for omnivores so you don’t have to worry too much. Just make sure you’re staying away from bottom feeder food or food for bettas. Often these will be completely made from meat or vegetable, but not together.

How Easy Is It To Use?

Another consideration when you’re buying your guppy fish food is how easy is it to use? Some fish food will require you to put it in water first so it can expand. Others may be too big for your guppy to eat so you’ll have to break it down before you give it to them.

While this isn’t as important to your guppy, its something you should think about for yourself.

Will It Make The Water Dirty?

You should also consider whether it’s going to make your tank water dirty or not. Some fish food may pollute the tank a lot more than others when it’s not eaten.

And as well as this, if it sinks too quickly then it’s going to reach the substrate before your guppies have a chance to eat it.

Either way, waste in your tank will make the water dirtier and spike the ammonia levels which could be dangerous.

Price

And the last consideration is the price. Generally, speaking if something is cheap it’s going to have a lot of low-quality ingredients in it. When it costs more it’s generally going to have higher-quality ingredients.

You need to balance the price that you’re spending enough that you’re giving your guppies the food they need, without it costing you an arm and a leg (unless you don’t mind of course).

With that all being said, here are the 8 best fish foods for guppies.

8 Best Fish Foods For Guppies

The fish foods for guppies listed below are all great choices, and it’s all going to be down to your unique goals on which one you decide to go with. However, whatever you choose from this selection you can rest assured that you’re going to be getting a great source of nutrition!

Let start with my number one choice and the one I personally love!

Fluval Norwegian Krill Color Enhancing Flakes

Fluval Color Enhancing Pellets Fish Food, 5.29-Ounce, 150gm
  • Performance driven at affordable prices
  • Made in the USA with quality materials
  • Field tested to ensure nothing but the best for your pet

If you’ve got fussy guppies then these are going to be the food for you. Because one of the main ingredients of this food is Norwegian krill, they’re going to be delicious to your guppies. In fact, they won’t be able to get enough of them

But that’s not the only benefit of the krill. It’s also going to help your guppies colors pop, especially red and yellow pigmentation.

When you check the main ingredients you can see the first few are great sources of nutrition including krill, herring and fish meal.

As far as food that will improve your guppies’ health, this is my top pick! However, it’s definitely not the only great choice.

Good Partner Small Tropical Sinking Pellets

GOOD PARTNER Purify Series for Tetra Fish Food, Small Tropical Sinking Pellets, Suitable for Betta, Guppy Fish, All Natural Ingredients, Balanced Composition of Fish Feed, 2.65 oz (Pack of 1)
  • Crystal Clear Tank: With our small tropical fish food, you will see the positive effects on both the fish’s healthy and water quality. Using our speciality feeds (Specially added probiotics—Bacillus subtilis natto sourced from Japanese natto) can create a good ecological cycle, which helps to reduce fish waste and maintain the water quality.

The GOOD PARTNER Guppy Fish Food is a premium product designed to meet the specific dietary needs of guppies. Made from high-quality ingredients, it provides a balanced blend of proteins, vitamins, and minerals essential for the growth and health of guppies.

The food comes in the form of floating pellets, ideal for surface feeders, and is formulated to be easily digestible, reducing the risk of digestive issues. Additionally, this food is specially designed to enhance the vibrant colors of your guppies, making them more visually striking.

Packaged in a resealable container, it ensures long-lasting freshness and nutritional value, offering convenience and quality for guppy owners.

TetraColor Tropical Flakes (Best For If Your Guppies Are Looking Dull)

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Tetra ColorPlus Fish Food Flakes, Tropical Flakes With Natural Color Enhancers, 7.06 Ounce
  • TROPICAL FORMULATION: Highly digestible flake formula for use as staple food for all tropical fish.
  • PLUS COLOR ENHANCEMENT: Rich in carotene and other ingredients to bring out natural pink to orange-red coloration.

TetraColor Tropical Flakes are another great choice of flake food for your guppies and they’re going to provide them with all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

But their main selling point is the fact they’re packed with ingredients such as algae meal and shrimp meal that will help your guppies colors become a lot more vibrant.

As well as this it also contains Vitamin C and Tetras patented ProCare blend. Both of which are going to improve your guppies’ health and immune system.

Lastly, when used correctly it won’t cloud your water or discolor it, so you won’t have to worry about it polluting your tank.

TetraMin Plus Tropical Flakes

TetraMin Plus Tropical Flakes, Cleaner and Clearer Water Formula 7.06 Ounce (Pack of 1)
  • TROPICAL FORMULATION: Highly digestible flake blend for use as staple food for all tropical fish.
  • PLUS SHRIMP: With natural shrimp for maximum flavor – a natural attractant for aquarium fish.

TetraMin Plus Tropical Flakes is another great choice if you’re willing to spend a little bit more money.

These flakes pride themselves on keeping the water crystal clear when they’re being used. But it’s not just this! They’re high in shrimp meal which guppies go crazy for. This means if you’ve got fussy guppies they’re going to be a great choice.

But it’s a little bit pricier than the other foods on the list. If you’ve got the money to spare it’s well worth it, however, if not, the standard TetraMin Tropical Flakes are still a fantastic choice.

Cobalt Aquatics Color Flakes

Cobalt Aquatics Color Enhancing Blue Flakes with Probiotics 5 oz – Ideal for All Tropical Fish – Enhances Health &Colors – Perfect for Fish Aquariums
  • Complete Nutrition for Tropical Fish: Provides a balanced diet enriched with essential nutrients, promoting vibrant colors, consistent growth, and overall health in all tropical fish species.
  • Probiotic-Infused Formula: Includes Cobalt BLUE Flakes with probiotics to enhance digestion, strengthen the immune system, and support active, thriving fish.
  • Enhances Color and Growth: Scientifically designed to amplify the natural colors of fish while encouraging healthy, consistent growth for a vibrant aquarium display.
  • Low Waste, Clear Water: Reduces uneaten food and waste, preventing water clouding and maintaining a clean, healthy aquarium environment.
  • Highly Palatable and Versatile: Perfect for community aquariums, this advanced formula ensures even picky eaters receive essential nutrients for optimal vitality.

Cobalt Aquatic Color Flakes are another great choice for many guppy keepers. And this is particularly true if you want your ingredients to come from a little closer to home. Cobalt Color Flakes are actually made in the USA, so you know it’s food you can rely on.

It’s made with probiotics and a triple dose of vitamins and minerals which means your guppies’ health and immune system will be fantastic!

And lastly, they have a two-year shelf life. So you can feed your guppies live food as often as you want and you won’t have to worry about them going to waste!

TetraPro Tropical Color Flakes With Biotin

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Tetra 77079 TetraPRO Color Crisps for Fishes, 2.65 oz
  • TROPICAL FORMULATION: TetraPro Tropical Color Crisps provide advanced nutrition for the discerning tropical fish-keeper.
  • OPTIMAL HEALTH: Made with exclusive low-heat process that preserves essential vitamins and nutrients – enhanced with biotin to support fish’s immune system.

TetraPro is another fantastic tropical fish food brand you should definitely look into. And these Tropical Flakes With Biotin are some of their best work!

The added biotin helps your guppies grow and develop as well as aiding their general wellbeing, health, and immune system.

They also have an optimized protein to fat ratio, making them extremely easy to digest.

On top of this, they’re full of natural color enhancers, so once you start feeding them to your guppies, you’ll notice their colors shining even more than normal!

They’re such a great choice, but once again they’re let down by the price. If you have the money to spare, however, they’re well worth it.

Hikari Tropical Micro Pellet Fish Food

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Hikari Tropical Semi-Floating Micro Pellets Fish Food, 0.77 Oz (22g)
  • SUPERIOR NUTRITION has been scientifically proven by decades of research to meet the dietary needs of tetras, barbs and other small tropical fish.
  • PREMIUM SELECTION of marine and vegetable proteins is ideally suited for small tropical fish, which require larger energy reserves.

Hikari Tropical Micro Pellet Fish Food are a great alternative for your guppies if they don’t like flakes for whatever reason.

Your guppies will love them because they have a soft texture which makes them a lot easier to eat. And not only this their small size makes them incredibly easy to digest, so you won’t have to worry about waste or constipation.

Hikari has been studying tropical fish nutrient needs for decades, and it really shows in these pellets. They use a blend of spirulina and krill to help give your guppies all the nutrition they need as well as help them look vibrant too!

And lastly, they’re semi-floating and colored to be visible for your guppies, which makes them perfect for guppies who don’t like to eat from the surface of the water and reduces waste.

Aqueon Tropical Flakes

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Aqueon Tropical Flakes 2.29 Ounces
  • Natural ingredients and colors with added vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients
  • Nutritious food ingredients that fish are naturally attracted to
  • Formulated so that fish utilize more of what they eat and create less waste

Last, but definitely not least, is Aqueon Tropical Food

Aqueon Tropical Flakes are a high-quality fish food designed for a variety of tropical fish, including guppies. These flakes are formulated with premium ingredients to provide a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients.

The food includes a mix of proteins, vitamins, and minerals necessary for the overall health, growth, and vibrant colors of your fish. Aqueon Tropical Flakes are easy to digest and designed to enhance the natural coloration of your fish, ensuring they remain healthy and beautiful.

The flakes are crafted to float on the water’s surface, catering to the feeding habits of surface-feeding fish. Packaged in a convenient, resealable container, Aqueon Tropical Flakes ensure freshness and longevity, making them a reliable choice for tropical fish owners.

Recap

I hope this article has given you all the information you need to go out and buy your guppy some food. If you’re not sure what food to get, just remember what to look for and it will help you make the right purchasing decision!

Personally I’d give my guppies Fluval Norwegian Krill Color Enhancing Flakes, however, whatever you choose will be a great choice!

If you want to know more about Guppies, Read our Complete Guide for Guppy Care