Picking food for your catfish can seem overwhelming at first. But, when you understand that all you need to do is just look at the first ingredient, it can becomes much less stressful.
Whether your catfish is a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore the first ingredient listed will tell you everything you need to know.
In this article, I’ll explain what ingredient to look for and share some high-quality foods suitable for catfish.
How To Analyze Catfish Food For Quality
Before buying food for your catfish, make sure to take a look at the ingredients first. Even famous food brands like Tetra (they’re the worst), actually contain lots of fillers. Fillers don’t benefit your catfish in any possible way, thus, adding zero nutritional value while also increasing waste production.
Low-Quality Ingredients to Avoid
- Fish meal – It’s made of the remains of dead fish, like scales and eyes.
- Filler grains – They’re bad for your catfish because they cause them to produce more waste.
- Soy – Similar to filler grains, soy is hard to digest, which means more waste.
High-Quality Ingredients You Want
- Whole fish – It’s loaded with protein.
- Spirulina – An excellent color booster for your catfish.
- Black soldier fly larvae – They have no exoskeleton, making them easy to digest. They also contain lots of protein.
- Worms – Just like larvae, worms are super easy to digest and are full of protein.
Best Foods for Catfish Based on Ingredients
This list is not in any particular order. Every food I recommend here contains quality ingredients for your catfish. Simply pick based on whether yours is a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore.
New Life Spectrum Algae Max Mini-Wafers (Herbivore/Omnivorous Catfish)
New Life Spectrum AlgaeMax Mini-Wafers are a great choice for herbivorous and omnivorous catfish, like plecos. It contains a rich mix of seaweeds and spirulina, really nutrient dense foods. And it has whole squid and krill that provide easily digestible protein.
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Seaweed (Ulva latuca, Undaria pinnatafida, Eucheuma cottonii, Eucheuma spinosum, Chondrus crispus, Porphyra umbilicus), Krill (Euphasia superba), Squid (Dosidicus gigas), Whole Wheat Flour, Kelp, Spirulina, Fish (Brevoortia tyrannus), Fish Oil, Garlic, Ginger, Astaxanthin, Marigold, Bentonite Clay, Sea Salt, Vitamin A Acetate,Vitamin D Supplement,Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement,Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Choline, Chloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Tocopherols (a preservative)
Last update on 2024-12-03 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Repashy Morning Wood (Wood Eating Catfish)
The Repashy Morning Wood is the perfect choice for wood-eating catfish. It contains a healthy mix of plant-based ingredients, like seaweed, alfalfa, spirulina, and even watermelon. The first ingredient is cellulose powder which provides the dietary fiber, so often lacking in a captive catfish’s diet.
Preparing it is relatively time-consuming, though, since you’ll need to boil water and stir in the powder. But, it’s well worth the effort.
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Cellulose Powder, Dried Seaweed Meal, Alfalfa Leaf Meal, Spirulina Algae, Rice Protein Concentrate, Pea Protein Isolate, Stabilized Rice Bran, Dried Brewer’s Yeast, Stinging Nettle, Locust Bean Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Citric Acid, Taurine, Garlic, Dried Kelp, Dried Watermelon, Rose Hips, Hibiscus Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Turmeric, Salt, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (as preservatives), Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Manganese Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Copper Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate. Vitamins: (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Calcium L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex)
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Repashy Soilent Green (Herbivore/Omnivorous Catfish)
The first ingredient being spirulina is something I love about Repashy Soilent Green. It is such a high-quality plant-based ingredient packed with lots of nutrients. It also contains high-quality protein sources Like krill and black soldier fly larvae meal. This is a great staple diet for herbivorous catfish.
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Spirulina Algae, Algae Meal (Chlorella), Krill Meal, Pea Protein Isolate, Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal, Rice Protein Concentrate, Fish Meal, Alfalfa Leaf Meal, Dried Brewer’s Yeast, Coconut Meal, Stabilized Rice Bran, Flax Seed Meal, Schizochytrium Algae, Dried Seaweed Meal, Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Citric Acid, Taurine, Stinging Nettle, Garlic, Dried Kelp, Dried Watermelon, RoseHips, Hibiscus Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Turmeric, Salt, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (as preservatives), Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Manganese Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Copper Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate. Vitamins: (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Calcium L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex)
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Omega One Super Veggie Green Seaweed (Herbivore/Omnivorous Catfish)
Not too much to say about this one. These are simply sheets of dried seaweed and are a great treat for catfish.
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Dried Seaweed
Last update on 2024-12-04 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Omega One Sinking Catfish Pellets, 8mm Pellets (Carnivorous/Omnivorous Catfish)
These large, sinking pellets are a great food source for large catfish (5 inches or larger). Containing salmon, whole herring, shrimp, and kelp, these are great stable diet for catfish. They are fairly large, so make sure they are getting eaten completely by your fish.
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Salmon, Whole Herring, Whole Shrimp, Wheat Flour, Wheat Germ, Pea Protein, Wheat Gluten, Kelp, Astaxanthin, Canthanxanthin, Potassium Sorbate, Ethoxyquin (Preservative), BHT (Preservative), BHA (Preservative), Natural And Artificial Colors, Ascorbyl Monophosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Niacin, Inositol, Folic Acid, Biotin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
Last update on 2024-12-03 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Omega One Veggie Rounds, 14mm Rounds (Carnivorus/Omnivorous Catfish)
These have always been one of my fish’s favorite foods. Made up of protein sources like salmon, whole herring, kelp, shrimp, and spirulina, pretty much every fish in the tank goes down to the bottom to munch on these, not just the catfish.
Spirulina (a cyanobacterium), helps your catfish eliminate internal bacteria and pathogens. Plus, they’re insoluble, ensuring that your fish tank remains clean and free of harmful pollutants.
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Salmon, Whole Herring, Wheat Germ Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Bran, Dried Kelp, Shrimp, Pea Protein, Wheat Gluten, Spirulina, Herring Oil, Vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Inositol, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Citric Acid (Preservative), Vinegar, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Rosemary Extract, Astaxanthin (Color), Canthaxanthin (Color).
Last update on 2024-12-03 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Northfin Fish Food Kelp Wafers 14mm (Carnivorus/Omnivorous Catfish)
I love that the first ingredient of these wafers is kelp. So many “algae wafers“ have no actual kelp or algae ingredients, just fish meal, and fillers. These mix plant-based ingredients like kelp and spirulina with quality protein, sources like krill, herring, and whole sardines.
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Kelp, Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, High Omega-3 (DHA) Herring Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Wheat Flour, Spirulina, Garlic, Astaxanthin (Haematococcus Algae), Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin A Acetate, L-Ascorby-2-Polyphospate (Source of Vitamin C), D-Activated Animal-Sterol (D3), DL Alphatocopherol (E), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamine, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium, Zinc
Last update on 2024-12-03 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
A Varied Diet Is Best For Catfish
Fish need a variety of foods to ensure they get all of the nutrients they need. Even carnivores need veggie foods like algae and spirulina, and herbivores need proteins from animal sources.
It’s good to have commercially prepared foods as the staple diet as a general rule of thumb, and mix in some frozen foods and veggies, like frozen peas.
