Best Food For Cory Catfish Diet & Health (2023 Review)

Keeping your cories’ health at its peak is essential if you want them to grow and live a long and happy life. And since cories don’t have access to food sources naturally found in the wild in your fish tank, your best bet is to get them commercially prepared food with similar ingredients.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through picking the best food for cory catfish and even help you develop a better idea about the good and bad ingredients for your cories, so stick around.

TLDR – Best Food For Cory Catfish

I recommend picking one of the Omega One Foods and then rotating that with the Northfin Cichlid Formula for a quality balanced diet.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

How To Pick Food For Cory Catfish

Cory catfish travel together in large shoals that can number in the thousands. They travel together near the shore of waterways, scouring the bottom for insects, larvae, worms, invertebrates, and vegetable matter.

And while cories are typically not classified as piscivorous, they may still eat the flesh of dead fish, but it’s not their primary food source. 

Generally, cories feed by using their sensory barbels to search the bottom and eat the food with their mouth.

Always Check the Ingredients

When picking food for cory catfish, always take a moment to look at the ingredients. Even Tetra foods actually contain lots of fillers that’ll cause your cory catfish’s health to deteriorate and increase waste. 

Also, make sure that there’s a “guaranteed analysis” on the back of the packaging, breaking down the formula’s composition.

A Varied Diet Is Best

Cory catfish need a variety of foods to ensure they get all of the nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy. While some fish foods can provide your cories with a complete meal and already contain a wide variety of healthy ingredients, it’s always a good idea to mix things up a bit every now and then. 

Feeding your cories the same food for prolonged periods isn’t really advised. You wouldn’t want to have chicken for dinner every single day, would you? You can mix in frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp and some veggies, like frozen peas. 

For the best results, you can make some changes to your cories’ diet now and then. As a general rule of thumb, change the type of food once or twice a month. I think it’s a good idea to have commercially prepared foods as the staple diet.

Low-Quality Ingredients to Avoid

Not all cory catfish food is created equal. You must avoid several ingredients at all costs to save your lovely cories from getting sick.

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t feed your cories low-quality fish meal or terrestrial grains and legumes like soy and corn. Low-quality fish meals are usually made from leftovers like guts, skin, scales, and bones. These ingredients add zero value to your cories’ diet. 

As for the terrestrial grains, cories (or any other fish species) just can’t digest them. Fillers will only result in more waste in your fish tank, which increases the levels of toxic ammonia and nitrite significantly to the point where the water can be lethal to your cories. Not to mention, you’ll have to clean your fish tank more often.

Here’s a complete list of all the ingredients that your cories shouldn’t be eating:

• Fish meal
• Soy
• Preservatives
• Rice
• Food coloring
• Corn
• Synthetic vitamins
• Wheat 

High-Quality Ingredients You Want

Putting the low-quality ingredients aside, there are some high-quality ingredients that your cories would thank you for.

Whole Fish

Whole fish, like salmon and shrimp, is a great food source for cory catfish. But since cories have small mouths, whole fish is usually ground up in commercially prepared food fish to make it easier for cories to eat. 

Whole fish is an excellent source of high-quality protein and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids essential for good skin health.

Spirulina

Spirulina is an alga that’s rich in vitamins and protein. It’s also easy to digest, which means less waste production. 

On top of that, Spirulina has natural skin-enhancing properties that’ll make your cory catfish’s skin glow, especially if they’re blue or green.

It’s worth noting that, while most cory catfish species don’t primarily feed on algae, they can be an excellent addition to their diet. You can give them a try, but if you notice that your cories only skim through them, it’d be better not to feed them algae again.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae

Black soldier fly larvae are rich in protein, and the fact that their exoskeletons aren’t hard makes them a great choice for cories. Cory catfish can’t digest hard exoskeletons, which will only result in more fish waste.

Worms

Worms are high in protein and easy to digest, so it makes sense to include them in your cories’ diet.

Kelp

Kelp is a seaweed with excellent anti-inflammatory benefits that’ll highly enhance your cory catfish’s immunity.

Krill

Krill is a superb protein source that’s also low in fat. Additionally, it’s rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

Others

Some of the other high-quality ingredients that you need to look for on the fish food package before buying it include:

• Squid
• Live or frozen bloodworms
• Wafers
• Wakame seaweed
• Garlic
• Herrings
• Minerals
• Vitamins, including vitamin D3, A, and E

Best Food for Cory Catfish Reviewed

1. Omega One Sinking Shrimp Pellets

Omega One is pretty much the best fish food company in the business. Unlike other types of low-quality fish foods that are filled with hydrolysates and digests, Omega One’s Sinking Shrimp Pellets are packed with high-quality ingredients that’ll surely appeal to your little cory catfish. 

They’ll also provide them with a tremendous amount of protein and naturally enhance their color with beta-carotene pigments.

What’s more, Omega One’s shrimp pellets sink right to the bottom where cory cats eat. Not to mention, the pellets are insoluble, resulting in less pollution. They also have less starch content to reduce fish waste.

Feeding Instructions:

Feed your cories 1-3 times daily for a maximum of two minutes.

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Min Crude Protein 38%
• Min Crude Fat 10%
• Max Crude Fiber 2%
• Max Moisture 8.5%
• Max Ash 8%

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

2. Omega One Veggie Rounds

Next on the list are Omega One’s Veggie Rounds containing a wide range of quality ingredients like salmon, shrimp, kelp, and Spirulina, mimicking the vegetable matter cories graze on in nature. On top of that, the rounds are full of healthy omega 3 and 6 HUFAs to give your cories’ immune system a significant boost.

It’s also worth noting that the Omega One Veggie Rounds are loaded with Spirulina, a cyanobacterium that helps cory catfish get rid of internal pathogens and bacteria.

And just like the shrimp pellets from the same company, these veggie rounds sink to the bottom of the fish tank, which is the ideal location for cory catfish to eat.

Feeding Instructions:

Feed 1 or 2 rounds per day, but if there’s food left after 4 hours, reduce the amount.

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Min Crude Protein 35%
• Min Crude Fat 10%
• Max Crude Fiber 4%
• Max Moisture 8.5%
• Max Ash 9%

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

3. Fluval Bug Bites Bottom Feeder Fish Food

Fluval’s Bug Bites Bottom Feeder Fish Food is an excellent source of healthy nutrients for cories, containing 40% black soldier fly larvae with high protein content.

Fluval’s Bug Bites are also similar to the insect larvae cories would naturally eat, so that’s a plus! On top of that, these bug bites are a great source of easily digestible protein. The ingredients include salmon, an excellent source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that brighten up your cories’ skin and make their scales and fins healthier. 

Additionally, the food is free of artificial preservatives, colors, or fillers, ensuring that your cories remain in good health while also getting the nutrients they need. 

Feeding Instructions:

Feed your cories as much as they can eat for two consecutive minutes.

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Min Crude Protein 40%
• Min Crude Fat 12.5%
• Max Crude Fiber 5.0%
• Max Moisture 10.0%
• Max Ash 9.0%
• Min Lysine 2.2%
• Min Methionine 1.0%
• Min Calcium 1.50%
• Min Phosphorus 0.80%
• Min Vitamin A 2,500 IU/Kg
• Min Vitamin D3 2.400 IU/Kg
• Min Vitamin E 75 IU/Kg

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

4. Northfin Fish Food Sinking Pellets Cichlid Formula

Northfin Fish Food’s Sinking Pellets Cichlid Formula pellets contain whole krill, sardines, herring, kelp, and Spirulina, which are top-notch ingredients for your cory catfish’s health. 

The formula provides your cories with all the essential nutrients they need, including easily-digested protein for minimal waste production in your fish tank. Plus, they’re in the form of sinking pellets, making it easier for your cories to eat them. 

If you’re looking for cory catfish food that’s considered a balanced diet all by itself without hurting your cories with fillers, pigments, hormones, and Bi-products, Northfin’s Fish Food’s Sinking Pellets Cichlid Formula would be your best.

Feeding Instructions:

Feed your cories as much as they can eat for a maximum of five minutes.

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Min Crude Protein 40%
• Min Crude Fat 5%
• Max Crude Fiber 5%
• Max Moisture 9%
• Max Ash 9%

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

5. New Life Spectrum Thera A Small Pellets

Cories are small, which is all the more why New Life Spectrum’s Thera A Small Pellets would be perfect for their tiny mouths. This fish food consists of great ingredients like Antarctic krill, squid, kelp, ginger, Spirulina, and wakame seaweed, all easy to digest.

On top of that, these small tablets are rich in garlic and omega 3 fatty acids, making them a good choice for stressed, breeding, or newly acquired fish. Not to mention, these very same ingredients are great for enhancing your cories’ immune system.

And to minimize waste, New Life Spectrum made sure that their products are highly dense, providing the best nutritional value for your cories.

Feeding Instructions:

Feed twice per day for a maximum of one minute.

Guaranteed Analysis:

• Min Protein 39%
• Min Fat 9%
• Max Fiber 8%
• Max Moisture 10%
• Max Ash 10%
• Min Vitamin A 10,000 IU/Kg
• Min Vitamin D 3,500 IU/Kg
• Min Vitamin E 400 IU/Kg

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Which Food To Pick?

To recap, all of the food sources I’ve reviewed in this guide are definitely worth considering. As I’ve mentioned earlier, cory catfish love to have a varied diet, which means that I can’t just pick a single product and crown it as the best food for cory catfish.

I recommend picking one of the Omega One Foods and then rotating that with the Northfin Cichlid Formula. That would provide a varied diet from a lot of different high-quality sources, which is needed more than you could imagine.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API