Best Food For Neon Tetras Diet Reviewed 2023

Referred to as the ‘dazzling crown jewel’ of the aquarium due to their vibrant colors, Neon Tetras are sure to add beauty to your fish tank, providing you keep them healthy through proper nutrition.

In this article, we’re going to delve into details on the best food for Neon Tetras.

TLDR – Best Food For Neon Tetras

Rotating the New Life Spectrum with the Omega One variants would provide an excellent varied diet for your neons

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Neon Tetra Food Buyer’s Guide

Here’s what you need to do when looking for high-quality fish food for neon tetras.

What Do Neon Tetras Eat In The Wild?

Being omnivores, Neon Tetras aren’t fussy at all when it comes to food. They’ll happily guzzle up various small invertebrates, like filamentous algae, crustaceans, invertebrates, fallen fruits, carrion, and more. Mostly, they’ll eat whatever they find floating in the slow-moving waters of South America’s Amazon Basin (their natural habitat).

Always Check The Ingredients

When grocery shopping for yourself or others, you probably put considerable thought into what you’ll buy; perhaps you have a brand you like, or you choose to opt for the healthier options available by taking a minute to check product labels and ingredients. Would you exert a similar effort when it comes to buying food for your pet fish?

Unfortunately, pet food is generally less regulated when it comes to the food industry than human food. Even Tetra foods actually contain lots of fillers, with starches used to bulk up their mix, making it vital that you take time to check and evaluate a product’s quality before you make your purchase!

Look For High-Quality Ingredients

It’s essential to consider the quality of ingredients that make up the food you buy for your fish to gobble up! You want to stay away from any ‘earthy’ or terrestrial foods such as beef heart or gluten and instead go for ingredients that are primarily aquatic or insect-based, as the more terrestrial-based foods are harder for fish to break down and can often result in illness.

We all know food labels can be deceiving, and it’s no different when it comes to fish food; you want to keep an eye out for labels that read ‘Whole Shrimp Meal’ vs. ‘Shrimp Meal’ – the former is precisely what you would think it is, a wholesome nutrition-dense shrimp meal, while the latter can be just the shell or tail of the shrimp. Empty calories with almost no nutritional value!

Other very beneficial ingredients you want to look out for are Omega 3 and 6, especially since Neon Tetras are freshwater fish and can’t produce these nutrients independently. Hence, it must come from their diet.

A Varied Diet Is Best For Neons

While it’s true that we can probably survive eating the same meal every day for a very long time, it’s also true that doing so will not help us reach our full potential as we grow and develop as human beings.

In that sense, fish are very much like us. They need a variety of foods to ensure they get all of the nutrients they need to help them live a long and healthy life.

Neons Need Small Foods

Size-wise, Neon Tetras are a minuscule species – they’re VERY small fish with tiny mouths. They only grow to about 1.2 inches/3 centimeters in length, explaining why they have tiny mouths to match their bodies.

It’s vital to make sure you’re giving your fish food that can fit through their mouth-holes, or else the food ends up being floating pollution in your aquarium. Therefore, the food needs to be small enough for them to eat, and you may need to crush up pellets and flakes. 

6 Best Foods For Neon Tetras Compared & Reviewed

1. Omega One Color Mini Pellets

Produced by the company that’s considered the best fish food company in the business, the Omega One Color Mini Pellets provide your fish with extremely high-quality ingredients containing Omega 3 & 6. Ultimately, these pellets support and boost your fish’s immune systems in both fresh and saltwater environments, making them good to use as a staple food.

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

2. Omega One Veggie Mini Pellets

The Omega One Veggie Mini Pellets is an ideal food choice for small to medium-sized omnivorous fish, made of extremely high-quality ingredients. 

The pellets provide a great source of spirulina, a super healthy plant-based food option for fish that’s naturally high in proteins and vitamins and serves as a great color enhancer. This one also makes for a good choice as a staple food!

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

3. Omega One Super Color Flakes

Being especially rich in color enhancing ingredients, such as salmon skins, the Omega One Super Color Flakes is a go-to choice for hobbyists looking to make the colors on their fish pop!

Like the One Color Mini Pellets, the flakes also contain extremely high-quality ingredients to help your fish flourish, making it another good choice for a staple food to add to the list. However, it must be crushed up, so it’s small enough – just use your fingers.

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

4. Northfin Community Formula

A perfect Antarctic Krill meal with plenty of high-quality ingredients, including protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, the Northfin Community Formula is designed to improve the freshwater fish community’s health and well-being.

Like our previous pick, it may need to be crushed up to be easily consumable. Moreover, it sinks very quickly, so it might get past the fish before they can eat it.

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

5. Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Fish Food

Containing a unique insect-based formula, the Fluval Bug Bites is a superfood composed of multiple quality proteins and carbohydrates perfect for Tropical fish. Black Soldier Fly larvae are the first ingredient in this one, which are an excellent source of protein!

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

6. New Life Spectrum Grow

With top ingredients including whole krill and herring as well as spirulina, the New Life Spectrum Grow comes with plenty of vital and color-enhancing components that work to boost your fish’s immune system and amplify its full-color spectrum. Plus, it’s easily digestible and is protein-infused!

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Final Thoughts On Feeding Neon Tetras

While feeding one of two of these foods would provide a varied diet full of nutrients for your Neon Tetras, ensures their optimal growth and development, we believe Omega One has the best ingredients, and makes a great staple diet.

Yet, rotating the New Life Spectrum with the Omega One variants would provide an excellent varied diet! Take our word for it.

All things considered, you want your fish to live a long and prosperous life, which is why you must provide them with the right conditions to do so, be it related to hygiene, nutrition, or even attention.

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API