Believe it or not, many of the products offered for reptiles and amphibians actually make great treats for fish! Variety is key in keeping our pets happy and healthy, and enriching their lives. This is just as important for fish as it is for other pets. A good, varied diet will include live foods, some of which you may already have on hand for your dart frogs, geckos, etc. What foods are appropriate for your fish will depend on what type of fish you keep. Canned insects can also make great additions to your fish feeding repertoire. These types of foods should be offered along with a staple flake or pellet food when possible. Below are some of our best bug suggestions for feeding your fish.

Suitable foods:

-Fruit flies

Drosophila fruit flies make a great snack for fish that feed at the surface of the water. Just like with dart frogs, melanogaster flies work best for the little guys and hydei can be fed to bigger fish. Though the flies are flightless, they can crawl out of aquariums if they aren’t eaten right away so be wary of that when feeding. Fish such as bettas especially relish flies.
https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2012/05/how-to-culture-fruit-flies/

-Springtails

Another great food for surface feeding fish are springtails. They are naturally buoyant and are especially attractive to micro species of fish, such as small rasboras, killifish, and ricefish. Any uneaten springtails may take up shop in your aquarium, but this isn’t a concern as they are harmless. They may even be helpful in breaking down mold and uneaten fish food that may get trapped in and around the lid of the tank.
https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2014/08/culture-springtails/

-Bean Beetles

For fish that are able to crunch through the exterior or swallow whole, bean beetles can make a great treat. They’re easy to culture and harvest as needed. You will need to keep up with culturing as they will crash over time. Or you can simply buy them as needed to provide a quick snack for your fish.
https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2018/04/bean-beetle-care-and-culture-2/

-Flour beetle larvae

Although a little more complicated to harvest, the larvae of flour beetles are quite palatable to fish. The beetles themselves, however, will most likely be rejected as they produce a foul chemical. Culturing these tasty morsels is exceedingly easy, however, so having them around as a feeder option for fish is a no-brainer.
https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2012/11/confused-rice-flour-beetle-culturing/

-Black Soldier fly larvae

Here at Josh’s, black soldier fly larvae are a staple for many lizards and amphibians. They are also enticing to fish. Some fish foods, such as Bug Bites, even incorporate black soldier fly larvae as a core ingredient. They are a perfect fish food! We sell them in a variety of sizes (all the way from tiny extra small to large), so you can choose the size that suits the fish you are feeding.
https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2020/03/black-solider-fly-larvae-the-mres-of-the-feeder-insect-world/

-Canned Cricket/live crickets

For large fish that will eat basically anything you drop in front of them, canned crickets can be a quick and easy meal. However, there are some insectivorous fish that especially relish live crickets. Luckily, here at Josh’s Frogs, we have both!

-Canned mealworms/live mealworms

Mealworms are another beetle larvae that can be fed to fish that are not fussy about a little exoskeleton. We have them available in convenient canned form, vacuum packed, or live.

-Waxworms

The nice thing about waxworms is that they are soft and easy to digest. They are also fish approved, since they are often sold as bait. However, they are very fatty and should only be used as occasional treats and not a staple diet. They make great treats for larger catfish, cichlids, and goldfish.

-Earthworms

Worms, such as nightcrawlers, are a natural prey item for a lot of fish species. They can be chopped up or fed whole to larger fish. They can be stored in the fridge for weeks at a time and fed as often as your fish will eat them. This is an especially good food for monster fish and freshwater stingrays.

Conclusion

If you have fish tanks and you are already ordering bugs from Josh’s Frogs for your amphibian or reptile pets, you may want to consider ordering a little extra next time. Your fish may respond positively to the added enrichment of live or canned foods. It can’t hurt to give it a try! If you find your fish do not like the food, however, be sure to remove anything uneaten from their aquarium. If you aren’t sure which foods match up best with your fish, you can always reach out to our customer service team for a few pointers.

Links of Interest

https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/feeding-oscars-in-the-home-aquarium

https://www.sera.de/fileadmin/epapers/PDF/11101_RG_Fuettern_EN.pdf