The Best Food for Flowerhorn in 2022

All flowerhorn keepers know just how hard it is to keep this species of fish. You need to keep the parameters of the tank and water just right. Of course, you will also need to provide them with the best food for flowerhorn. The right food will keep them looking and feeling healthy.

The flowerhorn is one of the most popular types of freshwater aquarium fish, so there are also a lot of brands of food for them. This article will give you a couple of pointers on how you can choose the right product. It will also provide you with a couple of product reviews to gain some insights into different brands.

After reading, you will know pretty much everything that’s needed to make an educated decision when shopping for the best flowerhorn fish food. Here’s to hoping that your flowerhorn will enjoy what you will be getting for it.

 Best Food for Flowerhorn Reviews

1. Hikari Flowerhorn Fish Food

This particular product contains a well-calculated amount of red chili pepper. This will enhance the red coloration of flowerhorns. I have been feeding my flowerhorn with it for a little over three months and the improvement in its color has been so drastic. If you were to check its before-and-after pictures, the positive change is so noticeable.

This fish food is not just for good looks but will also greatly improve the overall health of your fish. One of the most important ingredients in this product is stabilized ascorbic acid. This helps in boosting the immune system of the fish.

Aside from vitamins and minerals, this fish food also contains a good amount of beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria will inhabit the gut of the fish and help break down food more efficiently.

In other words, your flowerhorn will be able to absorb more nutrients from the food it eats. Because the fish breaks down its food more efficiently, you can expect the creation of only minimal waste.

I have a very picky flowerhorn. It will only eat a handful of brands of fish food and I am fortunate that I discovered this product as it is one of those that they like. It must be the freeze-dried krill meat that makes this food so appealing to my flowerhorn.

You would think I have not fed him the morning before. The reason is when it is time for the afternoon feeding, he would lunge at this food like he is completely famished.

I do have a couple of issues with this product but the biggest one is that it quickly clouds the water. Even when you are just picking a pellet out of the jar, it is already starting to fall apart. You need to feed your fish just enough food that it can eat in around five minutes or so and then fish out the leftovers.

2. OKIKO flowerhorn Cichlid Fish Food

I highly recommend this fish food if you have a juvenile flowerhorn as this would greatly aid in their proper growth and development. A couple of months of feeding your young flowerhorn with this choice for the most suitable food for a flowerhorn baby will result in a bigger crest and brighter coloration.

I have been feeding my flowerhorn with this for almost two months and it now looks a whole lot different compared to when I first started.

One of the reasons this product is highly recommended is its high protein content. This fish food contains a lot of krill, which is a good protein source and lends flavor. This also contains spirulina, which is a superfood that aids in digestion and bolsters the immune system.

I also discovered that this product is a floating type of fish food, which makes it easier for flowerhorn and other surface feeders to eat. In addition, even after the fish finish eating, the leftovers will remain floating on top of the water. This makes cleaning up later a lot easier.

Another reason why I consider it one great choice for flowerhorn fry is that it does not easily break apart in the water. This means I won’t have to deal with a cloudy aquarium after every feeding session. Even after half an hour has passed after the fish finish eating, the pellets stay intact and afloat on top of the water.

Here is the biggest issue that I have with this product. It is labeled as large but the pellets are more medium-sized if anything. This is important because they are much too small for fully-grown flowerhorns. The pellets need to be at least twice their size for mature flowerhorns to eat them properly.

3. Fluker’s Freeze Dried Reptile Treats

Flowerhorns, just like any other large cichlids, need a lot of protein to maintain their body mass and promote optimum health. There are few other better sources of protein for fish other than dried shrimp.

This product contains nothing more than natural, dehydrated river shrimp, which is a good source of natural protein. It also apparently tastes great since my flowerhorn just loves it.

Aside from my flowerhorn, I also keep a couple of turtles. I also have a koi pond and they also love these dried shrimps. The turtles cannot have enough of this. I would throw a couple of shrimps into their tank and they would tear it to shreds. I was also told that axolotls love this food.

I also liked that this product does not contain any dust in the packaging. I have had bad experiences with fish food that contained a lot of dust at the bottom of the packaging. This only contains whole dried shrimp and no trace of dust that will only cloud the water.

These shrimps also underwent proper processing. This means they are all completely dry. There is no chance of mold growing in the packaging. This makes the shrimps easy to crumble, which is important for small fish and reptiles as these might be too big for them.

I would be more enthusiastic in promoting this fish food if only the company had better quality control. The quality of the shrimp they used has dropped significantly in the last couple of batches. The last two jars I have bought from them smelled a bit off and my flowerhorn refused to eat them.

4. Ocean Pellets Humpy Head Xo Flowerhorn Food

Despite having a goofy name, this fish food is quite good at promoting faster growth and development in flowerhorns. It contains a lot of protein, thanks to having krill as one of the main ingredients. This is an ideal feed for juvenile flowerhorns as it will make them grow faster and bigger compared to just feeding them with mealworms and the like.

This product also contains ingredients that promote the growth and prominence of the head bump of the flowerhorn. The hump is the main distinguishing factor of flowerhorns. Genetics is also the factor that mostly determines its size. However, it did seem like this food had a significant effect on the growth of the hump of my fish.

Aside from krill, this fish food also contains spirulina. Spirulina is a superfood that helps improve fish’s digestion and immunity. Moreover, spirulina improves the colors and patterns of the flowerhorn. I have been feeding my flowerhorn with this product for maybe two weeks and it is now a brighter red than it was before.

Aside from my flowerhorn, I also feed this to my other cichlids and they are looking healthier and more beautiful as well. My white Oscar seems to be the one that benefitted the most. Its stripes are now clearer and more vibrant than it was before.

I have only been using this product for a couple of weeks, so I do not have much to complain about. However, because this product is shipped from Singapore, I am a bit worried that there is no customer service number that I can call. Also, it is clear that whoever wrote the details in the back, his first language is not English.

5. Appetizing Shrimp Mealworms

This product is the perfect type of food for making your flowerhorn grow bigger and healthier. It contains dehydrated mealworms and shrimp – both of which are great natural sources of amino acids and proteins. This means that this food can help promote the proper growth and building mass in flowerhorns.

Another nice thing about this product is that it is 100% natural. There are no artificial preservatives or ingredients. This means that it is perfectly safe for your precious flowerhorn. I feed my flowerhorn as much of this product as it can eat and it has not shown any negative reaction whatsoever.

It is also easy to store because it does not require refrigeration. The mealworms and shrimps are all completely dry so you just need to store them in a cool and dry place. I suggest that you transfer the contents into a plastic, airtight container, and maybe throw in a desiccant pack to keep the contents dry.

What I liked the most about this fish food is that it does not cloud the water. It is also easy to clean the leftovers. I do not usually need to clean up after my flowerhorn as it often devours all the shrimps and mealworms. However, if necessary, I just have to skim the surface for bits of this fish food.

I do not have any serious complaints about this product, but I have a couple of aquarium-keeping friends that do not like it. They say that their flowerhorns did not like the food and they have to starve their fish to make them eat. I am fortunate that my flowerhorn would eat anything but if yours is a picky eater, it may not like this food.

6. Tetra JumboKrill Jumbo Shrimp

These freeze-dried shrimps contain astaxanthin, which is a natural nutrient that can make fishes’ colors brighter. When I first got my flowerhorn, I thought that it was mostly white with red stripes. After feeding it with this top-rated food for flowerhorn color for several weeks, my fish is now bright red. It also has more pronounced stripes.

Aside from making your fish look brighter, the jumbo krill also contains a lot of protein per pound. This aids in the faster growth of your flowerhorn. This is highly recommended for juvenile flowerhorns as it makes them grow faster and bigger than they would have otherwise.

In addition, the jumbo krill are freeze-dried whole, complete with shells, heads, and legs. Not only does this mean that your fish are getting more than enough calcium but it will also improve your fish’s digestion. This means that the more your fish eats this food, the more efficient its digestion will be.

This fish food is not just for flowerhorns. Other fish and animals also liked this a lot. I have a couple of red-eared turtles and sliders and they love this jumbo krill. I also feed this to my bettas but I had to crumble them so that they would fit in their mouths.

The only problem I have with this product is that the packaging contained a lot of shrimp dust at the bottom. There were so many crushed-up shrimps that it seemed like such a waste.

7. Amzey Dried Shrimp Fish Foods

This product consists entirely of freeze-dried shrimp, so you know that it contains a lot of protein. This means that your fish will be able to grow bigger and its crest will be much bigger. The shrimps were also preserved whole, so your flowerhorn will also get quite a lot of fiber from the shells and heads.

The red shrimp also contains a lot of astaxanthin, which is a natural chemical that will improve your flowerhorn’s red coloration. You will be surprised at how much brighter your flowerhorn’s color will be after just a couple of weeks. My flowerhorn started out more orange but now it is completely bright red.

Because the shrimps in this product are completely dried, you do not need to store this in the refrigerator. You just need to tightly close the cap and keep the jar in a cool and dry place. You can probably keep the product for a couple of months after opening, but I do not think there won’t be any more to store after a month.

My flowerhorn just loves eating these shrimps, and apparently, it tastes so good that my other fish cannot get enough of it, too. I have a couple of other cichlids in a separate tank and they go into a feeding frenzy for these dried shrimps. I also have several turtles and they also love this product.

Here is something that you need to know about this product – it stinks to high heavens. It is a good thing that this stuff comes in a resealable glass jar because once you open it, the entire room fills with the smell of the beach at low tide.

8. Fluval A6581 Bug Bites Cichlid Pellets

The main ingredient of this fish food is freeze-dried black soldier fly larvae. These insects are just chock-full of protein, so much that you need to control how much of it you will feed your flowerhorn. I suggest that you only give your fish this food around 2 to 3 times a week.

Aside from soldier fly larvae, this fish food also contains salmon. Salmon meat contains a lot of protein and is rich in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which improve blood circulation and aid in proper growth and development. This is best for juvenile flowerhorns but if you have one that is recovering from sickness or injuries, this food can also help.

In addition to natural protein, this product also has vegetable fiber. It contains several kinds of vegetables to improve your fish’s digestive system. This means your fish will be able to absorb nutrients from its food better. When your fish can efficiently digest its food, it can produce less waste. The ammonia level in the tank will always be low to zero.

The best thing about this product is that it contains sustainably-raised insect larvae. Aside from that, it does not contain any artificial ingredients. This product contains all-natural ingredients and no preservatives, so you can be sure that you are feeding your fish with the right kind of food.

Even though I like this product, I do have a couple of issues with it. First, the size of the pellets is too small for full-grown flowerhorns. My flowerhorn, fortunately, would eat anything, but other fish might ignore these pellets due to them being too small. This leads to my next issue – that is the pellets contain way too much protein for small fish.

What to Look For When Buying a Food For Flowerhorn

Picking food specifically for a flowerhorn can be tricky. Some brands are only for flowerhorns and then there are multi-breed fish foods that might also be beneficial. To help make your task a bit easier, here are a couple of the factors you have to consider:

Protein Content

Flowerhorns are large fish and it is possible for them to grow up to 16 inches in length, maybe even more. To ensure that your fish can reach its maximum growth potential, you need to feed it with a lot of protein. Protein and amino acids will promote the proper growth and development of your flowerhorn.

I suggest that you start by feeding it with a mix of dried shrimp and/or mealworms. They are excellent sources of natural protein. However, it is not good for any fish to just eat protein. It will need other nutrients to function properly.

Vegetable Fiber

It is quite possible for fish and other living creatures to starve to death even with a full stomach. If your flowerhorn has been eating nothing but proteins, there will come a time when it will lack the other nutrients needed for it to digest its food. So, it will starve even though it just ate.

To prevent this from happening, you need to give your fish some food that contains vegetable matter, especially fiber. This will balance out the nutrition that your fish is getting, and also improve its digestion.

Pellet Size

If you are buying fish food in the form of pellets, you will need to consider the size of your flowerhorn. If you have young fish, you need to feed them with small pellets.

After that, you can switch to larger pellets especially once they get bigger. Feeding a fully-grown flowerhorn with small pellets will not work as it would likely just ignore them.

Flavor

Although you may not be able to test this parameter yourself unless you are an adventurous eater, you can tell if your fish likes it.

Aside from reading customer reviews, the best way to figure out if your fish will like a certain kind of food is to buy the smallest size packaging available. This way, you will not be investing too much money on something your fish might not even eat.

Price

I know that expensiveness is purely subjective but you have already invested a lot in your flowerhorn anyway. With that said, it just makes sense that you feed it with the most common food for flowerhorn fish that you can afford.

Feeding your fish with cheap fish food may not provide the right kinds of nutrients he needs, which might cause him to get sick. Choose the best kind of food that you can fit into your fishkeeping budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I feed my Flowerhorn to Grow Faster?

All creatures need protein to grow. It is the essential building block for muscle tissue. This means that you should feed your flowerhorn the recommended amount of protein-rich food every day.

Some of the best sources of natural protein that you can give your flowerhorn include freeze-dried shrimps, mealworms, and black soldier fly larvae. There are also plant-based proteins, like soy meal, but it will be a challenge to make picky fish eat them.

How much to Feed a Flowerhorn?

Typically, you should only feed your flowerhorn enough food that it can finish in 5-10 minutes, and then fish out the leftovers immediately. As for how often you feed it, I would usually feed my flowerhorn once in the morning and once early in the evening.

Conclusion

Flowerhorns are among the most beautiful freshwater fishes that you can own. In addition, they are among the most expensive to buy. If you want to protect your investment, you should only feed it with the most popular food for flowerhorn.

Now that you have reached the end of this article, you already have a good idea of how to pick the right food for your flowerhorn. Hopefully, you will find significant improvements in just a couple of weeks.