Things to Feed Catfish

Whether catfish live in a pond or in a fish tank, different types of catfish eat different types of food. Catfish can be carnivores, herbivores or omnivores. Depending on your catfish's categories, it may eat a wide variety of items. Selecting the appropriate diet for your catfish will help to ensure it lives a long and healthy life.

  1. Carnivore Diet

    • Shovel-nosed, tiger shovelnose, frog-mouthed, African glass, ornate pimelodus, ghost, angelic pimelodus and electric catfish are considered carnivores. Carnivore catfish diets should include items such as earth, blood or glass worms, aquatic snails, mosquito larva, pieces of fish -- previously frozen or fresh, mussels, prawns, Tubifex, Daphnia, cockles or Artemia. If your carnivore catfish are in a tank environment, they may feed off your other fish, so it is best to keep them separated or well fed.

    Herbivore Diet

    • Whip-tailed, dwarf sucker-mouthed or bristle-nosed catfish are considered herbivores. Herbivore catfish will eat items such as lettuce, peas, bogwood, cucumber, marrow, spinach, potato, aquatic plants and courgette. Chop up the items into smaller bite-sized pieces and smash peas between your finger to help them to sink to the bottom of the tank.

    Limnivore/Omnivore Diet

    • Twig, bubble nest, clown, upside-down, humbug, spotted talking or cory catfish are considered limnivores or omnivores. A limnivore catfish, also known as a mud-eater or omnivore, will eat a mixture of both the carnivore's diet and the herbivore's diet. You may choose to feed it items from the previous recommendations or purchase flaked, granular or tablet foods from a pet store. Limnivore catfish are the easiest to feed, as they will eat most anything offered.