Best Shrimp Food for Freshwater Aquariums: Pellets, Sticks and Shrimplet Food

Our verdict

Our Top Picks at a Glance

Here are nine shrimp foods, compared on maker pages, listings and owner reports; we have not tested them. Keeping snails too? See our snail food guide and what aquarium snails eat.

Each pick is sold by Amazon.com or the brand’s own Amazon storefront, at or below the maker’s shop price where one is published; Ultra Fresh has no published maker price, and its product page’s Where-to-buy link is this listing. Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, GlasGarten (Bacter AE, Shrimp Dinner) and Shrimp King did not pass (third-party sellers), nor did Sera (no US maker price; its storefront charges more than US retailers).

Compare the picks

Compare the 9 shrimp foods

“Form”: the maker’s wording for the linked pack, shortened.

Before You Buy: Copper and Water

Sources split on copper. An r/shrimptank owner warns “Some food is labeled for shrimp but contains COPPER, which you may know is poisonous to shrimp”. In an FAQ on its Bug Bites Shrimp page, Fluval says: “Copper is a necessary trace element that should be included in crustaceans’ diets, as it is required in the biological metabolic processes that occur when the animals shed their exoskeletons as they grow.” Aquarium Co-op (a store that sells Hikari Shrimp Cuisine) writes that “many shrimp foods such as Shrimp Cuisine contain trace amounts of copper that are necessary for the shrimp to make blood or hemocyanin”; it names none of our picks. We cannot settle it. The ingredient lists we read show:

• Copper sulfate: Fluval, Zoo Med.
• Copper proteinate: both Aqueon discs (listing), Aquatic Arts Algae Wafers (shop list).
• No copper compound named: BugGraze, Ultra Fresh, Shrimpsicles.
• No ingredient list in the text we read: Pollen Granules.

For water hardness, our test kit roundup includes a GH and KH kit. Food is not a treatment: if shrimp are dying, test the water and contact an aquatic veterinarian.

How We Chose These Shrimp Foods

Our food criteria, in order

Fit for the shrimp each maker names; first ingredients and analysis as listed; leftover-food directions; an amount and frequency from the maker; then pack price. All nine passed our stock and seller check on 2026-11-04.

Where each claim comes from

Where each claim comes from

We found no independent test of any pick; Practical Fishkeeping (a fishkeeping magazine) tested 28 shrimp foods in 2016, none of them these.

Detailed Reviews: The 9 Shrimp Foods

Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp Formula, Insect-based micro granules

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Fluval product page and Amazon listing.

Fluval’s page (1.05 oz; the listing says 1.06 oz, same model A6931) gives crude protein (min) 32.0% and calcium (min) 1.5%.

Specs (linked: 1.06 oz)

• First ingredients: black soldier fly larvae, salmon, wheat
• Copper: copper sulfate listed

Aqueon Omnivore Shrimp Discs, Caridina discs with clay

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/shrimptank: Aqueon omnivore shrimp discs, size not stated.

Aqueon’s page cites “Higher protein levels” for berried shrimp. An owner in the same r/shrimptank thread says their shrimp “won’t eat anything besides fish flakes” and refused Hikari algae wafers as well as both Aqueon discs.

Specs (linked: 1.65 oz)

• First ingredients: soy protein concentrate, wheat, corn gluten meal (listing)
• Copper: copper proteinate listed

Aqueon Herbivore Shrimp Discs, Neocaridina plant discs

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/shrimptank: Aqueon Herbivore Shrimp Food, size not stated.

Aqueon’s page describes “approximately 9mm” sinking discs “so multiple shrimp can feed at a time”. A 2023 r/shrimptank owner wrote that “the shrimp started dying off when I fed it”, stopped, tried it again later and lost more; the post does not say whether the water was tested, and the replies name no cause.

Specs (linked: 1.6 oz)

• First ingredients: dehulled soybean meal, wheat, pea protein (listing)
• Copper: copper proteinate listed

Zoo Med Aquatic Shrimp, Crab & Lobster Food, Sinking sticks, crustaceans

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Zoo Med product page and Amazon listing.

Zoo Med’s page gives crude protein (min) 35.0%.

Specs (linked: 2.5 oz)

• First ingredients: wheat flour, soybean meal, fish meal
• Copper: copper sulfate listed

BugGraze BSFL Pellets, Insect pellets, calcium listed

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Space Coast Aquatics BugGraze page and Amazon listing.

Space Coast’s shop page lists “100% Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL)”, crude protein (min) 42% and “Calcium: 3.5%”; the listing calls it a “High-Protein Supplement” that “may break down faster than traditional foods”. Space Coast Aquatics, BugGraze’s maker, also sells live snails.

Specs (linked: 3 oz)

• Protein / calcium: 42% min / 3.5% (maker)
• Copper: none listed (single ingredient)

Ultra Fresh Shrimp Food, Prawn-based daily pellet

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Ultra Fresh Shrimp Pro page and Amazon listing.

Ultra Fresh’s Shrimp Pro page, whose “Where to buy” link is this listing, gives crude protein minimum 39% and calcium 1.5% minimum.

Specs (linked: 2.04 oz)

• Protein / calcium: 39% min / 1.5% min (maker)
• Copper: none named (listing ends “mineral substances”)

KatsAquatics Shrimpsicles, Grazing sticks, five flavors

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: KatsAquatics shop page and Amazon listing.

KatsAquatics’ shop page says each stick has “over 90% real vegetables, clean protein sources, and essential minerals”. The listing says to “place in the gravel, enjoy the show, remove the stick”.

Specs (linked: 10 sticks)

• Ingredients: greens, black soldier fly larvae, krill, squash, bee pollen, spirulina, by flavor
• Copper: none named

Aquatic Arts Pollen Granules, Bee pollen for shrimplets

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/shrimptank: Aquatic Arts bee pollen, size not stated.

The shop page says the granules “disintegrate into a fine dust that spreads throughout the tank” and recommends feeding “once per week”. One r/shrimptank owner with 12 shrimp in a newer tank says theirs “just ignore it” and guesses they are content with natural food; other owners in that thread say their shrimp take bee pollen (brands mostly unnamed). Shop and listing UPCs differ.

Specs (linked: 1 oz)

• Ingredients and analysis: not given in the text we read

Aquatic Arts Algae Wafers, Algae wafer, shrimp portions

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Aquatic Arts shop page and Amazon listing.

The shop page gives crude protein minimum 30% and says Aquatic Arts feeds the wafers to its animals “as a special treat”. Shop and listing UPCs differ, and the listing text says “6 ounce” where its title says 8 oz; the analysis and ingredients here are the shop page’s.

Specs (linked: 8 oz)

• First ingredients: fish meal, wheat, rice flour (shop)
• Copper: copper proteinate listed (shop)

How Much and How Often to Feed Shrimp

Makers’ own directions:

Food	Maker’s direction (quoted)
Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp	“Feed as much food as shrimp can eat in two minutes, once daily.” (page); “two or three times daily” (listing)
Aqueon discs	“Feed no more than what the fish can eat within 1 – 2 minutes.” (listing; it says “fish”)
Zoo Med	“Directions in package” (listing)
BugGraze	“Feed once daily”; “Only provide what shrimp and snails can consume within 2–3 hours” (shop); “Feed 2–3 times per week alongside your regular food” (listing)
Ultra Fresh	Feeds per day: 1 time; Per feeding: 8 h, “amount they finish in this time” (maker page); “Feed once a day. One pellet can feed around 10-15 aquarium shrimps.” (listing)
Shrimpsicles	“Rehydrate the food by spraying water on it or by placing it in a shallow bowl of water before feeding.” (listing; no frequency)
Pollen Granules	“once per week”; “Distribute 4-5 granules at a time for smaller tanks ranging from ten to fifteen gallons, and allow them to dissolve.” (shop; listing: no frequency)
Aquatic Arts wafers	“Feed ½ wafer per 6 fish, 10 shrimp, and 10 snails every other day.” “Remove any uneaten food after 2 hours and modify servings as needed.” (shop); “after 4 hours” (listing)

Practical Fishkeeping’s author writes that softened pellets “can lead to increased water pollution, clogged soil and a boom in the snail population” and suggests “a feeding dish or a Catappa leaf as a dinner plate”. Our guides to high ammonia and snails that appear cover overfeeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Practical Fishkeeping concludes “a varied, balanced diet is the key to success”.

The bottom line

Final Verdict

Everyday, per its maker: Ultra Fresh Shrimp Food (check price); or, at a low pack price, Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp Formula (check price). By shrimp type: Aqueon Omnivore Shrimp Discs (check price) or Aqueon Herbivore Shrimp Discs (check price). Baby shrimp, per its maker: Aquatic Arts Pollen Granules (check price). Shrimp with snails: BugGraze BSFL Pellets (check price), Aquatic Arts Algae Wafers (check price) or KatsAquatics Shrimpsicles (check price). Shrimp with crabs: Zoo Med Aquatic Shrimp, Crab & Lobster Food (check price).

More guides: Food & Feeding.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.