Typically, angelfish are quite easy to keep and won’t cause you much trouble. All you need to do is take a little attention to angelfish care and Wohlaa! Your little buddies will stay happily in your tank for years and years. Still, some problems might arise despite your best efforts. One such problem is an angelfish that is always hungry. But what might cause your angels to eat a lot?
Angelfish are omnivores that love to eat. So, it is natural for them to eat anything and everything. However, sometimes your angelfish might not know when to stop eating and tends to overeat. Some of the reasons why angels are always hungry are due to the lack of a nutritious diet, wrong food, inadequate food, stress, or the presence of competitors.
The aquarists often seem to neglect it when they find their angels overeating and letting them be. But this might harm your angelfish in the long run and even lead to death. So, today I am here with all the experience and knowledge I have gained through the years to help you solve this problem.
Do Angelfish Eat A Lot?
When you see your angelfish munching a lot, you might wonder if it is natural. Well, the answer is pretty clear and right in front of your eyes. Yes! a big yes! your angelfish eat a lot. To make it clearer, angelfish are voracious eaters.
If your angelfish is happy and healthy, it is obvious that these fish might eat a lot. Furthermore, being omnivores, your little guys can eat anything. Whether it be pellets, algae wafers, small insects, or live foods. These beautiful fish really enjoys eating and will eat anything that fits in their mouth.
So, the next time you see your angelfish munching on something, don’t be alarmed. It is just their natural behavior. Just make sure that you are providing them with a healthy and balanced diet so that your buddies can grow big and strong!
However, there might also be some serious situations when your angelfish might always be hungry. Do you know what these situations are?
My Angelfish Is Always Hungry. Is It Serious?
Since it is a natural angelfish behavior to be always hungry, you do not need to worry about it a lot. But if you sense that something might be wrong, you should look at the following things
Are your angelfish growing properly?
A good sign that eating a lot is not a serious issue for angelfish is when you find your angels growing properly. If your buddies are not getting bigger, then there might be a problem.
Do all your angelfish look healthy?
If some of your angelfish look unhealthy, it is possible that these fish are not getting enough food. This can happen if the tank is overcrowded or if there is competition for food. Another possibility is that the food you give them is not nutritious enough.
Do your angelfish have a good appetite?
If your angelfish are always hungry but have a poor appetite, it might indicate illness. If this is the case, you should take them to the vet for a check-up.
Are your angelfish getting enough exercise?
If your angelfish are always hungry but are not getting enough exercise, it might be a sign that your fish are bored. In this case, you should try to provide them with more stimulation, such as adding toys, live plants, or substrates to their tank or giving them live food.
Is your angelfish color fading?
If your angelfish are always hungry, but their color is fading, it might be a sign of stress. This can happen if the tank is too small, there are not enough hiding places, or poor water quality. A healthy angelfish should eat a lot and have glowing and colorful skin.
How about the fins of your angelfish?
The flowing long fins are the major characteristics of angelfish. If the fins are always clamped, it is a sign of stress too. It can happen because of the same reasons as the fading color. In addition, aggression among tankmates or poor water quality can also lead to this condition.
Your angelfish might be having a serious health problem if you see any of these signs. So, if you want to save your fish, you need to find the cause and take action immediately.
Why Are Angelfish Always Hungry?
When you are new to fish keeping, you might notice that your angelfish is eating a lot or is always hungry. At first, this might disturb you a lot. While this is quite common in angels to eat everything, there might also be some serious issues that need to be checked out.
However, here are a few reasons why angelfish eat a lot.
Natural Behaviour Of Angelfish
Usually, angelfish are fast-growing creatures. Thus, these fish need more food to maintain their growth. Apart from that, these fish are also very active swimmers. For this reason, they require more energy which can only be provided by food.
In addition, your angelfish are voracious eaters. Unlike most fish, angels cannot distinguish when to stop eating. As a result, these fish end up eating a lot and always seem hungry. Although it is normal for angelfish to be always hungry, you should always look at other relevant signs too.
It can be a huge problem if your buddies are showing abnormal signs along with over eating.
You Are Not Feed Your Angelfish Well
As mentioned, angelfish grows really fast. Usually, within the first six months of their life, angelfish seems to grow twice their size. Therefore, you need to feed these fish well. But some aquarists forget this and will feed their fish less than required.
As a result, the fish will always be looking for food and appear to be always hungry. So, if you are facing such a problem, check your feeding schedule. You might need to feed your angelfish more than twice a day.
Wrong Food
Although angelfish are omnivores and can eat everything, there are some food items that these fish should not eat. For instance, feeding human foods to angelfish can be a bad idea. These food items are not rich in nutrients and might cause health problems in your fish.
Similarly, feeding live foods always is also not good for your angelfish. These fish need a diet rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
Apart from that, some angelfish might be allergic to certain food items. As a result, these fish will always be hungry as they are not getting the required nutrients. Therefore, it is important to investigate what food your angelfish can and cannot eat.
Stress
Even though angelfish are hardy, these fish are still affected by any fluctuations in their environment. Just like us, even angelfish can get stressed. In fact, stress is one of the most common problems that fish face in captivity. Several factors can cause stress in angelfish. For instance, bright light, sudden changes in water parameters, and lack of hiding spots can all lead to stress.
When these fish are stressed, your angels tend to lose their appetite. As a result, these fish will always appear to be hungry as they are not eating properly. Therefore, it is important to check for stressors in your tank and remove them immediately.
Lack Of Nutrition In Food
In some cases, the food you give to your angelfish might not have all the required nutrients. As a result, these fish will always be looking for food as your angels might not be getting what is needed. Usually, feeding your angelfish only on pellets is not a good idea. This is because pellets do not have all the nutrients that these fish need. Your little angels need a variety of well-balanced diets for their growth.
Therefore, it is important to feed your angelfish a variety of food items. This will help ensure that your fish are getting all the nutrients they need and will not always appear hungry.
Furthermore, you should always check the ingredients of the food you are feeding your angelfish. And you can also supplement your fish’s diet with live or frozen foods.
Presence Of Competitors
Angelfish are peaceful fish that prefer to live with other peaceful creatures. Usually, you will not find them fighting with other fish. However, in some cases, these fish can be aggressive toward each other.
Aggression can be a problem when there is a lack of food. When angelfish are competing for food, they tend to become aggressive and might even attack each other. Usually, when there’s a lot of completion for food, the bigger fish will eat all the food, and the smaller angels will be left hungry.
As a result, your angels will always appear to be hungry if you have kept them with aggressive mates like Oscars, tiger barbs, bettas, jack Dempsey, etc.
Disease
Angelfish are sensitive fish. Despite being quite hardy, angelfish are susceptible to various types of diseases. For instance, these fish are prone to developing infections and parasites. In addition, angelfish can also suffer from different types of stress-related diseases.
When your angelfish are sick, these fish tend to lose their appetite. As a result, these fish will appear to be always hungry as they are not eating properly. Usually, your angelfish suffer from diseases like fin rot, ich, and velvet. These diseases can be quite dangerous and might even kill your fish if not treated on time.
Therefore, it is important to watch your angelfish for any signs of illness. If you notice anything abnormal, take your fish to the vet immediately.
Generally, these are the reasons why angelfish might always be hungry. So, if you want to control your angel’s hunger, you need to work on the root cause and find the perfect solution.
What To Do If Your Angelfish Is Always Hungry?
Being notorious and active, it is obvious that angelfish might always be hungry. But this normal habit of your buddies might also be a sign of a serious issue. If you suspect something is wrong with your angels, you must first find out why. And, once you identify the reason behind your angelfish hunger. You can take the necessary steps to fix the problem. This will help ensure that your angelfish stay healthy and happy.
Moreover, some of the things that you can do to control your angelfish if these fish are always hungry are:
Provide Enough Nutritious Food
The first and foremost step you need to take is to ensure that you provide enough food. You can do this by increasing the amount or changing the type of food. For instance, if you feed them dry pellets, try giving them live or frozen foods.
Always remember that your angelfish needs a variety of food items to stay healthy. So, don’t forget to give them a mix of different food items. The best combination for your angelfish would be live food, frozen food, and pellets. This has worked for me and my angelfish are always healthy and happy.
Check The Water Quality
If you suspect that your angelfish might be hungry because of the water quality, then you need to check the ammonia, nitrate, and pH levels. Ammonia and nitrates should be zero, while the pH level should be between six and eight.
If the levels are not ideal, then you need to take steps to fix the water quality. For this, you can go water changes, use a water filter, or add aquarium salt. I also suggest you use air pumps as they help in aerating the water and make it easier for the fish to breathe.
Change The Tank Mates
Another reason behind your angelfish being always hungry could be the tank mates. If you have aggressive fish in the tank, they might constantly be attacking and nipping at your angels. This can lead to stress and ultimately result in your angelfish not getting enough to eat.
So, if you have aggressive tank mates, I suggest you remove them from the tank. This will help reduce stress and ensure that your angelfish can eat peacefully. Usually, the best tankmates for your angelfish are peaceful fish like Tetras, Guppies, and Mollies. You can replace aggressive fish with these peaceful fish.
Don’t Overfeed Your Angelfish
It is a common mistake that most fishkeepers make. They think that if they overfeed their angelfish, the fish will be happy and healthy. But this is not true. In fact, overfeeding your angelfish can lead to several problems like bloating, constipation, and even death.
So, it is important that you only feed your angelfish as much as your fish can eat in two minutes. This will help ensure that your fish get the right amount of food and are not overfed. Sometimes overfeeding might also be the reason behind your angelfish being always hungry. So, it is important to avoid overfeeding your fish.
Maintain A Stress-Free Tank
If you want your angelfish to stay with you for a long time, it is important that you maintain a stress-free tank. A stressed fish is more likely to get sick and might not live for a long time. In addition, these fish are also more likely to overeat. So, it is important that you maintain a stress-free tank for your angelfish.
You can do this by providing hiding spots, using plants, and avoiding sudden changes in the tank. I also suggest you use a water heater as it helps maintain a constant temperature in the tank. This will help reduce stress and keep your angelfish healthy.
Furthermore, using appropriate lights, substrates, and decorations can also help reduce stress in your angelfish.
As you can see, there are several things that you can do to control your angelfish if these fish are always hungry. Following the tips above, you can ensure your angelfish stay healthy and happy. So, don’t wait any longer and implement these tips today. Your angelfish will thank you for it!
Some FAQs
How Much Should I Feed My Angelfish?
Angelfish are not known for being finicky eaters, but that does not mean you should overfeed them. A good rule of thumb is to feed them no more than these can consume in three minutes. If you are unsure how much to give them, start with a small amount and increase it gradually until you find the right amount.
How Many Times Should I Feed My Angelfish?
Angelfish should be fed two to three times a day. This will ensure they get the nutrients these fish need and prevent them from becoming overweight. However, if your fish is obese, you may need to reduce the number of times you feed them.
When Should I Feed My Angelfish?
The best time to feed your angelfish is in the morning and evening. These fish are most active during these times and will be able to digest their food better. Avoid feeding them at night, as this can disrupt their sleep.
What Should I Feed My Angelfish?
Angelfish are omnivores, requiring both plant and animal matter in their diet. Good commercial food for them contains a mix of both. You can supplement their diet with live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia. In addition, you can also feed them flakes, pellets, or granules designed for omnivores.
Ending Up
Lastly, if you’ve tried all of the above and your angelfish are *still* always hungry, then it might be time to consider getting more fish. Angelfish are social creatures and do best in groups. A single angelfish can feel lonely and stressed, leading to health problems – including a voracious appetite. So, if you’ve tried everything else and nothing seems to be working, then getting more angelfish might just be the answer.
There you have it! A few possible reasons why your angelfish are always hungry – and what you can do about it.
Do you have any other tips or advice? Please leave them in the comments.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!
