What to Feed Freshwater Shrimp, Snails & Crabs
Shrimp and snails need calcium for their shells. Here's what to feed, how much, and the mistakes that crash small tanks.
Dwarf shrimp, snails and aquarium crabs grow by shedding their shells. That's the big difference between their food and fish food. Shrimp foods add calcium so the new shell hardens, and a tiny, deliberate trace of copper that shrimp use when they molt. The protein is about the same.
What to feed
Start with the animal. Cherry and other dwarf shrimp, snails, or bigger crabs and crayfish. Pick a food sized for that animal, then add a calcium source.
| Food | Made for | Form | Protein | Fat | Fiber | Calcium | How much, per the maker's label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hikari Shrimp Cuisine | Dwarf shrimp (Neocaridina and Caridina) | Sinking pellet, about 1.2–1.4 mm | 40% min | 6% min | 3% max | not listed | Small amounts, what they finish in a few minutes |
| Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp Micro Granules | Freshwater shrimp | Slow-sinking granule, 0.25–1.0 mm | 32% min | 12% min | 6% max | 1.5% min | What they finish in about two minutes, once a day |
| Zoo Med Shrimp, Crab & Lobster Food | Aquatic shrimp, crabs and crayfish | Sinking stick | 35% min | 8% min | 4% max | not listed | not listed |
| Hikari Crab Cuisine | Crabs and other crustaceans | Sinking stick, about 1.7–2.0 mm | 31% min | 4% min | 3% max | 0.7% min | One to four mini sticks, twice a day, by size |
| Repashy Soilent Green | Algae-grazing fish and invertebrates | Gel you mix yourself | 40% min | 8% min | 8% max | not listed | Offer freely |
| Zoo Med Nano Banquet Food Blocks | Shrimp, snails, algae eaters | Slow-dissolving calcium block | not listed | — | — | — | One block, replaced every 3–4 days |
Numbers are the guaranteed analysis printed on each label.
Baby shrimp in the tank? Use the smallest granule. Fluval's is the smallest size we know of. That's our pick; no maker gives a size chart by age.
Algae wafers aren't shrimp food. Most wafers are made for plecos and other bottom-feeding fish. Shrimp will pick at them, which is fine in a mixed tank, but keep a shrimp food as the staple.
How to feed
Small amounts, gone in two or three minutes. Net out whatever is left.
- Once a day is plenty for most tanks. Some makers say several small meals a day, others say once. Start with once. If they clean it up fast and the tank is busy, add a second small meal.
- Take out leftovers. In a small tank a little uneaten food goes bad fast, and rotting food is the most common way a shrimp tank crashes.
- Calcium blocks need moving water. Use them in a tank with a filter or air stone, not a bowl.
- Gel foods are mixed with very hot water and keep about two weeks in the fridge or six months in the freezer, per the maker. Take the gel out once the shrimp lose interest.
- Buy the small jar. Shrimp foods go stale within a few months of opening, and ten shrimp won't get through a big tub in time.
Is copper bad for shrimp?
Not in a food made for shrimp. Shrimp need a trace of copper to molt, and the makers add it on purpose. Copper in fish medicines and some water treatments is a different thing and can kill shrimp, so check with us before you add any medicine to a shrimp tank.
Mistakes we see
- Feeding only fish flakes. Shrimp will eat them, but flakes don't carry the calcium shrimp need for new shells. Keep a shrimp food on hand and use flakes as a treat.
- Leaving food in all day "just in case." Take it out after a few minutes.
- Big tub, tiny tank. Freshness beats value here.
Quick answers
What do I feed my shrimp? A small sinking shrimp pellet or granule, about what they eat in two or three minutes, once a day, plus a calcium block or a calcium-rich food.
How often? Once a day to start. Watch how fast it disappears.
My hermit crab? Land hermit crabs need their own food and a dish, not aquarium food. See our hermit crab care sheet.
Do snails eat the same food? Yes. Shrimp foods and calcium blocks work well for nerite and mystery snails too. Snails also need calcium for their shells.
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Reviewed by our team 2026-11-05. Nutrition figures are each maker's published guaranteed analysis.
