API Bottom Feeder Shrimp Pellets

• 36% minimum crude protein – built around whole menhaden fish meal and squid meal for bottom feeders with high energy needs.
• Slow-release sinking pellet – reaches the substrate and holds together long enough for slower-feeding catfish and loaches to find it.
• Seaweed meal and pea protein – added fibre and plant protein to support digestion in scavenging species.
• Full vitamin and mineral premix – including chelated trace minerals, which are absorbed more readily than inorganic forms.

Transcribed verbatim from the API Bottom Feeder Shrimp Pellets label, checked 7 August 2026.

Whole menhaden fish meal, whole wheat, wheat middlings, squid meal, pea protein, dried grain distillers yeast, fish oil, cane molasses, dried seaweed meal (fucaceae), hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, vitamins and minerals (L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vit C), inositol, a-tocopherol acetate (Vit E), nicotinic acid, calcium pantothenate, iron amino acid chelate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, ferrous sulphate, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin B1 supplement, manganese oxide, zinc oxide, manganese amino acid chelate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vit K), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, copper sulphate, biotin, copper amino acid chelate, calcium iodate, vitamin D3 supplement, sodium molybdate), garlic powder, choline chloride, L-lysine, DL-methionine, L-threonine, BHA/citric acid/propyl gallate (as preservatives).

Feed twice a day. Bottom feeders take longer to find and eat a sinking pellet than surface feeders take to eat a flake, so offer only what your fish will clear within 30 minutes rather than judging portion by a 3-minute rule.

Suitable for:

• Catfish, loaches and plecostomus as a primary sinking diet
• Freshwater shrimp, as a supplementary protein source

Not suitable for:

• Tanks recently treated with copper-based medication – shrimp are copper-sensitive regardless of what they are fed, so check water parameters before feeding shrimp in a treated tank
• Surface-feeding fish as a sole diet – this pellet is formulated to sink and hold together, not to be eaten at the surface

• API Freshwater Master Multi Test Kit 5 in 1 – bottom feeders are often the first sign of an ammonia or nitrite problem building in the substrate.
• API Aquarium Salt – for routine water changes in the same tank.

This is a consumable food product, so no manufacturer warranty period applies. This does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law: if the product is faulty, unsafe or not as described, you are entitled to a remedy. All pack sizes ship as standard freight.

Will these pellets cloud my water?

Overfeeding any sinking pellet is the usual cause of cloudy water, since uneaten food breaks down on the substrate. Feed only what your bottom feeders clear within 30 minutes and remove any that remains uneaten.

Can I feed these to freshwater shrimp?

Yes, as a supplementary protein source alongside a shrimp-specific diet. Avoid feeding shrimp in any tank that has recently been dosed with a copper-based medication, since shrimp are highly sensitive to copper regardless of diet.

How is this different from a flake food?

This pellet is formulated to sink and hold its shape on the substrate, where catfish, loaches and plecostomus feed, rather than dispersing at the surface the way flake food does.