Seattle's Fish Room

The Many Different Types of Aquarium Fish Foods

Just as food is essential to our health and well being, it is equally important to our friends in the fish world. There are many different types of fish food on the market today. Different species of fish have different nutritional requirements, so researching their needs before buying your fish is essential to selecting the proper food and helping to ensure a long and healthy life for your new pet.

The trick to proper feeding is not to over or under feed, as well as finding which food your fish like best that is also healthy for them too. Treats are great, but you would not feed your child or even yourself a steady diet of just treats, and it is the same way with your new fish. Fish can get fat and lazy just as we can when fed an improper diet, so fish food selection and the amount to feed them is critical when keeping fish in your home aquarium.

Below we have compiled a list of some of the more popular food types available for the wide range of fish in today's marketplace.

Flake:

Flake food is probably the most common of all of the fish foods that are available to us. There are many different specialty types of flake foods being produced as well. From the generic all purpose tropical flake to the flake specifically designed for certain species of fish, i.e. Goldfish Flakes, Cichlid Flakes, etc.

We like to look for a brand of flake food that is bright in varied colors vs. the bland coloring. But most of all it is important to look at the Protein, Crude Fiber, Crude Fat and Maximum Moisture Content. The fresher the flake the better it is for your fish as well. Many convenient sizes are available, and you can even order bulk amounts of flake food from your local pet shop as well as from a wide variety of internet sites.

Try to look for flakes with better than 45% protein, greater than 6% crude fat (especially for those of you who are into breeding), less than 7% moisture and less than 3% crude fiber is ideal. Most of all remember that all tropical fish need some sort of variety in their diet. Its a good idea to have several different varieties of flake foods near your aquarium, and rotate them from day to day to promote optimal growth, bright colors and overall good health.

Flakes are ideal for most species, especially those that swim at the middle to top layers of your aquarium.

Pellets:

As fish grow they may need something more substantial. For fish larger than 3", pellets are a good alternative too fill this hearty hunger. Pellets are either of the floating or sinking variety. Again these are usually created as specialty foods designed for certain species of fish, i.e. Cichlids, Catfish, Goldfish...etc.

Pellets can be used in a community tank, and can actually be mixed in with flake or other foods depending on the species you keep. Floating Pellets are great for Pond KOI, Cichlids, Bettas and Goldfish just to name a few. Sinking Pellets like Spirulina Wafers and Shrimp Pellets are superb for bottom feeders, algae eaters and scavengers such as the numerous breeds within the catfish and loach families.

Frozen:

Another type of food that fish seem to be very fond of, is frozen food. Frozen Brine Shrimp or Blood Worms, Black Worms etc... really add to the health of your tank. A great number of species love worms and more meaty foods than flake and pellets can provide. One big caution here with frozen foods, never let foods thaw out and then refreeze and use them. It is one of the surest ways to kill an entire tank of fish in no time. Due to the high protein content of brine shrimp and blood worms do not try to place your fish on a strict diet of frozen foods. Instead, vary your feedings with both frozen and flake and/or pellet foods day to day.

Live Foods:

There are some fish that will never take to flake food, pellets or frozen foods. With these demanding individuals, live foods may be your only option. This usually consists of live brine shrimp, infursoria or other smaller fish. These fish are more commonly referred to as "Feeder Fish". These feeders are usually plain goldfish, minnows or guppies available for a buck or two a handful at your local pet shop. One has to very careful in not feeding a fish an exclusive diet of feeder goldfish. Due to various health concerns, mixing feeder goldfish with other types of feeders is highly suggested.

Another commonly given live food are simply earthworms dug up out of the garden. You do want to make very sure if you decide to use worms that these are not obtained from a garden that has had pesticide or fertilizers used around the grounds. These harsh chemicals can enter your tank through the worms themselves, and could end very badly. Keep in mind, if you decide you want to use earthworms, make sure that the pieces are not too large, as some fish cannot chew up their foods.

Blocks:

Feeding or Vacation Blocks are usually small, white cakes made up in a various array of designs. i.e. treasure chest, seashell, etc. The fish food is embedded within this block, to be slowly dispersed for your fish to feed on. These will work fine for your days away from home, but should never be used as a full time feeding regiment.

Feeding Times and Methods:

Most fish should be fed two to three times per day. The smaller the fish the more times in a day they will need to be fed. This is especially true with fry (newborns), which may need to be fed very small amounts but 5 or 6 times a day, until they grow larger.

Fish on average only need to be fed amounts that can be completely eaten within 2 to 3 minutes. If after that amount of time there is still food sitting or floating around, you are over feeding your fish. This practice may foul your water, and actually become dangerous to your fish if nitrate and ammonia levels begin to rise. Start by feeding your fish small amounts and watch to see how fast they eat it. If it only takes your fish less than a minute to completely consume the meal, then you should give them a little bit more. It is always a better idea to start with too little food and work up, than it is to start with too much food to begin with. After doing this a couple of times you'll have a good idea of how much is too much. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to add a bottom feeder or two to your tank. Scavengers are excellent in helping to maintain a healthy tank for those of us who are not always too careful at when and how much we feed our fish.

About the Author

Steven Sannan is currently a member of the http://www.tropicalfishtreasure.com staff, with 35+ years of fishkeeping experience. Experience that includes extensive freshwater, saltwater and pond keeping knowledge.

Feeding bluegill and rainbow trout

Pyramid 7 Day Fish Feeder (12pc) (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pelleted Fish Food) $42.38 Pyramid 7 Day Fish Feeder (12pc). Provides controlled amounts of vitamins minerals in a slowrelease block Wont affect pH of aquarium water . Blister card of one feeder...

Pond Fish Feeder Block (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pond Fish Foods) $11.93 Pond Fish Feeder Block. Automatically dissolves to slowly release nutritious pellets to feed your pond fish while you are away. 5 oz Block (142g)...

2PK Pond Food Vacation Food Slow Release Feeder Block 3.45oz (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pond Fish Foods) $18.58 Pond Food Vacation Food Slow Release Feeder Block 3.45oz. Tetra - TETRA POND VACA FOOD 345OZSlow Release Feeder Block for Pond FishKeep peace of mind when traveling with our new TetraPond? Vacation Food The gelbased block will feed all pond fish for up to seven days without clouding water. 3.45 oz...

Professional Pond-Fish Automatic Feeder With LCD display(Up to 90 Days Promgrammable Feeding Schedule) This is a water-resistant, free-standing and mountable pond-fish feeder. When you are out of your house for a bit long time, you can use it to feed your fish automatically. You can also use it when you are at home, so that you don't need to feed your fish every day. It is very convenient for you to feed the fish.Feature:a) Color: Grass green b) Dimensions: 7.8' (19.8cm)in diameter, 10.3' (26.2cm)i...