Fish nutrition is an important consideration for any aquarist. Fish food comes in a variety of forms. Common types include flakes, pellets, frozen food, and gelatin. Different fish require different foods, and may need to be fed on a different schedule. Always find out the individual nutrition needs of particular fish before adding them to your aquarium. Since you cannot generally segregate fish during feeding time, or keep most of them from eating whatever is put into the tank, it is important to keep species with similar fish nutrition needs.
A staple of fish nutrition, flake food generally floats on the top of the water. For some fish, eating at the top can cause them to swallow air along with the food which can cause problems with their swim bladders. If this is an issue for the fish in your aquarium, soak the flakes for a minute or so first; the wet flakes will sink to the bottom of the tank. Some pellet food may also float, so it should be soaked before use as well. Since pellets are denser than flakes, the soaking will take longer; soak for about two minutes before placing the pellets in the tank. Some types of fish, such as catfish and plecos, cannot eat food unless it sinks to the bottom of the tank. There are specially formulated foods for fish such as these. Frozen fish food may need to be thawed before use; check the label for instructions. Gelatin food is not as commonly found as the other varieties, but is available.
Marine fish require different fish nutrition than freshwater fish, although the food comes in the same basic forms.
When choosing fish nutrition products, look for foods that say “bacteria free” on the label to ensure you are feeding your fish safe products. If your fish begin to develop swim bladder
disorders, be sure to soak the food prior to putting it in the tank.
Everyone likes to eat, and fish are no exception. Proper fish nutrition is important to maintaining not only healthy but also beautiful fish. While healthier fish are naturally more colorful, some forms of fish nutrition also include color enhancers to help promote the beauty of your fish. Many fish will learn to anticipate when the fish food is about to be put in the tank and will swim to the surface (for floating food) or hover near the bottom (for sinking food).
