Diversify Your Feedings

As promised, I went out and bought some new foods for my fish to try. This evening, I bought some algae wafers and white mosquito larvae (glass worms). Some people might think that fish don't really care, and that just feeding them artificial, sprinkles of tropical flakes will suffice. However, I think fish should be treated like any pet or animal: they need diversity to thrive. They'll appreciate the novelty, change of taste. Besides, frozen foods are cheap. Think about it, a package of frozen or dried foods only cost about $3-$10, and they last for months and months, sometimes even years! $10 is less than the amount you'd spend on take-out. C'mon guys, give the little fishies some good stuff.

This is a list of foods I currently feed my fish:

- Color-enhancing tropical flakes
- Sinking shrimp pellets
- Sinking algae wafers
- Betta pellets
- Blood worms
- Glass worms
- Brine shrimp
- Zucchini
- Romaine Lettuce


Some foods I hope to buy in the near future (once I find a place that sells them!):

- Daphnia
- Black worms
- Cucumbers
- Spinach
- Carrots
- White worms
- Mealworms
-Plankton
-Krill


***

Top Fin Algae Thins; Rating 5 stars!
- all my omnivorous fish love 'em!
-$4 for a 42 gram bag = awesome deal.


Frozen Glass worms; Rating 5 stars!
- all my fish love 'em
- $9 for at least 6 month's supply.


********Side Note on Types of Tropical Fish Foods******

Freeze-dried: super dry, you need to soak them first so it doesn't expand in your fish's stomach and give them belly aches. Long shelf life, not as messy as frozen food. Can be kept in a nice little container. It is messy though and will cloud your water.

Sinking pellets: As the name suggests, it sinks to the bottom and is designed for bottom feeders. Non-bottom feeders eat them too though~ They usually are designed to slowly break apart and dissolve into the water. It pollutes your water pretty fast, so don't overfeed this stuff. It can be designed for carnivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous fish. Varies in size. Personally I'd go for larger pellets because that way it won't break apart quickly into like a million pieces and also bigger fish won't try to shove it down their greedy little throats.

Tropical Fish Flakes: Really cheap, convenient, long shelf life. Many have color-enhancing additives as well as yeast and fatty acids for growth and digestion. Sprinkling above or just under surface of water for top level feeders. You could also sprinkle it near the bottom for bottom feeders, but the flakes won't sink properly as they're designed to float.

Species-specific Pellets: Bite-sized pellets designed specifically for bettas or cichlids or goldfish. Other fish will eat them too. Usually a small tubful will last years.

Live insects: Yup. You can feed your fish live insects you trap in your house or neighborhood. Caution: live insects may contain harmful bacteria. Feed at your own discretion. Yummy treat, and can give your fish a little entertainment and the thrill of the hunt.

Frozen insects: Much safer but a little messy than other foods. Frozen foods are decontaminated and packaged in blister packages with like 40 individually sealed cubes. Chip out a corner with a knife, dissolve it in tank water, and it'll yield approximately 40 worms. Don't overfeed frozen food, as it can be low in nutrients and high in fat.

Fresh veggies: Helps omnivores and herbivores digest better, and promotes health. They'll eat pretty much any leaf veggie. Cook it boiling water for a minute or two or just microwave it for 1 minute in a small bowl full of water. This softens up the veggies to make it easier to eat.


Feeder fish: Gigantic fish like Oscars will eat feeder goldfish, guppies, tetras. Any small fish that fits in his mouth. Ethics aside, keep in mind that goldfish are usually kept in poor tank conditions and may be diseased. Feed with caution. Some people also gut-load feeders by feeding them tons of nutritious food so that when they in turn are fed to bigger fish, they're more nutritious.


Infusoria and Rotifers: Commonly fed as fry food. Comes in liquid forms that you just squirt into the water with a baster or a syringe of some sort. These are tiny little micro-organisms too tiny to see.


I found a nice little chart that lists typical nutrient requirements

	Carnivore	Omnivore	Herbivore	Limnivore
Fat	3-6%	2-5%	1-3%	2-4%
Fiber	2-4%	3-8%	2-6%	5-10%
Protein	45-70%	30-40%	30-40%	15-30%
Moisture	6-10%	6-10%	6-10%	6-10%

References

- My own experiences
- The pet store
- http://fish.mongabay.com/food.htm




It might also be helpful to write down a feeding schedule. If more than one person is in charge of feeding the fish, make sure that they talk about who's going to feed what and when so overfeeding doesn't happen!