What You Must Know About Feeding Your Fish…

By Jason S Williams

Alright, so your new aquarium is set up. Your new scaly friends have been properly acclimated and introduced into their new home. As you admire this beautiful miniature eco-system that you have created, many things will go through your mind. Of these, foremost should be how to establish a proper fish feeding routine. Different species will have different feeding habits and requirements. Being aware of these details and establishing a proper feeding routine will ensure a healthy aquarium population. A healthy population will in turn ensure a beautiful aquarium that you can show off and take pride in for a long time to come.

Research Your Fishes Feeding Behavior

The first thing to establish is what sort of diet your fish eat in nature. Fish feeding behavior in the aquarium is directly correlated to a species’ behavior in nature. This in turn is determined by whether they are natural carnivores, herbivores or omnivores. Generic flake food for your freshwater tropical fish will normally contain both plant and animal components. As such, flake food can normally be eaten by most species of freshwater tropical fish. This, however, does not mean that one should rely entirely on generic flake food. Like cats, dogs and even humans, variety is appreciated and even necessary for proper health and nutrition.

A good way to supplement basic flake food in your fish feeding regimen is to incorporate freeze dried foods into your fish’s diet. Freeze dried brine shrimp and bloodworm are the most popular and easiest to find in this regard.

Another factor which should be taken into consideration is how each species eats. Different species have evolved different types of mouths. Some have teeth and are accustomed to hunt for food. Surface feeders might have upward facing mouths to facilitate this process. Other species, such as the catfish and the plecostomus have downward facing mouths which evolved to eat algae from rock formations or to bottom-feed in general.

When buying fish foods these aspects of fish feeding behavior must be taken into account. Make certain that the food you buy is able to linger for 5 to 10 minutes in the zone that your fish species are accustomed to eat. This would be the surface, middle or bottom of the aquarium. Any food that remains uneaten after 10 minutes should be removed from the aquarium to prevent polluting the water.

The frequency of fish feeding is another area that often creates uncertainty, especially in new aquarium enthusiasts. A general rule of thumb to follow is to feed your fish slowly. Do not simply throw a few pinches of food and walk away. Start with small amounts and observe; make certain that all fish are able to get to their food. Make certain that the surface, middle and bottom strata are getting the coverage they need. If you notice that food is being left uneaten, decrease the amount of food that you are using. There are automatic feeders which can be used to automatically dispense predetermined quantities of food at predetermined times. These can be useful if one is planning on being away from home for several days, or if one’s schedule is too unpredictable.

Another category of fish feeders are those known as manual feeders. These are not designed to automate the fish feeding process, rather they are meant to provide specialized feeding techniques for species that so require it. There are feeding clips which can be used to secure seaweed or other forms of food vegetation. There are also feeding prongs which are used to secure live or freeze dried food. The latter permit predatory fish to feed on these types of food while giving you the control to remove uneaten food neatly and with the least amount of contamination possible.

All in all, establishing a proper fish feeding routine will not only keep your fish healthy, but will also form an integral part of the enjoyment that you derive from having an aquarium. There is a short learning curve that is involved, but just as in feeding your family you developed a knack for what everybody likes and how they like it, so too will you develop such a knack with your scaly friends!

About the Author: If you want to learn more about

Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance

, you can visit my website at

learnfreshwateraquariums.com

for helpful tips on setting up, maintaining and caring for both your Freshwater Aquarium and the fish that inhabit it.

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isnare.com

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