Description
This article is from the Beginning
Fishkeeping FAQ, by Thomas Narten with numerous contributions
by others.
54 Feeding the Fish
Most common fish sold in aquarium shops, especially those recommended
for beginners, can subsist on processed (flake, stick or pellet) food.
Some can even thrive on it... although for fish, just as for other
animals, some variety in the diet is usually desirable.
Fish food is somewhat delicate. Exposing it to sunlight, leaving the
lid off so that damp can come in, or buying a very large container
that takes 8 months to use up all can sabotage the nutritional value
of your fish's food. Generally speaking, there are five classes of
fish food:
* various processed foods (processed ground stuff remade into
flakes, sticks or pellets; often divided into categories for
omnivorous, vegetarian, and carnivorous fish),
* freeze dried foods (whole beasties such as blood worms, daphnia
etc),
* frozen foods (more whole beasties),
* live foods (live beasties), and
* other fresh foods (home made carnivore food of beefheart, zucchini
for your pl*co, etc).
To many fishkeepers, flake food is like rice. It will do for most
every meal, but a little something else now and again is important.
Nearly every new fishkeeper will hear the rule ``feed your fish only
what they will eat in 3 minutes'' or similar blandishment. This is
terrifying to the beginner; after all, those fish are obviously
ravenous! What if they starved! This is only a tiny pinch! How can it
be enough?
Take it seriously. The reason most folks have fish is, we hope, to
observe them. If not up close and personal, at least in a general
sense. The perfect time to do some of your observing is when you feed.
Each time you feed, park yourself in front of the tank to watch. Put
in less than you think can possibly be enough. Watch the fish consume
it. Observe what falls to the bottom. If you don't have any fish who
are primarily bottom feeders (pl*cos, corydoras, loaches etc.), take
the time to learn if any of your other fish will glean the bottom;
gouramis often will, but rainbows generally won't, for example. If you
do have bottom feeders, watch to see how fast they eat.
So you put a little pinch in, and after 2 minutes (you counted!) there
is practically no food to be seen... except a little on the bottom
which the cories are really going for. Yep, you can probably safely
give them some more. But watch to make sure they really eat all of the
second pinch too. It is better to feed a tiny bit several times a day,
especially with fish who won't scour the bottom, than it is to feed a
bunch all at once... but most adult fish will do fine being fed a 5
minute ration once a day. In an established tank, even less often is
preferred by some fish keepers; that way, the fish will eat more of
the algae and other edibles that can naturally occur in a tank.
Another thing to keep in mind: fish CAN get fat, especially if fed a
lot of rich foods such as bloodworms. Many of the fish you'll buy to
put in your tank are juveniles: how they develop into adult fish will
be determined by your care of them. Just as high nitrates can stunt a
fish's growth, shorten its life, and prevent it from ever breeding
successfuly, fish who are overfed can end up with deformed bodies and
other problems - plus they poop more... which has obvious
ramifications :-). Feeding a good variety of foods ensures that your
fish will get not only the rich foods, but also fiber (brine shrimp
and other crustaceans) and vegetables (algae foods, vegetables).
A word on live foods: certain commercially available live foods are
considered risky by many hobbyists, as they can carry parasites -
tubifex worms in particular. You will have to decide yourself how you
feel about this risk. Be very sure that you are feeding food that is,
indeed, still alive! Rinse the critters thoroughly, and especially if
they are not able to live in your tank water, be just as careful about
overfeeding live food as you are other foods. Live foods are covered
in detail (including culturing instructions) in the LIVE FOOD FAQ.
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aquaria, fish, acquarium, tank, fishkeeping
