In this section you will find articles about different types of tropical fish food and how to feed you fish in order to ensure optimal health. Correct feeding is also very important if you want to breed fish, since certain food types or an increased amount of food can trigger spawning in many species. If you are a beginner fish keeper we recommend some of the introductory articles that describe the different types of available fish foods and how to feed your fish. You can also go to the articles library and look up your specific species in order to find more detailed information about their requirements and ideal diet. You will also find such information in the species database.
This section of the articles library do not only include feeding guidelines and different opinions regarding fish food, but also has a lot of articles about how to raise live food for your fish by cultivating Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Fruit flies, Vinegar eels, microworms etcetera. You can also create your own tropical fish food for herbivore species from vegetables. A high quality flake or pellet food is a good base for many tropical fish species that except non-live food and that base can then be supplemented with your home-grown treats to ensure a varied and well balanced diet. If you do not want to grow your own food, most fish stores will sell frozen meaty foods that you can store in your freezer.
Different tropical fish species will require different types of food. Providing your fish with a varied diet is always recommended, since a varied diet makes it easier for you fish to obtain all necessary nutrients. Keep in mind that even a predatory fish species can eat algae or plant material in the wild, and therefore slowly begin to suffer from malnutrition in an unplanted aquarium that has been vigorously scrubbed clean from algae. Herbivore fish species that feed chiefly on plant material and plankton will usually gulp down a tiny insect or some zoo plankton in the wild, something that will be hard to do when kept in captivity and feed only plant based flake food.
If you wish to use a prepared food as a base for your fish, you should ideally choose a food that has been composed in order to satisfy the needs of your particular species or fish group. If you keep some of the Goldfish variants, you should therefore try to find Goldfish food, a Pleco will do best on Pleco or Catfish food and so on. It is impossible to create a fish food that is perfect for all possible fish species, and “Universal” fish foods that claim to be suitable for all types of aquarium fish is therefore always a middle rood that will keep most species alive, but seldom allow them to thrive. You might also need to change the diet of your fish as it grows older. Fry, immature fish, breeding adults and old specimens all have their own requirements and these can differ significantly.
A lot of problems encountered by aquarists are the results of over-feeding. Do not feed your fish more food than they will consume within 3-5 minutes. Left over food will begin to decompose and can pollute the water. Over eating can also cause obesity in your fish, a condition which will threaten its health and make it less likely to spawn. A fish that eats more food than necessary will also produce more waste products and these waste products will add to the pollution of your aquarium.
Alternative fish Foods – Information about suitable fish foods you can buy in your grocery store.
Brine Shrimp Hatchery – How to make a simple plastic bottle brine shrimp hatchery, in pictures.
Choosing food for and Feeding Fry – An introduction to feeding fry.
Cultivation of some common live food – A guide about how you can cultivate some common types of live food in your home.
Culturing Microworms – An article on this useful live food for fry and small fish.
Feeding fish – An article about feeding fish and which factors that stimulate fish to eat.
Fish feeding habits – An introduction to the different feeding habits different types of fish have.
Feeder fish – An article about the pro and cons of feeder fish and different alternatives.
Fish food – an introduction – A comprehensive discussion of fish foods.
Growing adult Brine shrimp – how to grow adult Brine shrimp
Microworms – Microworms are easy to cultivate and are excellent live food for small fish or growing fry.
Raising and Growing Large Brine Shrimp – How to build a brine shrimp hatchery, and how to feed and grow the shrimps.
Raising Daphnia – How to culture and use daphnia.
Raising mealworms for animal food – Yellow mealworm larvae or adults serve as food for fish, reptiles, birds and other animals
Raising Vinegar Eels – How to culture this easy and inexpensive live food.
Combined Worm Culture – Grindal worms and red worms can be cultured in one container together, thus providing live food for different sizes fish
Tropical fish food – An introduction to fish food for beginners.
Types of fish food – A guide to the basic types of fish food available.
Understanding feeding and digestion in fish – Introduction to the digestive system in fish.
Feeding your fish vegetables – Fresh cooked high fibre vegetables benefit the digestive systems of many fish.
Weaning fish of feeders – A guide to weaning your fish of feeders.
Wingless Fruit Flies – breed Wingless Fruit Flies