Some Notes on Choosing and Using Tropical Fish Food
There's no getting around it; if you have tropical fish, you're going to need to feed them some type of tropical fish food. Fish aren't like dogs that can eat table scraps so it's going to be up to you to purchase the right type and to feed them properly. Giving them too much tropical fish food or the wrong type is not going to be healthy for them and make actually make them very sick.
Tropical Fish Food Types
When it comes to the various forms of tropical fish food of course you can easily choose between flakes and pellets. These two types are virtually identical and typically contain the same amount of nutrition, vitamins, amino acids, and other important elements for your fish. The only difference is that pellets are a bit oversized for small fish and flakes are a bit undersized for larger fish. Also pellets sink to the ground much faster and some varieties and breeds of fish prefer food that is along the bottom, such as catfish. You can use both types of tropical fish food if you have a wide variety of fish or else just choose the one that best suits the average size of the fish you have. Usually flakes are sufficient.
Live tropical fish food can also be an important part of the diet of your fish. Live food includes brine shrimp, bloodworms, earth worms, and feeder fish. If you get a bit queasy at the idea of dropping live food into your fish tank, rest assured that these types of tropical fish food typically come frozen or freeze dried so they're easier to deal with and last longer. However these things should be considered special treats for your fish and probably not given to them any more than once per week. They're like a special dessert after Sunday dinner and not a staple of their diet.
Live tropical fish food can also be an important part of the diet of your fish. Live food includes brine shrimp, bloodworms, earth worms, and feeder fish. If you get a bit queasy at the idea of dropping live food into your fish tank, rest assured that these types of tropical fish food typically come frozen or freeze dried so they're easier to deal with and last longer. However these things should be considered special treats for your fish and probably not given to them any more than once per week. They're like a special dessert after Sunday dinner and not a staple of their diet.
Brine Shrimp
Brine shrimp especially is a good choice for tropical fish food for any of your fish especially the babies. They're very small, almost invisible, but something that most species love and that babies can handle. Brine shrimp are usually available wherever you purchase your typical tropical fish food.
No matter what type of tropical fish food you opt for, be sure you don't overfeed your fish. This is a common mistake that many first-time fish owners make, afraid that they're starving their fish or because they want to be sure their fish are getting enough food. In their natural habitat fish eat usually only once per day and sometimes not even that long. Giving your fish a modest amount of any standard brand of tropical fish food only twice per day is going to be more than enough for them and is actually healthier than overfeeding them. Adding a treat here or there is a nice thing to do but that doesn't need to be done for them to be healthy either. So be moderate and reasonable and you'll have healthy and happy fish.
No matter what type of tropical fish food you opt for, be sure you don't overfeed your fish. This is a common mistake that many first-time fish owners make, afraid that they're starving their fish or because they want to be sure their fish are getting enough food. In their natural habitat fish eat usually only once per day and sometimes not even that long. Giving your fish a modest amount of any standard brand of tropical fish food only twice per day is going to be more than enough for them and is actually healthier than overfeeding them. Adding a treat here or there is a nice thing to do but that doesn't need to be done for them to be healthy either. So be moderate and reasonable and you'll have healthy and happy fish.
About The Author
John Hubert is a research of tropical fish and has recently published the ebook on Tropical Fish Caring
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