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By Fish-Keeping Tips, July 18, 2009 3:31 am

Importance of a proper diet for different species
Feeding tropical fish a balanced diet that is suited to their species is absolutely crucial. Proper feeding supports a healthy immune system, stimulates growth and breeding, improves the appearance of fish and encourages activity. Different species of fish require different diets so it is essential that you research the eating habits of the fish you propose to have in your fish tank aquariums.

Finding the right consistency and type of food
The type of diet and food consistency can be determined by considering three divisions of two groups.
The first section is the type of food. Herbivores eat plant-based food only, carnivores are meat-eating fish and omnivores eat both plant and animal matter. Most fish fall into this third group.
There are also different depths at which fish feed in tank aquariums so it is essential to display food in a consistency suitable for fish which collect food from the top, fish that feed on food which has been dropped into the water, and fish that gather food from the bottom of aquariums.

What will you offer?
All fish require a balanced diet consisting of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Here are a variety of foods you may consider, depending on the dietary requirements of the fish in your freshwater fish tanks.

Herbivore fish need food high in fibre, for example algae and vegetables. These fish will enjoy spinach, lettuce, nettles, zucchini, carrots, peas and maize. You need to make certain that these vegetables are boiled so they are soft, and broken down into reasonably sized morsels. These foods offer various vitamins, minerals and trace elements. I also recommend using Spirulina for herbivores as it provides them with easily assimilable vegetable protein.

For carnivores and omnivores, a diet rich in protein will be essential. This can be supplied through live food (ensuring it is nourishing), home-produced or commercial foods. Thin slices of raw red meat or cooked white meat can be used, live small fish (e.g. feeder goldfish), live or freeze-dried worms, daphnia, brine shrimp, Tubifex, and krill. Meat, brine shrimp and worms are best fed as a treat rather than as an everyday food. Tubifex promotes growth and can be used as a conditioning food to get your fish in good shape before reproduction. For myself, I recommend krill as a dietary mainstay for carnivorous and omnivorous fish. They are rich in protein, contain amino acids and Omega 3 fatty acids for general health, carotenoids to bring out bright colors in fish, vitamins and minerals which support the immune system, dietary roughage to improve digestion, and energizing carbohydrates. Krill also contain little fat and salt. They are ideal for enabling a sick fish recuperate or to bring an already healthy fish up to peak condition for breeding or showing. For predatory carnivores who like to catch moving things, you can dangle non-live food from a fork and lower it into the aquarium in front of the fish, wiggling it around so that it seems it is alive!

Dry foods
There are several types of dry foods such as granules, grains, flakes, pills, wafers and pellets. All of these can be bought in a choice of textures considering the type of fish you would like to feed and the various depths of the water column they live in. these prepared foods are of a high-quality, designed to supply a balanced diet and are full of extra vitamins and minerals, so it is essential to add them in the diet. Different formulas can also be used once in a while such as preparation for breeding or for developing color. It is also very practical being easy to store and doesn’t require any preparation. The risk of disease or parasites being brought into aquariums with food is likewise completely eliminated.

Enjoy!
Diversity is the real key to beneficial fish nutrition. Therefore, it is imperative to give your fish a range of different appropriate foods to ensure they obtain a balanced diet for their best possible health and their interest in and enjoyment of food.

Copyright © 2009 Jill Kaestner @ Kaestner Marketing LLC

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By Fish-Keeping Tips, July 11, 2009 3:30 am

Choosing the tropical fish can be quite a challenge. It is very important you know how to choice the right fish for your aquarium, and ensure they are healthy. You don’t want to spread any disease to fish that are already in your tank.

How can you know what are the best fish for your fish tanks? This is one question I am trying to offer an answer in this article.

One of the major aspects in choosing a fish species is the temperament. Some people thin that fish are without personality but that is not true at all. They have very distinct temperaments, depending on the species. Here is a short list on the types of temperaments fish can have:
The social breeds are fish that can get along with any other fish type. The species most sociable are the Tetras, the Danios, the Guppies, the Mollies, the Swordtails, and the Corydoras.

The Semi-social breeds- in this category are included fish that rarely show signs of aggression when they are keep with other fish in community tanks. These fish are from the species: Gouramis, Angelfish and Barbs.

The Aggressive breeds. This type of breed likes to keep for itself and live in pairs with fish from the same breed. They quarrel if they are put in the tank with other breeds. Some of these species are the Oscars, the Male Bettas and the Jewelfish.

If you’ve got a good local pet store, they should be able to give you further advice on what kind of fish you can keep together in a freshwater aquarium. A good question to ask the pet employees is if the fish have been kept in quarantine for at least two weeks before being available for sale.

You can find further information if you go to a local pet store and talk to people there. They will help you choose a fish species suitable for you. One important question that you need to ask the pet store people is whether the fish has been hold in quarantine before being added in the tank for sale. That question is very important. If he hasn’t been in quarantine, it is very susceptible to disease and an early death.

Also, the transportation from the pet store till your home can cause him stress and that can lead to illnesses. Last, you need to observe the fish’s color. See if he has a well defined one. Make sure the scales are intact and the fins are the same. Also look for signs of blurred color or spots.

Observe the other fish in the shop, if they are sickly, or frail looking, beware, because disease spreads easily amongst tropical fish.

In conclusion, these small advices will help you bring home a healthy fish. You can then enjoy your fish for longer and avoid problems arising in your tropical fish tank.

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