Feeding tropical fish the appropriate live foods can greatly enhance their immunity, digestion, growth and coloration – as well as provide the opportunity to observe their natural feeding responses and habits.
This food consists of freeze dried brine shrimp and spirulina, making it the ideal food for algae-feeding fish. There are no fillers or terrestrial grains/legumes which could potentially harm some varieties.
Contents
Brine Shrimp
Brine shrimp provide freshwater fish with protein and energy sources, and are easy to cultivate at home.
These intriguing crustaceans, commonly referred to as “sea monkeys”, are an exciting novelty pet and science experiment for children. Feed them to more finicky fish such as dragonets or butterflies as a means of training them to accept other live foods like dragonets or butterflies.
Brine shrimp are passive filter feeders that consume an array of microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, archaea and detritus in an aquarium environment. Highly adaptable to water temperature and salinity changes, brine shrimp make excellent food sources for freshwater fry and adult fish alike – no diseases that could pose risks are carried by brine shrimp and they’re easily digested making brine shrimp an ideal addition to any aquarium!
Daphnia
Daphnia (daff-knee-uh) are microcrustaceans resembling fleas that live underwater and feature gills for respiration. At the bottom of their food chain are Daphnia which feed on algae and bacteria before eventually being preyed upon by fish and other small aquatic creatures.
Brine shrimp have long been used as model organisms in biological research studies due to their sensitive response to temperature and their natural ability to be cloned without human interference, providing researchers with a means of monitoring generations over time. Their translucent carapace allows observation from underneath a microscope while heartbeat monitoring allows researchers to keep tabs on them over generations.
Daphnia can be cultured into adulthood in various ways, with one of the easiest and most cost-effective being using garden soil or manure in combination with pond water to produce algal blooms that daphnia feed on.
Infusoria
Infusoria are microscopic organisms found in freshwater that play an integral part in hatchling success, and their availability can make or break an entire batch of hatchlings.
Aquarists might be tempted to head down to their local pond and collect some infusoria there, but this approach is neither safe nor efficient. Instead, it would be much wiser and cost-effectiveer to create your own culture with kitchen scraps in an airtight jar that can be sterilized later on.
Create your own infusoria simply by mixing some chopped up leaves of lettuce or other vegetables (peas, carrots or radish) with aquarium water in a jar and placing it in direct sunlight for several days – when the water turns cloudy or green that indicates infusoria has developed and can be siphoned off into your fry tank for feeding purposes.
Worms
Worms can be overlooked by fish keepers, yet they make an invaluable addition to any aquarium. Worms help distribute bacteria and nutrients evenly throughout the soil while aiding bioremediation – the natural process by which microorganisms break down environmental pollutants into non-toxic compounds.
Blackworms (Lumbriculus variegatus) provide freshwater fish with essential protein and other essential nutrients, making them a staple food item in their feeds. Available at most pet stores, blackworms make an easy and straightforward addition to freshwater diets.
Blackworms make an excellent treat for finicky eaters and can be fed whole or cut up to fit smaller fish species. In optimal conditions, blackworm cultures can grow quickly and be harvested regularly without polluting tank water.
Feeder Fish
Bottom-feeding fish like freshwater shrimp, Otocinclus catfish and Siamese algae eaters greatly appreciate the presence of live plants for hiding and feeding purposes – as well as helping control algae blooms within an aquarium.
Wild newborn fish receive their nourishment from microorganisms such as algae, protozoa and invertebrate larvae; many breeders raise freshwater plankton cultures (infusoria) specifically designed to feed tiny fry.
Infusoria can be grown easily in a jar with just a quart or so of old tank water, some mulm, and some pinches of yeast. They grow fast, are easy to care for, and provide much of the vegetable matter that carnivorous fish would get through prey in nature. Feeder fish also provide excellent sources of protein for both omnivorous and carnivorous fish species alike.
