No matter whether they are the centerpiece fish in a tropical community tank or an individual “wet pet”, all freshwater aquarium species require proper feedings to remain healthy. Luckily, feeding tropical fish isn’t difficult!
From peaceful tetras and energetic danios to strange, prehistoric-looking bichirs – there is an array of aquatic life that would add interest to a tropical aquarium.
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Frozen Foods
Frozen food for tropical fish can be conveniently dropped straight into their tank without needing to digest as much. However, it’s important that an assortment of nutrients be provided so as to ensure healthy fish.
Frozen foods such as brine shrimps, daphnia, water fleas, cyclops bloodworms and mysis make tasty additions to a tropical fish’s diet. Some varieties even feature Gamma radiation treatment for added safety.
Most tropical fish species will benefit from eating a varied diet of freeze dried, gel and live foods to maintain optimal health and breeding success. Feeding incorrectly can lead to diseases, stunted growth or even trigger certain species into reproducing prematurely; correctly fed fish will have healthy immune systems, vibrant colors and long, happy lives!
Live Foods
Some tropical fish species are naturally herbivorous in the wild and feed on plant material such as algae or plant fragments; providing these fish with high-quality flake or pellet food may not provide all of the required nutrition for proper health and growth.
Diets that include certain live foods have been scientifically shown to significantly enhance immunity, digestion, coloration and overall health of tropical fish. Many articles in this library discuss raising your own live foods like Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Fruit Flies microworms or Vinegar Eels.
Feeding fish of all varieties should generally involve offering only as much food as they can consume within minutes, to avoid digestive problems and polluted aquarium water. If a particular fish doesn’t feed at its usual pace it could be sick or be prevented from feeding by larger, more territorial or aggressive ones in its tank.
Flake Foods
Are You Looking to Add Variety or Strengthen Health and Vitality of Tropical Fish? Luckily, there are lots of quality flake foods designed to support their healthy growth that you can choose from based on what they naturally eat or for providing beneficial amino acid profiles.
These foods can be combined with freeze-dried, frozen, or pelleted foods to give your fish a balanced diet. Many are made without artificial coloring that could foul up the water in an aquarium.
There are various varieties of fish flakes on the market today – some tailored for surface feeders such as hatchetfish and gouramies; while others resemble crisps more for herbivorous species. You can even find ones designed to enhance color! Fluval offers one such product made with solider fly larvae which more closely matches your fish’s natural diet; highly palatable yet cloud-free. Check out How It’s Made’s video about making fish flakes to see the process at work!
Supplements
Many tropical fish require supplements to ensure they receive all of the vitamins and minerals they require, often used with frozen, freeze dried and live foods to ensure adequate nutrition and variety. Some popular supplements are water fleas (daphnia), bloodworms/krill/clams/clammysis.
Feed your fish multiple times each day using this mixture for optimal daily nutritional requirements. However, only provide as much food as can be eaten within minutes as excessive feedings could lead to digestive issues and polluted aquarium water.
Available in 1 kg packs, this highly nutritious blend consists of shrimp by-products, fish protein, vegetable proteins, cassava root extract and mollusc extracts to meet the needs of tropical aquarium fish. Formulated as an easily digestible food, its vitamins promote optimal growth and colouration for an optimum experience for all tropical aquarium fish.
