Tropical fish thrive on a range of foods, from fruits and vegetables to cooked and raw meats. Many can be safely added to a tank; however, certain items may cause cloudiness in the water.
Boiling peas is an ideal food source for most fish species; simply be sure to remove their outer shells before dropping them in your aquarium.
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Vegetables
Many tropical fishes enjoy supplementing their regular diet with vegetables and fruit as an additional source of nutrition, though this should not become their sole source. If food runs low, vegetables and fruit can serve as a quick fix when other sources become depleted.
Fish can benefit from receiving a diet rich in boiled peas and leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach. Some keepers also enjoy feeding their fish hard-boiled egg yolk treats as treats; these are safe for fish and invertebrates alike but excess yolk can pollute the aquarium water if consumed excessively.
Try feeding your tropical fish some of the many types of frozen foods available for tropical fish. Frozen shrimps, krill and silversides make great options to provide variety in their diets. Or consider feeding your plecostomus or mbuna (rock-dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi) some large frozen foods designed to sink quickly to the aquarium bottom; these contain both meat and vegetable matter for complete nourishment.
Fruits
Your pet fish has many choices when it comes to nutrition. Flakes made specifically for your species of fish can be easily used – simply sprinkle over the water surface, and they’ll quickly disappear into its ecosystem. Frozen foods that dissolve quickly in water may also work; such as peas (boil them and remove shells first if feeding to small fish), spirulina, dried seaweed or daphnia powder or simply cooked rice are some suggestions.
Some tropical fish species eat fruits and vegetables in the wild, so adding them to their diet shouldn’t cause any disruptions if they’re used to eating this way. When adding these items into their diet it should feel natural for them, perhaps more so than eating fish food itself! But be careful not to overfeed your fish since leftover food may pollute the tank and increase ammonia levels significantly, as well as potentially lead to constipation for certain species.
Meat
Apart from traditional fish food, there are commercially prepared foods designed to enhance your fish’s colors while adding fiber or protein. These often come in the form of flakes or pellets and come in formulations tailored towards herbivores, carnivores, omnivores or specific fish like goldfish or cichlids. In addition there are frozen mysis shrimp, krill silversides or fillets designed either float or sink and some even contain added vitamins!
Your fish may also benefit from eating various cooked meats and vegetables, including ham, boiled eggs or chopped up zucchini. Omnivorous fish generally enjoy these foods more than processed fish food products. Other possible replacements for this meal could be romaine lettuce, earthworms or stale bread crumbs; or freeze-dried foods such as brine shrimp, blackworms, daphnia and tubifex worms can also provide a supplement – though you shouldn’t replace their regular food altogether.
Frozen Foods
Frozen foods offer an occasional supplement to the regular diet of tropical fish. Herbivorous cichlids and goldfish may benefit from being fed Sushi Nori – paper-thin Japanese seaweed sold at Asian grocery stores – while plecos may need blanched curly lettuce or zucchini as they feed grazing species like plecos. Boiled peas may be given occasionally as treats; however they must not be offered too often since too often may lead to bloating in certain species.
Frozen bloodworms make an excellent treat for all kinds of fish and come in both jumbo and jumbo plus sizes to suit most species’ needs. Furthermore, some fry and pond fish food brands sell specially-formulated frozen foods meant to mimic what your fish would encounter naturally in its environment, including flakes tailored specifically for certain fish species or staple foods like flakes designed to serve as staple meals, or pellets designed specifically to sink.
