Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

Feed Different Foods for Complete Fish Nutrition

Feed Different Foods for Complete Fish Nutrition

Why is a varied diet important for aquarium fish?

A varied diet is important to maintain good nutrition and the well-being of your fish. Offer supplementary foods in addition to a staple diet for better nutrition and to enrich the diet of your fish with increased tastes and textures.

Providing proper nutrition is a simple way to maintain the health of your aquarium inhabitants. The body type, its natural environment, and where the fish prefers to feed, all play an important role in selecting the type of food that best suits the needs of your particular fish.

An improper or incomplete diet can result in nutrient and vitamin deficiencies and the onset of serious conditions such as stunted or improper growth, a weakened immune system, or even death. Appropriate foods can enhance the coloration of fish and help them display at their best. Research the specific nutritional requirements of fish you own to ensure the foods you offer satisfy their needs.

Should I feed my fish frozen food?

Frozen Food

Frozen foods are available for both saltwater and freshwater carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. Frozen foods retain their nutritional value, natural taste, as well as their natural shape and appearance so they are easily recognized by aquatic life. This triggers an instinctive feeding response and fish eagerly devour frozen foods. Nutritionally complete frozen food can be used as a healthy staple diet or as a delicacy to supplement or to add variety.

Frozen foods are conveniently packaged. Flats allow the aquarist break off the serving size that is needed, and prepacked cubes simplify portion control and minimize contact by the feeder. LiveAquaria® offers both single and multi-ingredient frozen foods.

What are freeze dried fish foods?

Freeze-dried Food

Similar to frozen foods, freeze-dried foods maintain natural nutrition, texture, and shape of live food but are processed differently for convenient storage and easy feedings. Freeze-dried foods provide a great means for delivering liquid vitamin supplements by accepting drops of the liquid supplement. Some can be used as a staple diet, but most are better suited as treats. Freeze dried foods are usually a single protein source (such as bloodworm, tubifex worms, etc.).

Are pellets and flakes examples of dry fish food?

Dry Food

Yes, these popular foods are specifically created to make up the bulk of your fish's diet, often available in nutritionally complete flake or pellet formulations. Flakes soften quickly without disintegrating, making them the most popular nutritional products available. Flake foods make their way slowly from the top to the middle of the water column, then eventually to the bottom of the aquarium to address the nutritional needs and feeding level preference of most popular aquarium fish. Pellet or wafer foods are available in floating or sinking varieties.

There are LiveAquaria® premium foods formulated for both saltwater and freshwater fish that are herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores. Some dry food contains Omega-3 fatty acids, live probiotics, and 100% Antarctic Krill oil to ensure your aquatic life receive the nutrients necessary for proper health.

Dry fusion foods feed fish at all levels of the aquarium because they contain both pellets and flakes. Sinking pellets feed fish that eat at the bottom level of your aquarium, and flakes feed fish at the top and middle layers of your aquarium. Also, dry pellets can be used in automatic feeders and are cost efficient because they minimize costs while maximizing nutrition for your aquatic life.

Do fish eat liquid food?

Liquid Food

Liquid foods address the specific nutritional needs of young fish, as well as filter feeders and corals. They are usually a liquid suspension of minute food particles or plankton, small enough to be accepted by tiny hungry mouths. Because liquid foods are concentrated and easy to overfeed, offer sparingly and target feed with droppers or pipettes.

You can use LiveAquaria® branded premium foods for saltwater and freshwater aquatic life with confidence, as they are the products that we use in our own facilities to feed fish, inverts, amphibians, and corals.

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