Salty Pets

Feeding Your Aquarium Fish

December 23, 2011
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Almost often, freshwater aquarium fish owners who are still beginners commit the mistake of overfeeding their pets. With the worry that their fish might go hungry or thinking that their fish is hungry, they feed them more than what is only required. Overfeeding can cause a lot of fish tank problems. Primarily, it can clog the filter and then the uneaten food will cause changes in the water’s chemistry as they decay or break down. It can also induce cloudy water which is kind of a hassle to solve.

Fishes can be timeserving; they jump on the opportunity of food being readily available. It is a natural instinct for them to eat even if they are not hungry. By nature, if the source of food is abundant then they will surely eat whatever they can, whenever they can. It does not mean that they constantly need rich sources of food because in the wild, they survive despite not having eaten for a couple of days.

It is rare that a fish dies because of slight starvation. Like other animals, fishes can be trained to be familiar with their source of food, this includes who gives the food to them especially when they are kept in tanks. When you see them following your direction, it does not automatically mean that they are hungry and begging for food. Again, it is just an instinct for them.

It is better to underfeed than overfeed. An ideal amount of food to give is equal to that which they can completely consume in three to five minutes. You can always follow this up throughout the day anyway. Again, if you overfeed, the excess uneaten food will eventually contribute to an intolerable toxicity in the tank which can be harmful to your freshwater aquarium fish.

The number of times a fish needs to eat in a day varies from type to type.

Some fishes like the carnivores and omnivores can do well with one full feeding a day while herbivores, with their simple stomachs, need to be fed several times a day in smaller quantities. Their are some fish varieties that prefer to eat just before the lights are put off and some even eat only when the lights are off; these are most common with nocturnal fishes.

There are a lot of fish food, canned or packed, available in fish stores or pet stores. You can also purchase live food or meat for your carnivores and omnivores or you can even breed your own live food. The important thing here is that you vary what they eat in order to keep a balanced diet. You also need to familiarize yourself with nutritional information for freshwater aquarium fish. This way, you will ensure that your fish will have a prolonged lifespan and that they are healthy.

Janis Evangelio

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