Everything You Need To Know About Feeding Your Fish

Having a pet fish at home can be beneficial in a lot of ways. From decorating their environment to looking at them, they swim around gracefully. However, a pet fish is not just about that. One of the main responsibilities, when you have a pet fish, is to make sure that you feed them properly.

So, How Do Fish Eat?

The short answer is intuitive. Fishes eat when two of their conditions are fulfilled.

They are hungry

And the food is available to them.

When they are in the wild, food might not be available regularly. This is why it is their instinct to eat everything that they can when they get food because it is possible to even go days without having the opportunity to consume anything. Hence, naturally, you have to be careful how much and when you feed them when you have a pet fish.

How to Choose the Right Food?

Several food options are available in the market when looking at fish food. This can become overwhelming and confusing for a pet owner, especially if it is their first time. The fish you might have can either be carnivores or herbivores. Various types of food are available which you can feed your fishes with.  

Dry food: Flakes are considered one of the most popular kinds of fish food. There are other kinds of dry foods for fish available as well. These include granules and pellets as well. 

However, dry fish does not have a good amount of fiber. You can also put vegetables on a dry food diet to reduce the risk of bloating in fishes. You can buy the best fish food and treats online itself. 

Frozen food: Various foods are frozen and available in the market. These frozen foods can be shrimps, bloodworms, planktons, or prawns. 

Live foods: Some fishes enjoy live foods. Live foods are generally for the larger fishes and include food items such as ghost shrimp, feeder fishes, or crickets.

Greens: As we have already established, some fishes ink to munch on plants. The options for such greens could include lettuce, cucumber, and spinach. 

As is already mentioned, the biology and physiology of these fishes will impact the kind of food they require. Some pet parents prefer to have a combination of fishes, they can also combine the various types of foods that are available.

The main question boils down to, how much should you feed your fish? 

Fishes do tend to eat everything that is provided to them. This is why it is important to make sure the portion provided is calculated. This is why it is a good idea to underfeed when you have an aquarium. It has been noted that food tends to float in water if there is a lot of it. A general quantity to be fed as much as your fish can consume in about 2-3 minutes. 

Feeding your fish once or even twice a day should be enough. This will also differ based on the kind of fish you have. There are pet parents who prefer to give their fishes a break of 1-2 days between meals so that it can also clear their digestive systems. If you notice the aquarium getting cloudy or hazy along with excessive algae growth could be signs that your fishes are being overfed. 

It is important to note down your observations regarding your fish. This can help you make more informed decisions. Food does play an important role, luckily, you can buy fish foods and treats quite conveniently online!