Tropical Fish Food

Description: Tropical fish are very popular as aquarium fish.



They include fish which are found in tropical environments across the world, and generally have bright and unusual coloring.

Caring for fish: If you decide to keep tropical fish at home in an aquarium, you must be prepared to look after them well. This would include among other things giving them proper space and proper tropical fish food.





Diet: Food for tropical fish can be fresh or dried or frozen. You can grow some fresh food or you can buy commercial packets of fish food from the pet stores. Whatever food you do give them, it is necessary to ensure a balanced tropical fish diet so that they get all the essential nutrients.



As with humans, fish also need proper balance of proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. This will help your tropical fish to thrive, and not just to survive.

Besides this, when buying tropical fish food, also keep in mind that each species has its own specific food requirement. For example, the requirements of a Goldfish or a Koi will be different from that of a Catfish or Pleco.

Live food: Many tropical fish owners like to raise some live food, by cultivating vinegar eels, micro-worms, brine shrimp, fruit flies or Daphnia. Since some fish species are herbivores, you can also make tropical fish food from plants and algae. While it is not possible to make all tropical fish food at home, you can use these as supplements and treats in addition to the regular commercial foods.

Dried or frozen foods: Food for tropical fish is available in the market in many forms such as flakes, pellets, tablets, granules, wafers or sticks. Depending on the particular species they are made for, they float or sink in the water. These foods are baked and dried, and hence have a longer shelf life.

There are many types of frozen or freeze-dried foods also available for your tropical fish. These include mosquito larvae, tubifex worms, earthworms, blood worms, water fleas and micro-worms.

Wide variety: As with humans, fish also thrive on varied diet, which gives them all the necessary nutrients. Even predatory species of tropical fish eat certain plants, plankton or algae. This will be difficult to obtain in unplanted aquariums, which are vigorously scrubbed clean. You may also have to change the diet as they grow older since growing fish and breeding fish may have completely different requirements.  

Feeding schedule:  Take care not to over-feed, since this can cause obesity, and make them too lethargic to spawn. Feeding them once a day, is usually enough.