Feeding Tropical Fish
One of the most important aspects of maintaining an aquarium is
feeding the fish. They are dependant on your proper care. Most fish
eat flake foods, but refer to the Fish Facts tab to get information on specific
species and their diets. For example, African cichlids eat mainly algae
based foods, like spirulina, and they don't require high protein insect based
flakes. Feed your fish at least twice a day and try to
make sure they finish eating in a couple of minutes. Don't feed all the
food at once - spread out the length of the feeding period. Make sure each
fish is finding some of the food, including the bottom dwellers. There are
two basic situations to watch for:
-
Feeding too much. When fish are no longer hungry, they
will ignore further feedings and the food will settle at the bottom and
begin to pollute the tank. As long as they are eating all the food, you can increase
the number of feedings, but clouded water is a sure sign you have fed them too much
and its time for a water change - read the Water
Quality section again.
-
Feeding too little. This situation is easy to
recognize in the early stages. Your middle & lower level swimmers
and your shy fish will come to the top and compete for food - a sure sign
that they are starving, because they don't want to be there. Increase
the length of time for each feeding or the number of feedings.
Fish can go without food for days at a time, so you can leave
them without food on a short vacation. For longer absences you can buy
foods that will release in the water for periods of up to a week. If you
are having trouble with an ammonia spike, it's a good idea to reduce or stop
feeding your fish.
For information about feeding fry, click the next button
