The Pond
So You Want Pet Fish - Feeding Your Fish
Feeding Your Fish
There are a number of fish foods available in flake or pellet form which provide a perfectly balanced diet with all the nutrients your fish require to stay healthy. Frozen food is nutritious and provides essential variety in your fish's diet.
Flaked food is suitable for all kinds of fish, although there are many types of specialist foods appropriate for fish that feed in different ways:
• Surface feeders will readily take flakes and floating pellets.
• Mid water feeders like granular or slow sinking foods.
• Bottom feeders should be offered quick sinking foods or tablets.
Feed your fish once a day, offering just enough food so that it is eaten within 2 minutes. Start with a small amount and adjust accordingly. Over-feeding will pollute the water, so ensure any excess food is removed from the tank after feeding. Maintaining a healthy aquarium
Maintaining the water quality is the most important factor in keeping fish healthy. Regular water changes are vital for keeping your fish healthy. New fish are more susceptible to disease, due to the stress of being moved. New fish should therefore be observed very carefully for several days after they are introduced. It is vital for your fish that you maintain a healthy aquatic environment and although many water problems are not visible to the naked eye, the effects on your fish often are. If you observe any changes in behaviour or unusual spots or markings on your fish, they may have contracted an illness and will require treatment to recover. Treatment may range from a substantial water change to a chemical treatment, but many diseases, if addressed early, are curable.
As a general guideline, you could start with a 20-30% water change once a week. Some people prefer to do a larger change less frequently, such as 40-50% every two weeks. This is dependant on many things not least the size of your tank and the amount of fish in it. It is important that when you wash your filter media that you do not use tap water but the water takem out of the tank during the change. Changing filter media media ids agin dependant on the size of your tank and the fish stock in it, usually recommendations wiil be included in the filter instructions.
Please note that this article is my own personal opinion and meant to help assist your decisions, others may not agree with me. Remember whatever you buy always read the label.
Please also see other aquarium related article on this site.
