How to Feed Tropical Fish

How to Properly Feed Your Tropical Fish

Your tropical fish require special diet and must be fed properly. Read this four-step guide to learn how to properly feed your tropical fish.


Step 1:Do your research

Go to the local pet store and see what types of tropical fish food are available for purchase and if they are ideal for your fish species. Remember, different tropical fish have different food requirements. How to feed your tropical depends on what species of tropical fish you have; some fish require fiber from algae and plants, some fish are carnivores and require protein (food flakes/pellets or small fish), and some fish only eat living insects and worms. You can also order fish food from the web as an alternative (this is often cheaper) but make sure you do your research first to make sure you are ordering the right food! Feeding tropical fish is not difficult, but it takes some initial homework first.

Step 2: Never overfeed your fish

Place small amounts of tropical fish food into the aquarium: little meal doses are much better then one large meal. Fish will only eat until as much as their stomachs will allow, usually about 5 minutes after food is first dropped into the tank. Make sure you feed your fish just enough. Overfeeding can cause obesity in your fish (yes, even fish can get fat!) which will decrease their lifespan and likelihood of spawning. Make sure you feed your tropical fish quality food; cheap no-name tropical fish food may have questionable ingredients. Ensure your fish eats enough food. Note that some species of fish such as catfish and cylids will not stop eating. If you have one of these species, make sure you minimize the amounts of fatty foods (such as Whiteworms). An fish that is overweight may have health problems.

Step 3: Observe the fish during the feeding time

This is extremely important, you never know what problems occur when your tropical fish are feeding unless you observe what's happening. There are a variety of feeding issues you may face: fast swimming tropical fish get to the food faster then the others; young tropical fish are more picky then adult tropical fish; surface feeding fish only eat floating food while bottom feeders pick food off the bottom of the tank; new fish may be too shy to eat with the rest, while sick ones may not eat at all. It's important to observe your tropical fish at feeding time to see the dynamics of what's happening. By being aware of what's going on, you can address any feeding problems that occur. You can feed your tropical fish at different times, use different types of food for different tropical fish, segregate tropical fish with peculiar feeding habits, etc.

Step 4: Mix the food up

Tropical Fish appreciate a mixed menu. Indeed, it's always a good idea to regularly give your tropical fish different types of food; this helps ensure a balanced diet -- and a balanced diet leads to happy, baby-producing, long-living tropical fish. It also makes a difference where you feed your fish. For example, there are many
fish tank coffee tables out there where you can actually eat while watching the fish. But, in scenarios like this, some fish might not want to eat in the presence of people. So make sure you know your fish's feeding behaviour before buying fish aquarium accessories.

You want to try to, as best as you can, approximate the diet of wild fish. While this may sounds difficult, it's not. You should alternate mixed and dried food with greens and live food. To do this, always make sure you have different types of foods on hand (freeze dried, dried, live food, etc) and mix the food up when you feed them.