A List of Food for your precious Pet Fish

One of the most satisfying hobbies on the planet (and probably one of the most relaxing, too!) is keeping an aquarium.  The joy of looking at the crystal clear water with live fish and plants is truly inexplicable.  And with this joy comes the tank cleaning and fish feeding.  Although it is highly important to establish a good environment for your fish, it is also equally important, though, to know what to feed your fish.  You may have the most beautiful aquarium on the block but you aren't assured that your fish will last long if you aren't careful with what you feed them.

The major rule in feeding your fish is to know what type or species your fish belongs to.  Do thorough research.  If you know what type of diet your pet fish should have, then it will be easier for your to scout for the food among pet shops or in the market.  Remember the classification of animal diets (herbivore, carnivore and omnivore)?  Fish also fall under these categories.  There are fish that can only feed on algae flakes and who would shun, say, shrimp flakes.  These are the herbivores (examples are Molly, Silver Dollar, Pacu or Tropheus) that also prefer to eat vegetable pellets or flakes and spinach.  The carnivores (Archerfish, Banjo catfish, Bettas, Hachetfish, Frontosa, or Killifish) are the ones that prefer worms and small insects.  Here’s a great hint for omnivore fishes ( Armored Catfish, Blood Parrot, Discus, Convict, Goldfish, Gourami, or Guppy): although they eat almost anything on a fish diet, they do prefer live foods. 

Next to knowing what diet your fish should have, it is also important to make a balanced diet for your pet fish.  Just like humans, fish also need a variety in their diet.

Protein is the most important part in a fish’s diet.  Since this is so, it is important to remember this when looking for fish food in pet shops.  Look for those foods that have fishmeal or shrimps on their labels.  The lowest nutrient in your fish’s food should be fat.  Just like humans, too much fat could damage their livers.  Be sure to include some fibers in their diet, too.  Just a little would be sufficient.

If you are a fishbowl keeper or one of those who are contented with just small tanks, then it is a must for you to feed your pet fish with just flakes or the freeze dried bloodworms that are available at most pet shops.  The key here is to feed fish in small tanks with flaky fish foods.  Also, be sure to give them just a pinch of flakes each time.  If they are able to gobble them up immediately, then you can give another pinch, and so on.  Food that isn't consumed will go down to the bottom of the tank and will cause pollution.  Also, remember not to overfeed your pet fish. 

Flakes normally have a shelf life of just one month.  If you feed your fish the flakes that are more than a month old, they could be more susceptible to illnesses because of the loss of nutritional content.  Again, choose a variety of flakes so that your fish has a balanced diet. 

For larger fish in larger tanks, the best food would be fish pellets or floating stick food.  These pellets provide more food mass for larger fish.  If you aren't a fan of freeze-dried foods, then you can opt to have them fresh.  Worms, insect eggs, and even small insects such as ants are a good feed to some types of fish. 

Other than the usual flakes, pellets and floating stick foods, there are also other freeze-dried fish foods that can be bought at most pet shops.  Most of these foods include tubifex, krill, or river shrimp. 

Now that you know all these things, it is also important to know that fish recognize immediately who feeds them regularly.  At the sight of food (even if you have just fed them), they would leap to get a mouthful.  Again, remember not to overfeed them!  You can ‘over love’ them but never, ever overfeed!

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Owning Aquarium - Qualities of a Good Aquarium

For owning an aquarium there is no such thing as a "perfect" aquarium for your fish. Different pets have different needs, and even for animals of the same species, different breeds within the species have various physiological requirements that you'll need to cater to. Often though, adapting an aquarium to the specific needs of a type of fish is simply a matter of accessorizing once you're got the basic equipment down.

One of the first things you have to consider is the type of fish you'll be raising in the aquarium. There are subtle differences to a salt water and fresh water aquarium, so you have to buy one that's right for your fish. While fresh water aquariums are much more common and traditional, salt water aquariums are gaining in popularity due to people's wanting to raise unique brands of fish, and even go so far as to include live coral in their aquarium's decoration.

In either case, the first thing you need to do is to get an aquarium that's the right size for your fish. Ask at your local pet store when you purchase a fish what size of tank you'll need for it; take into account the number of fish you'll be placing in it, as well.

While some pet stores tend towards cramming large numbers of fish into a relatively tiny tank, keep in mind that this is because they are there for display purposes, and that those fish are meant to be sold off quickly so comfort isn't too much of a priority. For the long run however, you want enough space for your fish to swim around in without getting cramped. Also remember that some breeds of fish are aggressively territorial, so you'll either want to place these fish in their own separate tanks or buy larger tanks that will keep them from fighting.

On the average, tanks should have water capacities of 20 gallons or more. Along with water capacity, you should also keep tank shape in mind... some breeds of fish prefer wide and long but relatively shallow tanks, while others prefer deeper ones.

Aside from tank size and water capacity, another important consideration for an aquarium is the filter. The best canister filter is the heart of the tank, keeping the water clean and filled with oxygen. Wet/dry filters with pumps are the most commonly used for aquariums, and these keep the water circulating constantly. They are also very easy to maintain, and relatively cheap.

Another type of filter is the gravel filter. These are more expensive, and are harder to maintain than regular wet/dry ones, but they provide a form of biological filtration which can be quite benificient for your fish, removing harmful bacteria and even, to an extent, cleaning out small particles of algae from the water.

Third, there are fully biological filters which are composed of living and highly decorative corals and fronds grown in trays; while these are commonly used on full fish ponds, miniaturized versions are available for some larger aquariums. These biological filters are the most natural and efficient way to keep your aquarium clean and air circulating, and they do the best job on cleaning out algae.

This third type of filter system is probably the most appropriate for a salt water aquariums, as the differences between salt and fresh water isn't merely the addition of "salt" per se, but various minerals. There is also an entire ecological system involving ammonia and nitrogen that keeps salt water fish alive, and that requires biological components like marine plants to keep the cycle going. A biological filter will be able to keep the cycle within a salt water aquarium going, and will keep the fish in it alive.

Lastly, aside from the tank size and filter / system, a good aquarium will also sport a heater system to keep the water warm and comfortable for the fish. While this may not seem important, remember that some breeds of fish are sensitive to colder temperatures. Tropical fish, in particular, will need to have an aquarium with a heater, especially when taken to a colder climate. But even with non tropical fish, keeping the water in an aquarium warm prevents the fish from getting sick - yes, fish get colds too, which is why you'll actually see fish "sunning" themselves sometimes near the water's surface in ponds.