FISH FOOD

from – Saltwater Fishkeeping: A Guide for Young Adults and Teens

Some marine fishes will eat just about anything, and yet others are very picky about what they will eat. Some fishes will eat their food from the water surface, others from off the bottom, and still others eat their food while it is falling to the bottom. Some fishes prefer rather large chunky food, and others prefer quite fine (little) pieces of food. And, to further complicate feeding, some fishes will only eat live food that they chase after, others only eat only meat, others eat only vegetation, and still others eat everything in between and in combination.

Various fish foods are available. One quite practical method in keeping saltwater fishes is to only have one feeding type of fishes as the selection of fishes. For those new to marine fishkeeping, I recommend that the aquarium is stocked with fishes that readily accept flaked food. That’s not to say that we can’t give them a treat of live food from time to time, and that is something that I do. Flaked food is formulated to provide all the nutrition that our fishes need, and it’s in a form that floats, and then sinks.

See Saltwater Fishkeeping: A Guide for Young Adults and Teens for more information.

Some common flaked food preparations

(Scroll over a highlighted purple italic item, and click for a product link. The links provided below are examples typically sized for a starter 29 gallon aquarium. More links are forthcoming.)

TetraMarine Marine Flakes: Nutritionally balanced staple flake formulated for Saltwater Fishes, enhanced with vitamin C, concentrated protein, and their proprietary ProCare blend (for energy, color, and long life)

Seachem NutriDiet Marine Fish Flakes: Nutritionally balanced flake fortified with garlic, vitamin C, high in protein, a rich assortment of vitamins and minerals, and with pro-biotics (for maximum health and vitality)

API Marine Flakes: Nutritionally balanced flake formulated with daphnia for protein (essential for growth), fish oil (for enhanced tissue and cell regeneration), and spirulina (for color and beta carotene)

Aqueon Marine Flakes: Nutritionally balanced flake formulated for fish to utilize more of what they eat (creating less waste), with Chlorella algae (which provides essential vitamins, trace nutrients, minerals, and amino acid.s), and supports the immune system.

Cobalt Aquatics Premium Marine Omni Flakes: Nutritionally balanced flake formulated with squid, salmon and krill proteins, spirulina (for growth and color), triple concentration of vitamins (supports immune system), probiotics (supports digestive system).

Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flakes: Nutritionally balanced flake formulated with fresh, raw seafood (for marine protein) for fish to boost their immune system (aids in disease resistance), improve coloration and vitality, and aid disease resistance.

Some readily available ‘treats’
Ocean Nutrition Formula One Pellets: Nutritionally formulated as soft, moist sinking pellets that does not cloud water. Formula One is red and is for fish with high protein needs.

Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Pellets: Nutritionally formulated as soft, moist sinking pellets that does not cloud water. Formula Two is green and is for fish with lower protein needs.

Omega One Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp: Nutritious as live food without parasite or bacteria risk, rich in vitamins and minerals, naturally high in protein, excellent for finicky eaters.

Tetra BabyShrimp: Nutritionally complete Sun Dried Gammarus that includes the shell as a source of roughage to support digestion.