| Food and Feeding 
Photo By: Andy
The food available today is of a much higher quality than it was a few years ago. But this should still be supplemented with regular live food. The fish should be fed two or three time's daily, but only a small amount each time. From time to time fresh vegetables can also be used things like blanched lettuce, cooked peas, or slices of cucumber. This is especially important for fish that require a lot of vegetable matter in their diet. Feeding has a big role to play when a breeding fish. Feeding extra live food or frozen food will help to bring the fish into breeding condition. I have found one of the best conditioning foods is tubifex worms. But do not under any circumstances use live tubifex worms because these will almost certainly be carrying some disease. There is a freeze-dried version that is just as good nutritionally and is completely safe. One thing that must be taken into account when feeding food that is high in protein, more ammonia will be produced, and ultimately more nitrate. Which means extra water changes may have to be carried out Red meat should not be used because the high fat content could be damaging for most fish. A good alternative when feeding large carnivorous fish is to use small fish such as white bait or lance fish. It is important that the size of the food given is of a suitable size for the fish being fed. For example you wouldn't feed a Neon Tetra an entire earthworm, neither would an Oscar be too impressed with flake food. Before you purchase any fish make sure that you can cater for all its requirements. Back to Beginners Guide | 
