General Guidelines for Choosing Fish Foods

We don't want to leave you hanging on that bit of bad news, so we'll give you some general guidelines and suggestions for choosing fish foods based on our experience. In the long run, if you don't make the best choice, it won't make that much difference. Most foods, that are made with quality ingredients and are fresh, will do a good job on most fish. With our foods, the ingredients are fantastic and they don't come any fresher - we guarantee it.

Nutritional Guidelines for Fish
In general, young growing fish need more protein. Carnivorous fish also evolved needing more protein. Your first challenge is to find out how much animal protein is in their natural diet. Many would not think of a guppy as carnivorous, but it is, So are discus and angelfish. Their prey is simply small enough to fit in their mouths.

Some fish have long digestive tracts. These are fish likely needing more plant material in their diet. Without it, fish food can compact in the digestive tract and eventually cause infections leading to death. You're not likely to find much information on digestive tract length, so you'll have to see if you can find out what they eat in nature.

Most fish do best with a more moderate level of protein and plants in their diet. Remember, it's an average, not what has to be fed at every meal. For instance, you can feed a 70% protein plankton at one feeding and a 30% protein pellet at another. It's just that some fish will do better with a higher percentage of either low-protein or hi-protein meals.

Young, Growing Carnivorous Fish
These are the ones requiring the highest amount of protein. Our high protein flake and fry starters are good examples of fish foods that meet this criteria. Any of the high protein freeze dried fish foods are a great addition. Protein is used to build cells, something growing fish are doing a lot of. Excess protein is simply eliminated from the body in the form of ammonia, so it does no good to overfeed protein.

Adult Breeding Fish
The females are using a lot of energy to produce eggs, requiring larger than normal amounts of fats and protein. One problem can be males that are overeating on a diet more suitable for an egg-laying female. It's best for them to be kept active with dither fish or close-by neighbor fish to keep them occupied. Most of our flake foods fall into this category. They are formulated with breeding fish in mind. Typical pet shop fare is too low in fat to be a great food for breeders.

Vegetarian Fish
Surprising few fish fall into this category. Even bristlenose do not survive best on just plant material. They need a fair amount of protein - especially when growing. You just have to be careful not to overdo it with these fish. Some plant material in their diet is essential. They not only need less protein, but the fiber in the plant material is essential to keeping their digestive tract moving properly.

How Many Different Foods to Feed
Variety will generally make up for our lack of scientific study in this area. We feel it's best to feed at least 4-5 different foods. Rotating foods every few days will keep your fish more adaptable to eating a new food. We can't give you specific fish food recommendations for your fish - it's simply too subjective to say one is better than another.  After time, you may come to prefer some foods over others, based on your own experiences.

Hope This Helps

Thanks For Your Interest

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