One of the first questions people ask aquarium fish sellers is how to feed them properly? You may think this is a simple question, but it is far from it. Of course, if you don’t want to bother yourself, you can just throw a few flakes into the aquarium, but if you want your fish to be healthy, play with all the colors of the rainbow and make you happy, then we will tell you how to feed your aquarium fish correctly.

How much to feed the fish?

I would say that the majority of aquarists feed their fish correctly, but too often we see how over-feeding turns the jar into a stinking swamp or the fish become so fat that they forget how to swim.

And it's easy to understand why this happens. There is no set standard and feeding fish can be a challenging task for a beginner. The fact is that we interact with fish most of all during feeding. And I really want to feed them a little more.

And the novice aquarist feeds the fish, every time he sees them lonelyly asking for food at the front glass. And most fish will ask for food even when they are about to burst (this especially applies to cichlids), and it is not easy to understand when enough is enough.

And yet - how often and how many times should you feed your aquarium fish? Fish need to be fed 1-2 times a day (for adult fish, fry and adolescents need to be fed much more often), and with the amount of food that they eat in 2-3 minutes. Ideally, no food gets to the bottom (but don’t forget to feed the catfish separately). Let's agree right away that we are not talking about herbivores - for example, ancistrus or brocade catfish. These feed almost around the clock, scraping off algae. And don’t worry, you don’t have to carefully monitor whether they are full every time, just take a closer look a couple of times a week.

Why is it so important not to overfeed fish? The fact is that overfeeding negatively affects the condition of the aquarium. The food falls to the bottom, gets into the ground, rots and begins to spoil the water, while serving as a nutritional basis for harmful algae.
At the same time, nitrates and ammonia accumulate in the water, which poison fish and plants.
Dirty, algae-covered aquariums with sick fish are often the result of overfeeding and dirty water.

Aquarist secrets: how often to feed your fish

The first, and perhaps the main question that novice aquarists ask is how and what to feed the fish. At the initial stage, this issue raises great doubts. You can watch the fish cheerfully swim around the feeder collecting food as much as you like, so beginners can overfeed their pets by throwing them handfuls of food all day long. But do not forget that aquarium inhabitants can also overeat, which will have a bad effect on health and water.

At the beginning of the conversation, it may seem that this question is easy and unambiguous, but in fact, everything is much more complicated. If you want to become a real aquarist, and not a would-be owner who throws cereal to his pets once a day, then you will have to carefully study the issue of feeding aquarium inhabitants and find your own individual approach to them. Proper feeding is the key to healthy fish that behave actively and beautifully shimmer with the best colors.

How many times should you feed your fish?

Practice shows that most fish lovers choose the right feeding tactics. But sometimes you have to deal with advanced cases when the owners get carried away and overfeed the fish so much that they suffer from excess weight and are physically unable to swim. At the same time, excess food begins to rot, forming a real green swamp with all the ensuing consequences. And this is not surprising. After all, there is no one universal algorithm for feeding all types of fish, so the question of how, what and how much to feed the fish becomes critical.

The novice aquarist is misled by the fish themselves. They begin to swim at the feeder and look forlornly out the front window, as if begging for a little more food. However, it is worth realizing that most fish will continue to beg for food even in moments of overeating, such is their nature. This is especially true for cyclides.

The first and basic rule is to limit feeding to 1-2 times a day. This rule applies to adult fish. Fry and juveniles are fed much more often. The ideal portion is the one eaten in the first 3-4 minutes. The norm is observed if no food has time to touch the bottom. The exception is catfish and fish that feed from the bottom. It is better to use special food for them. Of course, it won’t be possible to prevent catfish and other herbivores from eating plants and algae, but this is a natural process that will not make them worse. If you are afraid that the fish are not getting enough food, then monitor their condition for a week.

It is very important to observe portions and not overfeed your pets. A properly maintained aquarium has its own microclimate, so excess food can cause imbalance. Remains of food fall to the bottom and start a rotting process, which spoils the aqua and causes the formation of harmful algae. In addition, ammonia and nitrate levels in the water increase, which have a detrimental effect on all residents.

If you periodically suffer from dirty water, algae and fish disease, think about how often you feed your fish and how much food you give them.

Main types of feed

If everything became clear with frequency, then what to give them was not entirely clear. Aquarists use four types of food:

1. Live food;
2. Branded;
3. Vegetable;
4. Frozen.

It is ideal if you combine all types of feed. In this case, your fish will be healthy and will give you aesthetic pleasure with the play of its colors. It is possible that the fish will eat only plant foods or only protein foods; it all depends on the breed of aquarium inhabitants. In nature, some people choose a vegetarian lifestyle, while others don’t mind feasting on their own kind. But if you are sorting most of the fish, then it is better to use a mix of several feeds. As the main food, you can use purchased branded food, regularly delight the fish with live food and sometimes give plant food.

If you decide to follow this scheme, then pay great attention to the choice of branded food. It is better to give preference to well-known brands that have been on the market for many years and have been tested by experienced aquarists. This food is suitable for almost all fish. It is balanced and contains essential vitamins and microelements. You can find it at any pet store. Do not confuse branded food with dry food. Food consisting of dried daphnia, cyclops or gammarus is not the best food for the daily diet of your fish. It is not advisable to feed such food, because it is deficient in nutrients, is poorly digestible and, among other things, is an allergen for humans.

Feeding with live food is the most preferable option. The fish need to be given it regularly as additional feeding every other day. Just like humans, aquarium inhabitants love a variety of foods, so try to alternate foods whenever possible. The most common are tubifex, bloodworm and coretra. The only, but very significant, disadvantage is that this type of food is most often obtained in the natural environment, which means there is a possibility of introducing infection into your body of water. The best thing to do before feeding your fish is to freeze it. This method kills a number of harmful bacteria.

A distinguishing alternative to live food is frozen. Agree, not everyone can handle living worms in the refrigerator. For these, there is an alternative option - frozen worms. They are easy to dose, have a long shelf life, and contain a full range of vitamins. If you carefully study pet stores, you can find mixed species, where all three popular types of worms will be in one pack.

Plant foods are an integral part of the life of fish in the natural environment. For most fish, you will have to try and prepare green food. Of course, it’s stupid to feed predators grass, but the rest will happily feast on greens suitable for them. It is difficult to give general recommendations here, since different fish prefer different foods. There are several plant-based food options:

• Pills;
• Flakes;
• Branded;
• Natural.

Natural ones include cucumber, zucchini or cabbage. This feeding will allow you to enjoy your clean aquarium with healthy and beautiful fish. With proper feeding, the lifespan of the fish increases.

How and how much to feed the fish

Feeding your fish in a variety of ways is the key to success

How many times and how often should you feed the fish?

Based on the fact that fish feeding should be balanced and varied, we can derive an approximate component of the amount of food required for the fish.
If we talk about one-time feeding, then any food (dry or live) should be eaten by the fish within 3-5 minutes. After this time, there should be no food in the aquarium, and even more so it should not lie on the bottom for hours.
You can feed the fish 1-2 times a day. I personally feed once because I believe that underfeeding is better than overfeeding. Feeding should preferably be done either in the morning, after 15 minutes. after turning on the aquarium lighting and in the evening 3-4 hours before bedtime. If there are “night inhabitants” in the aquarium, as a rule these are bottom-dwelling catfish (sacbranchs, agamixes, etc.), then food is thrown for them “at dusk,” i.e. when the lights are turned off and all the “daytime” fish have already gone to bed.
How much to feed the fish per week? Here, too, everything is conditional and individual. I offer an example of my feeding scheme:
Monday – dry food 1, once a day;
Tuesday – dry food 2, once a day;
Medium – live food, either bloodworms or brine shrimp;
Thursday - dry food 1, twice a day;
Friday – dry food 2, twice a day;
Saturday - live food + duckweed;
Sunday is a fasting day;
As you can see, fish feeding is quite varied. Firstly, various mixtures of dry food are used, secondly, dry food is alternated with live food, and plant food is also given once a week.
And be sure to have a fasting day once a week, i.e. when the fish are not fed at all. Such a day must be arranged; it is harmless and even very beneficial for the health of the fish and the aquarium as a whole.
I hope the article was useful to you! Of course, you can’t cover all the issues at once in one article, so we will be glad to chat with you on the forums

Chips, flakes, granules or tablets - choose dry food for fish

Dry food for aquarium fish is a substitute for live and plant food if you do not have the time and ability to prepare food. Modern dry food comes in various forms, and each of them is suitable for a specific type of fish. Dry food for aquarium fish is sold in the following forms: in the form of tablets, flakes, chips, sticks, granules, microfood, liquid food. What is the best food to choose to keep your fish fed and healthy?

Nutrition in the form of tablets

Tablets and tablet forms are food that gradually sinks in water and falls to the bottom. It is better to give them to bottom fish that live in the lower layers of water and other hydrobionts (shrimp, snails). When the tablets fall into the aquarium water, they do not remain on the surface, but immediately go to the bottom, so other fish will not take it away. Consequently, bottom-dwelling pets will not remain hungry.

Tablet types of food are a large and dense substance, which is why the fish is not able to swallow such food completely. She will have to bite off bit by bit, or grind off. The tablets consist of natural ingredients and vitamin complexes. If you are leaving home for several days, a few large tablets will form the main diet for your fish. The food will stick to the wall of the aquarium, the fish will gather around it, and will bite off a piece as often as they need.

It is generally accepted that dry foods spoil aquarium water, and this opinion also applies to tablets. The only disadvantage of such food is that fish that swim in the upper layers of water will not be able to feast on it. If you have a species aquarium with exclusively bottom-dwelling fish, then such feeding will always come in handy. Another point is that the tablets seep heavily into the coarse soil, so it will be impossible to get it out even with a siphon.

See how to feed aquarium catfish with food in tablet form.

Food in the form of flakes and chips

Feeding in the form of sticks, granules and microfeed

What do betta aquarium fish eat?

One of the pressing questions for aquarists who are planning to buy a pet Betta splendens is what to feed their betta fish. Many beginners don’t know what food is right for them or what the portions should be. Malnutrition is not as bad for a fish as overeating. Bettas in the wild are omnivorous fish that prefer to catch insects from the surface of the water, eat benthos and small crustaceans. They are not averse to nibbling on aquatic plants such as Java moss. Traditionally, they are fed flakes and granules produced by feed manufacturers. But is this feeding correct? This needs to be sorted out.

1. How much food should I give my betta?

Give your betta as much food as he can eat in 2 minutes. Place 4-6 grains of food on the surface of the water and see how quickly he handles them. If the fish does not take this food, or starts spitting it out, this is not a good sign. Either the food was not suitable, or the fish was not used to it, or got sick. If she doesn't eat the food, it will sink to the bottom of the tank where it will begin to decompose, releasing ammonia. This substance will cause the fish to feel worse and create an extremely unhealthy biological environment. If the aquarium is not cleaned in a timely manner or the water is replaced incorrectly, it will be difficult to maintain the health of the pet.

Also, if your betta goes beyond eating within 2 minutes, he will become accustomed to this type of feeding. It turns out that the fish will begin to overeat. Having examined the abdomen and noticed a significant bulge on it (in the area of ​​the ventral fins), you know that the fish is overweight.

1. How often should I feed my Betta fish?

Young males purchased in stores should be fed in small portions 1-2 times a day. Aquarium fish do not need to be fed often; it is better to feed them a little and add food if they ask for it. During the spawning period, fish are fed 2 times a day, fry betta bettas are also fed 2 times a day.

For these fish, it is useful to arrange fasting days, skipping meals. The digestive system will take a “break” to recover, allowing the body to get rid of accumulated toxins. It's good to skip one day of eating. You can choose Sunday, when many will be at home, minding their own business. On weekdays, feeding should be resumed.

What to feed your cockerel?

Despite the fact that betta bettas are omnivorous creatures, they lead a predatory lifestyle. Remember their nickname "Siamese fighting fish"? They will attack, bite, and eat other fish that are a potential threat to them. This means that protein foods are an advantage for them.

Look at feeding your betta Grindal worms.

Food that should be in the diet of a fighting cockerel alternately:

1. Fish flakes - you can give your betta not very often, they are inexpensive. If the cockerel refuses it, continue to give him bloodworms.
2. Betta pellets are specially formulated food for Betta splendens. They are sold in pet stores and are almost daily food for bettas. But some pellets are too large for small fish, they sink too quickly, and are perceived as waste.
3. Dry food - most pet stores have them, these can be processed bloodworms and brine shrimp. Cockerels appreciate this food!

1. Frozen products - if you have the opportunity to catch or buy live bloodworms, brine shrimp, or tubifex from a supplier in small quantities, you can freeze them yourself in the freezer. This is not such an expensive pleasure, and, what is important, they really love “freezing”. It is important not to defrost and refreeze the food, otherwise it will lose its quality and will be unusable.
2. Live food - as mentioned earlier, if you have the opportunity to buy or catch live bloodworms or brine shrimp, then they are suitable as food. But there is a note about such feeding: bloodworms can introduce infection into the aquarium directly from the reservoir. If you have a question about why the fish got sick, maybe the reason is contaminated food? Don't take risks with this, better freeze the worms.

Look how the cockerel fish eats boiled cabbage.

Summarizing the above, feeding the betta fish is possible with the following feed:

Frozen foods should not be given at the same time as dry foods, and all types of food should be combined. Dry food in large portions can cause digestive problems, which can lead to more serious health problems.

Fish, like cats, dogs and other pets, need a varied and sufficient diet. When getting aquatic inhabitants, it’s a good idea to ask how many times you need to feed the fish in the aquarium, what time is best to do this and what portions to pour the food into.

How many times a day should you feed your fish?

Feeding can be once, but it is preferable to feed them twice. In this case, morning feeding should be carried out at least 15 minutes after switching on, and evening feeding - 2-3 hours before bedtime. For nocturnal inhabitants (catfish, agamyx, etc.), feeding is carried out at dusk, when the lights are off and the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium are sleeping.

The duration of each feeding should not exceed 3-5 minutes. This is more than enough for the fish to eat, but not overeat, and the food does not sink to the bottom. In general, the rule that works with fish is that it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.

The daily feed intake is calculated as approximately 5% of the fish’s weight. If, after saturation, the food continues to float and settle to the bottom of the aquarium, it must be caught with a net to prevent it from rotting.

Once a week you can arrange a fasting day for the fish. Obesity in fish leads to their death much more often than malnutrition. Therefore, you should never give fish food in excess of the norm. In addition, hunger has a positive effect on sexual activity and the recovery abilities of fish.

When and how to feed the fish?

It is enough to feed the fish once a day.

Give no more food than the fish eat in 3 to 5 minutes.

Distribute the food evenly over the surface of the water.

Once a week, do not feed the fish at all. An active search for food on this fasting day will help the fish get rid of accumulated toxins. However, this should not apply to the fry - they must be fed daily, preferably even several times a day.

For feeding, use a specially designated spoon, preferably a plastic one. In this case, the portions of food will always be the same, and its quality and aroma will not change.

A variety of feeding will allow your fish to feel the real taste of life!

We recommend feeding your fish different types of food from small jars. Monotonous feeding over a long period from one large jar can lead to loss of activity, deterioration of color, and even the occurrence of diseases. Air and light come into contact with the food every time you open the jar. Vitamins and unstable nutrients are destroyed. This is why you should avoid food packaged in transparent plastic bags!

If you give too mucha lot of food?

If the food remains uneaten at the bottom of the aquarium, it means that there was excess feeding!

Remove uneaten food from the aquarium using a soil siphon.

If possible, introduce fish that feed on the bottom, such as armored catfish, into the aquarium. However, it should be remembered that this is a necessary measure. After all, catfish are not “scavengers” and, like other fish, need proper nutrition.

How to identify a leader in an aquarium

By observing the fish while feeding, you will quickly determine who is “in charge” in the aquarium. The leader fish always eats first. As a rule, this is the brightest and most active fish.

Feeding the fish while on vacation

Familiar

Are your friends ready to look after your fish during your absence? Wonderful! However, those who do not have sufficient experience in caring for an aquarium run the risk of overfeeding the fish. Therefore, you should prepare portions of food for each day of your absence, placing them in different containers or containers with the date for which they are intended indicated on them. We also recommend that you attach a sign to the aquarium glass with the address and telephone number of your specialized store. These tips will help you not to worry about the health of your fish and avoid overfeeding them during your absence.

Automatic feeder

The automatic feeder will reliably feed your fish from 1 to 6 times a day, depending on the selected mode. This is especially important for fry, who need to be fed in small portions several times a day. We recommend that you install the automatic feeder a week before your departure. This way you can check its operation and determine the optimal volume of a single portion of food.

Weekend feed

If you are going to leave for several days, but do not trust feeding your fish to inexperienced people and do not want to use an automatic feeder, we recommend “weekend food”. The constituent components of these food tablets are released gradually, so that the fish can bite off pieces layer by layer.

Sometimes the fish lose their appetite

This phenomenon occurs rarely, but it cannot be ignored. Loss of appetite is quite often an early symptom of various diseases, especially if the fish becomes overly shy and tries to hide or stands apathetically at the bottom of the aquarium. In the Sera guide “Caring for the health of aquarium fish” you can find detailed information about the possible causes and treatment of diseases with such symptoms.

If you need to remove air from the food before feeding the fish and you do not want to knead it, we recommend using a syringe for this ( without a needle!). Syringes with a volume of 50 ml are well suited for this purpose.

1. Remove the plunger from the syringe and pour food into the syringe.

2. Then pour water into the syringe in an amount of about a third of its volume.

3. The food floats on the surface because it contains air.

4. Now carefully insert the plunger back into the syringe so that it is securely held in the syringe! Holding the syringe with the nose facing up, push the air out with the piston.

5. Then close the spout and pull the plunger towards you.

6. The vacuum created in the syringe removes air from the food. The food sinks to the bottom. Give it to the fish right away.

In order to understand how many times a day you need to feed aquarium fish, you should understand the peculiarities of their nutrition in their natural habitat. All types of fish borrowed their taste preferences and diet from their natural ancestors. What do all fish usually eat?

Fish feeding methods

1. Herbivores - these fish have a long digestive system, which indicates the habit of eating small meals frequently. In their natural environment, they eat algae, plants, fruits and seeds.
2. Carnivores have large stomachs, so they eat a lot, but not as often as herbivores. In nature, these fish eat dead animals, small fish, insects, invertebrates, birds, and amphibians.
3. Omnivores - these fish eat several times a day; they prefer both plant and protein foods.

See how to prepare plant food for aquarium fish.

According to the diet and diet, you need to give your aquarium fish the food that suits them. Typically, pet fish are fed live, frozen, dry, plant food, which is sold in stores. It is important that the diet is varied and rich in healthy vitamins and microelements.

Live food should be given to carnivorous and omnivorous fish. These are bloodworms, tubifex, daphnia, coretra, ciliates, rotifers, gammarus. They need to be stored in the freezer as they spoil quickly. Fish fry need to be raised on live food; due to protein, they become resistant to diseases. Also, as live food, fish are served veal heart, minced fish, minced chicken and liver, invertebrate meat, and chicken eggs. Plant food is necessary for herbivorous and omnivorous fish - these can be vegetables, fruits, algae, plants, cereals.

Once a week, the fish are given a fasting day, or mini-hunger strike. This cleanses the intestines, eliminates the consequences of overeating, and helps to improve the health of sick fish. In their natural environment, fish can live for a long time without food, so a one-day hunger strike will not harm them.

About the feeding regime in captivity

You need to feed the fish so that they do not overeat and are full of food. The diet directly depends on the age of the pet and the characteristics of its digestive system. Adults usually eat 2 times a day, which is enough for them. Fry 1-2 months old should eat 4 times a day. And fry up to one month old need food every 3-6 hours. During the spawning period, it is correct to give the fish less food, sometimes without feeding for the first few days after breeding. Two weeks before spawning, on the contrary, it is correct for producers to give more live food.

No matter how many fish you keep, you need to feed them all at the same time. Start in the morning, an hour after turning on the lights. The last feeding should occur 2 hours before turning off the lights. The question for beginner aquarists is: how much food should I give, and how often? Give enough food so that they can eat it in 5 minutes. Do not feed frequently, but rather in small portions so that they swallow them completely. Uneaten remains can be removed using a net to avoid rotting.

The grains of food depend on the age and size of the fish. Juveniles should eat food that is no larger than the size of their eye. It is recommended to grind dry food in the form of granules, flakes and tablets into dust. Adult fish like to capture larger particles of food; they do not eat dust. To ensure that all residents of your home pond are satisfied with feeding, install special feeders for dry and live food in the tank. The food does not spill out of them, and pets can eat it calmly.

See how to properly feed aquarium fish with dry food.

How to feed fish

There are general feeding rules for all fish that must be followed at all times:

• Correctly feed the fish with the food that is suitable for them, take into account the physiological characteristics of all species living in a common aquarium.
• Do not overfeed your pets - give food not too often, in small portions.
• The best diet for aquarium fish is a varied diet.
• No matter how much food you put in the tank, remove any leftovers after eating.
• The number of meals should correspond to the size and age of the fish.
• Do not feed your fish immediately after turning on the light, or before going to bed.
• The diet of aquarium fish should contain natural food, and not just artificial, purchased food.

What should fish get from the food they receive?

How many times a week should a fish eat, and what portion of nutrients does it need to get from food? It all depends on individual calculations. Carnivorous and omnivorous fish can feed according to the following pattern:

• The first day of the week - dry food of the first type (chips or granules) once a day.
• The second is dry food of the second type, 1 time per day.
• The third is live food (for example, brine shrimp or bloodworms), once a day.
• The fourth is dry food of the first type, 2 times a day.
• Fifth - dry or vegetable food, 2 times a day.
• The sixth is live food (tubifex, daphnia) and plant food.
• The seventh is a fasting diet.

Feeding in an aquarium can be arranged differently, and you can make your own scheme. Be sure to alternate dry, live and plant foods. If the fish is a herbivore, it should only eat plant and dry food (spirulina tablets). Do not forget about the vitamins that your pet must receive to live a full life. If you buy food from well-known brands, look at the composition; it indicates all the microelements and vitamins that the fish will receive after eating.

1. Vitamin A is needed for cell division, particularly in fry and young animals. A lack of this component can cause growth retardation, curvature of the spine and deformation of the fins, and constant stress.
2. Vitamin E - plays an important role in the development of the reproductive system.
3. Vitamin D3 – necessary for the development and growth of the skeletal system.
4. B vitamins (thiamine - B1, riboflavin - B2, cyanocobalamin - B12) are needed to normalize metabolic processes in the body.
5. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is involved in the formation of the skeletal system and teeth, strengthens the immune system, and improves metabolism.
6. Vitamin H (biotin) – required for proper cell formation.
7. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, required for protein synthesis and ensures blood clotting.
8. Vitamin M (B9, folic acid) – develops the immune system and circulatory system. Improves the color of scales.
9. Vitamin B4 (choline) – required for fish growth, synthesizes the amount of sugar in the blood.

What and how often to feed aquarium fish?

In their natural environment, fish spend a lot of time searching for food. Predators hunt small relatives, medium-sized omnivores feast on insect larvae, algae and the eggs of other fish. No matter what a fish eats, in its native element it will always find suitable food to survive and give birth to offspring.

A completely different matter is fish kept in captivity. Here they can only rely on people for food. In aquarium conditions, fish are entirely dependent on humans - on the responsibility and observation of their owner.

So what to feed aquarium fish? In fact, it is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. The only obvious thing is that the food should be varied and balanced. It is best to alternate several types of food. If you buy ready-made dry mixtures in the form of “chips,” granules or tablets, this is an excellent and healthy treat for your fish.

Manufacturers of such dry mixtures take into account all the characteristics of the fish’s body, and such ready-made food always contains the required amount of proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins necessary for the full functioning of aquarium inhabitants. But don’t neglect natural food - give bloodworms, daphnia, cyclops, cabbage, crustaceans, etc.

Of course, each family of fish needs to select individual nutrition. Make sure the feed size is not too large. If the fish cannot swallow the flakes, it will remain hungry. Some species of fish live directly at the water surface, so their food should remain near the surface. If the fish spends most of its time in the lower layers of the aquarium, it needs food in tablets that quickly sink to the bottom.

No less important is the question of how many times to feed aquarium fish.

Fry need a lot of energy and strength to grow. Therefore, they need to be fed at least three to four times a day. Adult fish are usually fed in the morning and evening, but for some large breeds of predators, once is enough. Once a week you can (and even need) have a fasting day.

Remember that a round tummy is characteristic only of young animals, and in adults it is a sign of overeating.

As for the serving size, try to give exactly as much as the fish can eat in 15 minutes. Leftover food should not settle and clog the water in the aquarium, so it is better to remove it and not leave it overnight.

How many times should I feed the fish in the aquarium?

Fish, like cats, dogs and other pets, need a varied and sufficient diet. When getting aquatic inhabitants, it’s a good idea to ask how many times you need to feed the fish in the aquarium, what time is best to do this and what portions to pour the food into.

How many times a day should you feed your fish?

Feeding can be once, but it is preferable to feed them twice. In this case, morning feeding should be carried out at least 15 minutes after turning on the lights, and evening feeding – 2-3 hours before bedtime. For nocturnal inhabitants (catfish, agamyx, etc.), feeding is carried out at dusk, when the lights are off and the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium are sleeping.

The duration of each feeding should not exceed 3-5 minutes. This is more than enough for the fish to eat, but not overeat, and the food does not sink to the bottom. In general, the rule that works with fish is that it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.

The daily feed intake is calculated as approximately 5% of the fish’s weight. If, after saturation, the food continues to float and settle to the bottom of the aquarium, it must be caught with a net to prevent it from rotting.

Once a week you can arrange a fasting day for the fish. Obesity in fish leads to their death much more often than malnutrition. Therefore, you should never give fish food in excess of the norm. In addition, hunger has a positive effect on sexual activity and the recovery abilities of fish.

How many times a week should I feed the fish in the aquarium?

As already mentioned, food for fish should be varied. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to know how many times to feed aquarium fish with live food. An approximate weekly diet for aquarium fish may look like this:

• Monday – dry food;
• Tuesday – dry food;
• medium – live food, bloodworms, brine shrimp;
• Thursday – dry food;
• Friday – dry food;
• Saturday – live food + duckweed;
• Sunday is a fast day.

How to feed aquarium fish?

Proper and rational nutrition of fish is the key to health and longevity not only of adults, but also of future offspring. Let's talk a little about nutrition, volumes and feeding regimens. What food is better to use, can you give your pets homemade food or is it better to buy it?

It's no secret that nutrition is one of the most important components of life. Its quality, quantity and composition determine how long and happy the life of a particular organism will be. These arguments are also valid for aquarium fish. If you do not want your small waterfowl pets to be stunted and constantly sick, you need to feed them the right food that is suitable for them in composition. Also, do not forget about the balance of proteins, micro- and macroelements, fats and carbohydrates.

Natural nutrition

Which food is better?

Hunger for the benefit of the body

Feeding mode

Feeding rules

Much has already been said regarding feeding rules. However, it is worth combining them into one section for the convenience of readers.

Basic feeding rules:

• feed suitable food for this type of fish;
• do not overfeed;
• provide a variety of foods;
• remove leftover food with a net;
• the number of feedings should be commensurate with age;
• do not feed before bedtime;
• The presence of natural food in the diet is mandatory.

When bringing any living creature into your home, it is important to always remember that this is not only joy, but also a great responsibility. Without proper care, any living creature will not live long. Fish are no exception. Therefore, while watching your diet, do not forget about your little friends. And then they will delight you with their beauty and playful attitude for a very long time.

Video from professional aquarists about proper feeding of fish:

Proper and rational nutrition of fish is the key to health and longevity not only of adults, but also of future offspring. Let's talk a little about nutrition, volumes and feeding regimens. What food is better to use, can you give your pets homemade food or is it better to buy it?

It's no secret that nutrition is one of the most important components of life. Its quality, quantity and composition determine how long and happy the life of a particular organism will be. These arguments are also valid for aquarium fish. If you do not want your small waterfowl pets to be stunted and constantly sick, you need to feed them the right food that is suitable for them in composition. Also, do not forget about the balance of proteins, micro- and macroelements, fats and carbohydrates.

Natural nutrition

In order to understand how to feed aquarium fish, you need to find out what they eat in their natural habitat. As a rule, these are completely different products for different types of fish.

So what do fish eat? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Herbivores have a long digestive tract, which indicates the need for frequent feeding in small portions. The diet of such fish in their natural environment usually consists of a variety of algae, plant particles, fruits and seeds.

Carnivorous species They, in turn, have a pronounced large stomach, which means they must take large amounts of food a small number of times. Under natural conditions, they usually feed on live or dead small animals, insects, birds, invertebrates, and amphibians.

Omnivores. Even based on their name, it becomes clear that such species prefer any acceptable food.

Which food is better?

Each species requires different food, so it is impossible to so unambiguously formulate a diet for all aquarium inhabitants at once. Only a specialist can help you with this. Of course, you can use homemade food in the diet of waterfowl, but you will not always be able to take into account the entire spectrum of necessary macro- and microelements. And preparing the feed itself requires a lot of time and taking into account all the technological nuances.

As a rule, fish kept in aquariums are fed mainly with dry food and insects and protozoa sold in pet stores. It is advisable to add to this a small percentage of natural products allowed for this type, for example, fruits.

It is also very important that the diet be varied, this is the only way the fish will be able to absorb everything they need and delight you with their beauty and long life.

Necessary for carnivorous and omnivorous fish, especially during the spawning period. This includes, for example, bloodworms, tubifex, daphnia, and ciliates. Store this food in the refrigerator or freezer. But the main thing is not to store it for too long. Everything has its time.

Fry raised on live food are more active in behavior and are more resistant to diseases.

In order to provide their pets with fresh live food, some aquarists resort to their own cultivation.

At home you can grow:

• nematodes

As live food, you can use egg yolk, minced fish, squid, and shrimp. And from plant foods, seaweed, vegetables, fruits, and cereals are perfect.

Hunger for the benefit of the body

About once a week, fish need to go on a preventive hunger strike. This will help cleanse their intestines. There is especially no need to overload sick animals with food, as this will slow down the healing process. It’s better to keep them for 2 days without food, don’t worry, they won’t die from hunger. In natural habitats, they are capable of not eating for a very long time.

Feeding mode

The feeding regimen, as a rule, directly depends on the age of the fish. For adults, 2 meals a day is enough. This completely covers their needs. At the same time, fry from 1 to 2 months are fed 4 times a day. Up to 1 month - every 3-4 hours, grown juveniles - every 6 hours.

During spawning, the breeding fish have their food cut off, not feeding for the first couple of days, and then giving them significantly less food than usual.

The first feeding should occur approximately an hour after turning on the light, the last - 2-3 hours before turning off the light.

Feeding time should be no more than 5 minutes. This interval is quite enough for the fish to eat. After this, it is imperative to remove the remains, otherwise they will begin to rot and ruin the entire internal environment of the aquarium.

It is very important to remember that the size of food particles is also different for different age groups.

For very young fish, it should not exceed the size of an eye, otherwise the fry simply will not be able to eat it and will constantly remain hungry. Therefore, large dry food must be ground into fine dust with your fingers. You can buy ready-made crushed food for fry.

At the same time, adults are not at all enthusiastic about eating crumbs, so they need more substantial pieces.

You can ensure that all the inhabitants of the aquarium are happy by resorting to the help of special feeders (for live and dry food). Such feeders are attached to the aquarium and food is poured directly there. This way the food does not spread over the entire surface of the aquarium, and the fish can eat it safely.

Feeding rules

Much has already been said regarding feeding rules. However, it is worth combining them into one section for the convenience of readers.

Basic feeding rules:

• feed suitable food for this type of fish;
• do not overfeed;
• provide a variety of foods;
• remove leftover food with a net;
• the number of feedings should be commensurate with age;
• do not feed before bedtime;
• The presence of natural food in the diet is mandatory.

When bringing any living creature into your home, it is important to always remember that this is not only joy, but also a great responsibility. Without proper care, any living creature will not live long. Fish are no exception. Therefore, while watching your diet, do not forget about your little friends. And then they will delight you with their beauty and playful attitude for a very long time.

Video from professional aquarists about proper feeding of fish: