The rule of thumb to feed all the fish can eat in five minutes twice a day is a good one, provided that all of the fish are actually getting some of the food. This isn’t a problem with schooling fish, but a territorial fish like a cichlid can monopolize a food supply. Most aquarists therefore end up feeding a cichlid aquarium more than the recommended amount, and so they must deal with the high nitrate levels, algae growth, and unwanted breeding that comes with overfed fish. This is just part of the deal when you raise cichlids. But schooling fish can be fed quite sparingly because they will feed as a school rather than competitively. The concentration of their wastes can therefore be kept to a minimum, thus giving you a healthy, easily maintained, and more enjoyable tank.

Well, thankfully, it is not hard. We have so many very high quality flake foods and freeze-dried foods that fish can be adequately nourished with very little fuss and bother. You may read articles where it is stated categorically that flake foods do not make an adequate diet for any fish, but this assertion has long been disproved by the hordes of aquarists that feed flake foods exclusively, and still maintain colorful, breeding, vibrant fishes. So why not end this article here? Well, it’s not that simple. Just because most aquarium fish will thrive on a good flake food, that doesn’t mean they all will and it certainly doesn’t mean that all flake foods are good. And of course, flake food is boring. Boring for you to feed, and probably boring for the fish to eat. Boring. This is a hobby right? It’s supposed to be fun, right? Well why not get some fun out of meal times then? So I’ll talk about live and homemade foods too.

As I mentioned before, you may eventually get bored of feeding your fish just flakes. Or the financial realities of purchasing flake foods (yes, you do pay for their convenience) may make you look for less expensive alternatives.

A less expensive alternative to flake food is homemade food. If you like to cook, this can also be fun, although to be honest I tend to think of making your own fish food as a bit of a smelly chore. Thankfully, it is easy to make and freeze enough to last you a good six months or more so you don’t need to put yourself through it very often.

Both worms are aquatic but are found in very high nutrient bottoms. They are most often found in open sewers and therefore have a correspondingly bad reputation as disease carriers. Commercially sold black worms are however byproducts of the trout hatching industry, and so they are unlikely to give you something nasty like cholera.

Black worms and tubifex worms were mentioned in the June 1998 issue of The Calquarium, where Steve Ward took a rather dim view on their use. I however have a less pessimistic opinion on them. I have in the past fed black worms to my cichlids about once every month or so, and have never seen any bacterial diseases as a result. They are also a very good food for bottom grubbing fish like Corydoras catfish and elephant noses (Gnathonemus petersi). In fact, one is hard pressed to keep elephant noses alive at all without a sand bottom and a steady supply of black worms. Cautions are in order however as black worms are very high in protein and fat, and so they cause problems if fed too often. The worms must be stored in the refrigerator with daily changes of cold water.

All the ingredients are processed to a thick paste. Then a liter of water is added and the mixture is brought to a low boil to congeal the blood. I then dissolve three large boxes (36 packets) of Knox unflavored gelatin in a liter of cool water. I mix this liquid into the food (after it’s cooled a bit) and let the mixture set overnight in the refrigerator. The next day I split the jelly into two or three-day feeding portions and freeze them separately in sandwich-sized freezer bags. I keep one freezer bag defrosted in the refrigerator at all times. My cichlids and turtles love this stuff. It sinks and doesn’t cloud the water (too much).

The next thing to know about dried foods is how much to feed. Unless you want your fish to spawn or are raising their babies, don’t feed much at all. Fish are cold blooded, and therefore do not require food energy to maintain their body temperatures. They also are neutrally buoyant and so they don’t require any energy to stand up. As a result, fish can get by on remarkably little food.

Tags: Aquariums

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