Flake Foods

Flake Staples
Because fish in nature don't often come across cans of flake food, we can't be sure it's something they'd naturally like to eat. However, even in the wild, there is no magic food that fits the needs of every fish. Through years of study, and trail and error, prepared foods now come much closer to providing the nutrients fish would find in a natural diet.

Although protein is the essential nutrient in the fish diet, like all good things too much, too little, or the wrong type of protein can pose problems. The very best protein comes from, you guessed it - other fish. Look for fish meal, shrimp, and other seafoods on the label.

An unfortunate fact of life is that the nutrients in flake food deteriorate over time. In fact they deteriorate pretty quickly, so it's best to only buy what you can use in a month or less. Select a variety of flakes, and rotate for each feeding. This gives you a higher chance of supplying the proper nutrients, without making your fish bored to tears with the same old thing. Some manufacturers are now packaging several different kinds of flakes in a single can. All you have to do is twist the top to get a different selection. It's a great way to offer your fish variety, all out of a single can. I highly recommend trying one of them.

Not Just for Vegetarians
Some fish only eat vegetable matter. For them it's critical that you provide foods such as Spirulina (algae) flakes. You'll find almost all your fish will enjoy a serving of algae. While flakes are great for top or mid level feeding fish, algae wafers and discs work best for bottom feeders such as plectos. One word of caution - it is possible to over feed on the discs. Feed only one disc at a time and observe how long it takes your fish to eat them (you can always give them additional feedings if they eat them quickly). If the disc or wafer hasn't been consumed within 24 hours, remove the remainder so it doesn't foul the tank.

Pellets and Sticks
The larger the fish the larger it's appetite - and it's mouth. Naturally they prefer something larger to eat Who wouldn't you rather eat one nice big burger instead of a bunch of dime sized ones? Floating and sinking pellets or sticks are a good choice for larger fish such as cichlids. You will find them in various sizes, designed for the size of the fish. Become familiar with what your fish eat in nature. Some large fish, such as the Silver Dollar, are vegetarians even though they look like meat lovers. Be sure to offer them some vegetable pellets.

Other Goodies
In addition to flakes and pellets, there are also freed dried goodies like krill, tubifex, and river shrimp. Although I've found that river shrimp don't appeal to a large number of fish, tubifex seems to be popular across the board. They come in cubes, which I cut in half with a clean table knife. Press each half firmly to the glass on either side of the tank. This gives smaller fish a chance to compete with the larger fish for the food. You'll get a kick out of seeing them tear into it - they almost look like a pack of wolves. A word of caution - when introducing something new like river shrimp, watch to see if it's eaten. Any uneaten food should be promptly removed from the tank, or it might foul the water.

Feed your fish a varied flake selection together with a variety of live foods, and you can't go wrong. Your fish will not only be healthy, but they will grow larger and be more colorful.