Fish Food

I recently added my first fish to my newly-cylced aquarium (went the non-fish method, but happy about that decision now)- 6 Zebra Danios. I have flake food and know that I should only feed what they will eat in a few minutes. However, I heard that I should be starting to vary their diet with vegetables, daphnia etc. Anyone have any specific items they feed the tank, any cheaper ideas than going to the pet store and how often these should be given?

Thanks, Lorcan

Hey Lorcan. Zebra Danios were the first fish I ever got. Love them - they're so much fun to watch and full of energy rushing around the length of the tank. I haven't had them in years though, which is kind of a shame. Most of the good brands of foods are well rounded and will provide all the nutrition that the fish need. With 6 you almost certainly have at least one female in the group, when she scatters her eggs they'll gobble them up too. That doesn't mean you can't try giving them a veggie or live food treat, but they won't be missing out on anything if you don't.

What else are you planning to stock your tank with by the way?

Hey Lorcan,
U can feed them anything rly, Danio's are omnivores... I feed my fish pears, apples, banana's, garlic, pea's, courgette, cucumber, Spinach, and all kinds of frozen foods, Prawn, cod, bloodworm mysis ect...

I usually mix variations of these in a blender and freeze it. u can then break it up into bit size pieces for ur fish.

But as John said Ur danio's will be fine on flake.. n u wudnt be saving much money. I make my own food cus i got lots of big hungry fish n its sooooo expensive to get food.

Hi Loran

The best variety apart from normal flakes/pellets in one pack I can think of is frozen Tropical Quintet which contains bloodworms, mysis, daphnia and artemia brine shrimp. Just one of these cubes thawed out in a cup of aquarium water once a week to feed about a dozen average sized fish will suffice to supplement their diet. Tubifex worms are also a nice treat once a week also.

You will be getting other types of fish I'm sure.

I've just started up a wormery recently so I'll be nicking a few out of that once they start multiplying. Looking forward to that:cheer:

What type of worms are you using, I started one using bought "tiger" worms only to find out after "preparing" them, a process I would not be keen to repeat, that the fish didn't eat them. I read later that the tiger worms are bitter and you are better off working with garden worms.

I would love to find a reliable supplier of "black worms" here, they are very popular with catfish keepers in the US and contribute greatly to getting some difficult to spawn fish into action, but to my knowledge they are not available here and are only available for research purposes in the UK with a ridiculously high price attached.

Daragh

Thanks a million for all that information. All I have now is TetraMin flake, but I'll grab some live treats every now and then. If I drop a piece of fruit/veg in as Alex mentions, do they just eat it off the rind as is? I also read somewhere else that many fish love nothing better than mosquito larvae. Anyone know if these are sold in most pet stores and are they small enough for Danios to eat them? Having just come back from South East Asia where I was tormented by bites, I love the thought of my fish eating those buggers.
As for what fish to go for next, I'm not really sure, haven't got any set stock in mind. I love the idea of an algae-eater- it gives the tank a further element of self-sustainability. So, I reckon a Pleco? Would that be one of the better algae-eaters? Apart from that I'm very undecided. So many fish I love the look of, it's hard to decide.
I suppose that brings me onto another question. How often should I stock the tank with another fish? I know I should do it slowly to allow the biological filter to adjust, but how slowly is slow? Would it be too soon to introduce another fish a week after the 6 Danios went in? Also, I have been reading up about Quarantine Tanks. I don't have one. Are they really essential?
Sorry for all the questions, but there is a lot of information to take in at the start.
Thanks,
Lorcan.

ahem.

Gav’s Great Fish food Recipe for discus and community:
The Recipe

1 lb (454g) fresh beef heart
54g bloodworms

1 lb (454g) Frozen Green Peas

2 tsp Pure Spirulina Powder -

Unflavoured Gelatin Powder -
5ml (one capful) Liquid Multivitamins
Real garlic.blended.
10mls fresh orange juice
• Blend beefheart in blender with blood worms. Scoop out put to one side and keep refridgerated
• Thaw Peas, and Broccoli so they are just slightly frozen.
• Use a Blender or food processor to grind up the above. My blender is a bit small for all of this, so I did it in two batches and poured the results into a large bowl. You might find your blender has trouble with the solid nature of the ingredients; if you do, just add a little water to the blender and it will help. (Don't go overboard, but enough to get things blending is fine). The final consistancy should be a fine paste. Tiny lumps are ok.
• With the mix in a bowl, add the Spirulina Powder and the Liquid Vitamins. Stir the heck out of it with a big spoon. The final result will be a dark green liquidy paste.
• Now it's time to mix the Gelatin. The directions on the box are mostly fine; with Knox I did exactly this: Poured 1 cup of water in a pot, turned on the oven to low heat. Boiled water in a kettle. While water is heating up, add 5 packets of gelatin to the water in the pot and stir it up. When water is boiling, add 1 cup of boiling water to the pot, and stir. Keep the pot on LOW heat. (It doesn't need to be much). Note that the amount of water suggested for 5 packets on the box is MORE than what is specified here; it is intentional.
• Add the contents of the bowl slowly to the pot, stirring constantly. You want the gelatin mix (which at this point is probably the consistancy of water or maybe slightly thicker). I added a big spoonful of the green mix to the pot at a time, and stirred. Eventually you'll get the whole thing in there and your pot will be filled with a seemingly liquidy green nastiness.
• When done, pour the mix into a big wide-flat tupperware container. Anything that will give you a thickness of say, 1-2 cm. Put it in the fridge for several hours.
• After several hours, it will have the consistancy of Jelly. At this time, you can cut it up into convenient sizes, throw into ziplock bags, and freeze it until ready to use. I recommend using a very sharp knife to cut out a grid of 1cm squares.

For shop use will use ice cube trays. These will then be sold in zip lock bags.

Daragh_Owens wrote:

What type of worms are you using, I started one using bought "tiger" worms only to find out after "preparing" them, a process I would not be keen to repeat, that the fish didn't eat them. I read later that the tiger worms are bitter and you are better off working with garden worms.

I would love to find a reliable supplier of "black worms" here, they are very popular with catfish keepers in the US and contribute greatly to getting some difficult to spawn fish into action, but to my knowledge they are not available here and are only available for research purposes in the UK with a ridiculously high price attached.

Daragh

Hi Daragh

Yes I'm using the tiger worms which are also known as red worms, brandling worms along with some Latin name.

I only got the wormery yesterday so I will only try them with the fish after a few weeks or so to give them a chance to settle down. I was reading Valerie's piece earlier in the articles section and she says that fish just have to get used to them. Also if your wormery becomes too acidic(which is not ideal for long periods) there is a good chance you will get white worms which your fish will almost surely accept.

I did a bit of research on black worm cultures and the general consensus is they are just not worth the hassle. They seem to be high maintenance and the dead ones give off a putrid smell. I'll just play this by ear for the time being. I'll keep you posted of any developments.

Dave

I did not have patience for the fish to get to like them, it is disgusting preparing them, so it was a good excuse not to bother when the fish turned they noses up.

I wouldn't be interesting in culturing black worms, but if there was a regular supply available you can keep them several days in a fridge with the right containers. I tried to buy some from US last year but the seller would not post as they were alive


Daragh