Live Fish As Food - Nutritional Value & Concerns
- Thread starter Oddball
- Start date
I recently bought a MD Red Oscar from a local store, and it's not doing a whole lot. I know they are somewhat sluggish and "lazy" I guess you could say, but he just sits at the bottom the tank in the plants. Every once in a while I will see him move about and be "social", even though it's just him and a small little platy in the tank lol. The Oscar does not bother the little guy, he seems to kind of like him, so I left them as tank mates. I've been trying to feed him, and I don't know if Oscars like flake food? or if they are picky and only eat certain kinds of food. Please help.
I have been considering putting in a pair of platies to give my zebra danios some live food. Is this a bad idea?
So... what do I take away. Feed ghost shrimp and crayfish if any live is necessary. Great write up Doc.
Ballast substances
These are effective against intestinal inertia. This frequently occurs, e.g., if discus are fed food low in ballast substances, such as scraped beef heart, for a longer time. Beisdes lacking ballast substances, that kind of nutrition is much too single-sided and does not meet the natural requirements.
Carbohydrates
Benefits: Carbohydrates are utilized by being chemically converted to sugars and then absorbed as an energy source, or being stored in the tissues for later use. Carbohydrates are important because they are essential for the conversion of amino acids and fats into various other components required for normal functioning.
Negative effects: Excessive amounts of carbohydrates in the fish's diet can cause liver degeneration and associated diet-related diseases.
Fats
Benefits: These allow fish to synthesize it with other fatty acids.
Negative effects: Do not use foods containing too much fats. Too much fats will simply accumulate and can cause organ failure in the fish's body system-a case similar to humans. Carnivorous fish will require no more than 6% crude fat content on their diet.
Fiber
Benefits: Herbivorous fish will really benefit from this as fiber is often found in plants they eat.
Negative effects: Fish cannot digest all fiber which is why no more than 10% fiber content is recommended for herbivores and no more than 4% for carnivores and omnivores.
Proteins:
Benefits: growth and development. Young fish will need more proteins compared to the adults. Herbivorous fish have a lower protein requirement compared to carnivores and omnivores.
Deficiency: stunting of fish's growth.
Negative effects: Too much proteins can cause bloat. Herbivorous fish should never be fed with food containing too much proteins as they do not require too much proteins. No more than 30% crude protein content shall be provided to herbivores whereas carnivores will really require at least 45% or more. This will be explained further below.
Minerals
Minerals are important for the fish to maintain a healthy body system. Flake foods often have very adequate mineral content and have a much longer shelf life compared to vitamins.
Below are the following minerals with information provided.
Calcium
Benefits: Fish need calcium like we do. This is important for strong bone structure thus preventing bone defects.
Deficiency: Deformed bones are often a result from lack of calcium.
Copper
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts
Iodine
Benefits: Iodine is also very important preventing goiter in fish.
Deficiency: This is a very common mineral deficiency in fish. A fish lacking in iodine can suffer goiter, an inflammation in the thyroid glands.
Treatment: Iodine can be found iodized table salt. The use of table salt, however, is widely debated although most fishkeepers have used it with absolutely no problems.
Iron
Deficiency: Reduced growth and poor food conversion, anemia
Negative effects: Too much iron can damage or even kill the fish.
Magnesium
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts, bone deformation, degeneration of muscles, behavioural changes
Manganese
Deficiency: Reduced growth, dwarfism, abnormal tail growth, cataracts
Phosphorus
Benefits: Prevention and recovery of fish from Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)
Deficiency: Lack of phosphorus can cause HLLE
Treatment: Foods available for the fish should contain large quantities of calcium, phosphorus and other trace elements. Fish often rely on foods rather than the water for proper growth and development. Plants are said to contain phosphorus so they can be beneficial in almost every tank.
Selenium
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts, muscular dystrophy
Zinc
Deficiency: Reduced growth, high mortality, dwarfism, fin/skin erosion
These are effective against intestinal inertia. This frequently occurs, e.g., if discus are fed food low in ballast substances, such as scraped beef heart, for a longer time. Beisdes lacking ballast substances, that kind of nutrition is much too single-sided and does not meet the natural requirements.
Carbohydrates
Benefits: Carbohydrates are utilized by being chemically converted to sugars and then absorbed as an energy source, or being stored in the tissues for later use. Carbohydrates are important because they are essential for the conversion of amino acids and fats into various other components required for normal functioning.
Negative effects: Excessive amounts of carbohydrates in the fish's diet can cause liver degeneration and associated diet-related diseases.
Fats
Benefits: These allow fish to synthesize it with other fatty acids.
Negative effects: Do not use foods containing too much fats. Too much fats will simply accumulate and can cause organ failure in the fish's body system-a case similar to humans. Carnivorous fish will require no more than 6% crude fat content on their diet.
Fiber
Benefits: Herbivorous fish will really benefit from this as fiber is often found in plants they eat.
Negative effects: Fish cannot digest all fiber which is why no more than 10% fiber content is recommended for herbivores and no more than 4% for carnivores and omnivores.
Proteins:
Benefits: growth and development. Young fish will need more proteins compared to the adults. Herbivorous fish have a lower protein requirement compared to carnivores and omnivores.
Deficiency: stunting of fish's growth.
Negative effects: Too much proteins can cause bloat. Herbivorous fish should never be fed with food containing too much proteins as they do not require too much proteins. No more than 30% crude protein content shall be provided to herbivores whereas carnivores will really require at least 45% or more. This will be explained further below.
Minerals
Minerals are important for the fish to maintain a healthy body system. Flake foods often have very adequate mineral content and have a much longer shelf life compared to vitamins.
Below are the following minerals with information provided.
Calcium
Benefits: Fish need calcium like we do. This is important for strong bone structure thus preventing bone defects.
Deficiency: Deformed bones are often a result from lack of calcium.
Copper
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts
Iodine
Benefits: Iodine is also very important preventing goiter in fish.
Deficiency: This is a very common mineral deficiency in fish. A fish lacking in iodine can suffer goiter, an inflammation in the thyroid glands.
Treatment: Iodine can be found iodized table salt. The use of table salt, however, is widely debated although most fishkeepers have used it with absolutely no problems.
Iron
Deficiency: Reduced growth and poor food conversion, anemia
Negative effects: Too much iron can damage or even kill the fish.
Magnesium
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts, bone deformation, degeneration of muscles, behavioural changes
Manganese
Deficiency: Reduced growth, dwarfism, abnormal tail growth, cataracts
Phosphorus
Benefits: Prevention and recovery of fish from Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)
Deficiency: Lack of phosphorus can cause HLLE
Treatment: Foods available for the fish should contain large quantities of calcium, phosphorus and other trace elements. Fish often rely on foods rather than the water for proper growth and development. Plants are said to contain phosphorus so they can be beneficial in almost every tank.
Selenium
Deficiency: Reduced growth, cataracts, muscular dystrophy
Zinc
Deficiency: Reduced growth, high mortality, dwarfism, fin/skin erosion
I read in your post that freshwater feeders do not supply enough nutrients to saltwater fish. I was wondering if the same holds true for feeding freshwater fish, and if they require as much nutrients as saltwater fish do.
