Freshwater Fish Food

Good fish food supplies the protein, fats, vitamins and fibre that fish cannot find anywhere else in an aquarium. The shape and size of the food must suit the fish's mouth, and the recipe should match whether the species is a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore in the wild.

Flakes or granules make a staple that can be fed every day. Freeze-dried brine shrimp and bloodworms, pastes and specialist diets for cichlids, goldfish or shrimp complement them. Fry have their own finer food, and bottom dwellers get sinking tablets. Keep the tub closed and dry, because vitamins in opened food break down with air and moisture. Buy a pack you will finish within a few months.

The most common mistake is overfeeding. Uneaten food decomposes and raises ammonia and nitrate, which encourages algae and disease. If food is left on the bottom, feed less next time.