FOODS AND NUTRITION

Fishes need proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in their diet to keep them in good health and colour and to keep them growing. Some fishes in the wild are predominantly herbivores, as the silver dollars (Myloplus species), which need lettuce or spinach added to their diet in the aquarium, while others are pre-dominantly carnivores, for example the Pike Top Minnow (Belonesox belizanus), which eat other fishes, dragonfly larvae, tadpoles and worms. There are other fishes, however, which are less demanding and will eat all live foods and a wide variety of dried foods and chopped liver. To ensure that the fish gets the essential amino acids (the basic structure of proteins) it needs and sufficient vitamins and minerals, as wide a range of foodstuffs as possible should be offered. This also helps to reduce the monotony of a one-food diet since fishes, like humans, do seem to become bored with the same food every day. Occasionally fishes which have been fed predominantly on one type of food almost seem to get addicted to this one type and will eat no other. This should be prevented by offering a wide range of food-stuffs, since the food for which the fishes have an addiction may at some time or other be difficult to obtain. fishes bigger than themselves, but Hydra are only dangerous to newly hatched fry and soon die out in a tank if Daphnia are not fed; hungry fishes will also eat Hydra. Careful examination will prevent dragonfly larvae and leeches from being put into the tank with Daphnia. It is also possible that some freshwater Crustacea are capable of being infected by fungi such as Ichthyosporidium and infection can be transmitted to fishes when the Crustacea are eaten.

Female Daphnia with young in pouch

LIVE FOODS
Pond life The first group are natural foods found in freshwater ponds: the Freshwater Shrimp (Gammarus pulex) and the water louse (Asellus), which can only be taken by the larger fishes; the water fleas, the most common of which are Daphnia and Cyclops; and the larvae of various insects. Mosquito and midge larvae particularly are excellent foods. These live foods contain proteins, fats, oils, minerals and vitamins and are foods which many fishes eat in their natural habitat. It is also food which has to be chased and caught by the fish and is, therefore, probably enjoyed all the more. These foods have also to be caught by the aquarist. Equipped with a large fine-mesh net with a long handle, he must go and find out what his local ponds yield. Usually such foods as Cyclops can only be caught in large numbers in the spring and summer months, but these foods are very good for fishes. The first good feed of Daphnia in spring seems to be their signal that winter has ended and the breeding season has come round again. There is, however, one drawback to these foods: Hydra, leeches, or the larvae of carnivorous insects can be introduced into the fish tank with the Daphnia if one is not careful. Dragon fly larvae, for example, will eat Tubifex worms (Family Tubificidae) These are red worms which live in mud at the edges of rivers and ponds, the tail of the worm only sticking out of the mud. They are a good food but as many of them come from sewage-contaminated water there is a danger of their introducing bacteria, fungal and virus infection into the tank, so it is better to buy them already cleaned from pet stores. Even so they are best put in a large bowl or bucket and kept under a slow-running tap for twentyfour hours before being fed to fishes.

Earthworms (Lumbricus) These are a very good food and the smaller red worms are best. These can be fed whole to large fishes or chopped or shredded into pieces of appropriate size for smaller ones. The only disadvantages for the aquarist are that he has to dig up his own earthworms and chopping them up can be a very messy business. Whiteworms (Enchytraeus albidus) These are much smaller relatives of the earthworm and can be cultivated by the aquarist so that he has a year-round supply. They are good sources of protein and fat but are, perhaps, short in some vitamins as there have been reports of fishes which have been fed exclusively on Whiteworms for many months ceasing to grow and being in poor condition. A wooden box about 12x6x3 in (30x15x7.5 cm) is required; it should not be too well made, so that excess water can drain out through the joints if necessary. This should be filled with a compost formed by a mixture of fifty per cent peat and fifty per cent leafmould (obtainable from garden shops) and watered until it looks and feels moist. The Whiteworm culture (from other aquarists or pet shops) can then be added and finally a shallow depression about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter is made on the surface of the compost in which to put the food for the worms. Any cereal food made for babies mixed into a sloppy mixture with water is good for feeding White-worms. The box should be covered with a glass and kept in a dark place, at about 55F (13C), which is the ideal temperature. The worms come to the surface to feed and may be collected with tweezers. Once a month empty out the whole box on to a sheet of paper and break up and mix all the compost together before it is put back into the box. This aerates the compost and greatly aids the multiplication of the worms.

VEGETABLE FOODS
Some fishes must have plant food in their diet and many like this occasionally. Large fishes like Metynnis species will eat shredded lettuce, others like the mollies (Mollienesia species) will eat spinach (use frozen shredded spinach). Even characins seem to enjoy a cooked pea squashed into their tank water.

FOODS FOR FRY

An emulsion of egg yolk is very good as the first food for the small fry of egg-layers. Hard boil an egg and put a piece about in (6 mm) in diameter into a jam jar full of water, rubbing the yolk between finger and thumb to get it into the water as a fine suspension. Add this to the water in small amounts about three times a day. The fry eat the egg yolk particles and the egg encourages the growth of infusoria (protozoa) in the water on which the fish will also feed. These protozoa, the most common of which is Paramecium, are present in small numbers in all tanks and multiply rapidly when fed in this way. Commercial first foods for fry are also very successful. These consist of emulsions of various proteins with added preservative and produce a cloud of fine particles when added to water. When the fry get larger they can be fed newly hatched Brine Shrimp (Artemia salina). Brine Shrimp eggs are sold by all pet shops and can be hatched out within forty-eight hours by incubating at 80F (27C) in a salt solution (two level teaspoons per pint of water or use sea water if you can get it). One system which works very well is to have two shallow trays 12x6x3 in (30x15x7.5 cm). Filter off the shrimps through a fine cloth and rinse them into the tank. Micro-worms (Anguilluda silusia) are another good and useful food. Obtain an initial culture from the pet shop or a fellow aquarist. Make a culture medium by mixing up baby Cereal food with water to form a stiff mixture and put this into a plastic box about 3x3 in (7.5 x 7.5 cm) to a depth of in (1 cm) and add the culture. It is a good idea to place a small piece of polystyrene about 1 in (2.5 cm) square by in (6 mm) deep on the surface of the culture medium before covering with a lid. After about four days of growth at a temperature of 70-80F (21-27C) the worms, which are only 1/8 in (3 mm) long, swarm up the sides of the box and on to the polystyrene and can be taken off with a small moist brush. The culture goes sour after about seven days and should be replaced by inoculating some new medium from the old culture. As the fry grow larger they can be given sifted Daphnia and Cyclops, and chopped Whiteworm and Tubifex.

DRIED FOODS
These are available from all pet shops and many of them are specially formulated and contain Vitamin supplements. It is best to try out a few different sorts until finding the one which suits your own fishes best. Only feed as much dried food at a time as the fishes eat within five minutes, for uneaten food will decompose and pollute the tank. Freeze-dried Tubifex is also available.

LIVER
This is a very good, cheap, basic food. Boil ox liver for five minutes and then put it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for twenty-four hours. It can then be minced or shredded into smaller pieces with a small kitchen mincer or blender and kept in jars in the freezer for future use. It will keep for up to three months.