Live Fish Food
In their natural state, most fish eat live foods — small animals of various types which the fish catch among water plants or in mud on the bottom. For-tenthly most aquarium fish are omni-porous; that is, they can be educated teat almost anything. Some important exceptions will eat only live food; handsome herbivorous fish enjoy an occasional treat of live Daphnia or an earth-worm.
In this country, live foods can be difficult to obtain on a regular basis. Most are seasonal, because of fluctuating water temperatures, and it is necessary to breed some foods to ensure regular supply. Fortunately this problem has been overcome to a large extent by the development of freeze-dried foods.
Brine shrimp
Brine shrimps, or Anemia, are used in the freshwater aquarium mainly to feed fry, but are a staple food for the marine aquarist’s fish. Brine shrimps are small crustaceans, up to 6mm (1/4in) long, which develop in saltwater from tiny eggs which resist drying-out for years. They live naturally in lagoons where salinity may be very high, and are quite easy to hatch under artificial conditions. Mix 20g of sea-salt with 1 liter of ordinary tap water (lost/pint) in shallow glass dish, and sprinkle on the surface a pinch of Brine-shrimp eggs. Specially treated eggs, in which the tough shells have been removed to improve the hatching rate, are also available. Leave the dish in a warm sunny place, and the Brine shrimps will hatch within 12 to 24 hours. Newly hatched shrimps can be used to feed fish fry: pour them through fine mesh, rinse to remove the salt, and wash them into the rearing tank.
You may be able to grow the shrimps to a more useful size, although this can be difficult. They feed on algae and microorganisms which develop in strong sunlight, or can be fed with commercially available Brine-shrimp food dripped into the tank. If you wanton set up a ‘production line’ for Brine shrimp, use a series of jam jars for culture, starting one up each week, and providing constant aeration.
Cyclops is similar to Daphnia but much smaller — usually some Cyclops will be found in among a supply of Daphnia. They can be distinguished as they swim in a straight line, rather than with the jigging action of Daphnia. Cyclops are relished by most fish, but should not be fed to very young fry, which they may attack. They are seldom available from dealers.
Daphnia
Daphnia, or Water fleas, are relished by most fish. They are tiny swimming crustaceans, often colored pinkish-red, and can be found swarming in puddles and pools in warm weather. They are only about 2mm (lean) in length, so can be eaten by all but the
Smallest fish; they can be bought from most dealers. Daphnia should be fed install quantities, as they can cause intestinal disturbance in greedy eaters. If you buy a large quantity at one time, remember that they will need aeration: Daphnia’s oxygen requirements requite high. Examine Daphnia carefully in a glass container before you tip them into the tank: sometimes dangerous intruders like Damselfly or Dragonfly larvae may be found mixed in with them; these should be removed
Earthworm
Infusorians cultures can easily be pro-diced for feeding the smallest fry.Infusoria are single-celled animals which can be grown in a broth of boiled hay or of dried lettuce leaf crumbled into boiling water. Add satiny pinch of mud from a water butt oblong-standing puddle to ’seed’ the cooled broth and place the jar contain-in the culture on a warm windowsill. Within a week millions of infusorians will develop, and these can be fed to the fry with a dropper.
Earthworms are excellent for larger fish such as Cichlids. They must be washed well and cut into small pieces to avoid them escaping into the grave land polluting the water. Scald them with boiling water (which kills the worms immediately and removes slime and mucus) and then chop them up with a razor blade. Earthworms are probably the most complete and nutritious fish food of all.
Mealworms can readily be purchased from pet dealers. They are wiry brown caterpillar-like creatures, about 2cm (1/4in) long, and are eaten by strong-jawed fish like Cichlids, Pantodon,Toxotes, and of course Piranha. Meal-worms float if placed carefully on theater surface, so are useful food for surface-feeding fish like Pantodon.They survive well in the bran in which they are sold.
Mosquito larvae
Mosquito larvae are easily raised in the summer, as mosquitoes and gnats lay their eggs in any exposed water, such as a bucket or a bowl left in the garden. The larvae are comma-shaped or, depending on their stage of development, more elongated, and can be collected from the surface with a net. They are eaten greedily by most fish, and are an excellent food source.
Tubbier
Tubbier or Sludge worms are an old aquarium standby. They live in heavily polluted water, partly buried in themed. The worms are bright pink, 2-3cm (1/4-11/4in) in length, and weave constantly to and fro. Tubbier is now not so easy to find in the dealers’.
Shops, since the cleaning up of rivers have eliminated much of their natural habitat. Most fish enjoy eating them but, due to their unpleasant living habits, Tubbier can introduce disease, and need careful cleaning. Never feed them to your fish unless they are bright pink and very active.
They are purchased in a tangled mass, which can be left in a container under running water, to flush out debris and impurities. Feed in small quantities, dropping a lump of Tubifex into a floating feeder or a container with perforations through which the worms creep, to be picked out by the fish. Worms escaping to the tank bottom will mostly be found by the fish; if they become established in the gravel, Catfish, Loaches or other bottom-feeders will root them out.
White worms
White worms, or Architrave, and the related Grinder worms, are small terrestrial worms which can be purr-chased from specialist dealers. They are cultivated in trays of damp earth and leaf mould, on which are placed pieces of dampened bread. The worms are about 1cm (1/2in) long, and will be found clustered around the bread. They are relished by fish, but are very fatty and rich, and cause ill-health if used too heavily. They are given in an unordinary Tubbier feeder.