Saltwater Fish Food

Saltwater aquariums are more colorful yet difficult to maintain in comparison to freshwater fish tanks. Apart from strict monitoring of water chemistry, it requires sophisticated equipment to sustain the tank dwellers. Saltwater fish and plants are also expensive as compared to freshwater inhabitants. Besides all these, a major difficulty faced by aquarists is feeding and selecting saltwater fish food. Since most of the fish are captured from the vast seas and oceans, it is really a tough task to identify their natural diet.

Even fish suppliers have a limited information in terms of feeding correct food in right quantities to the marine tank inhabitants. Thus, majority of the aquarists wish to find out how to feed saltwater fish. If you have an idea about the right type of fish food, more than half of the effort required for feeding is accomplished. The best way is to educate yourself about food alternatives and feeding techniques, before you actually go for saltwater aquarium setup.

Saltwater Fish Information

The type and quantity of food required to maintain healthy fish depend upon the species you have opted. For example, large saltwater fish will need more food than the smaller ones. Also, the food options are often variable with larger fish.

The options of saltwater fish food depend entirely upon the natural diet for the particular fish you have purchased. At the time of buying fish, the supplier will mention their food habit, whether your fish are herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. In most cases, they are omnivores, requiring both plants and animal based food. As a responsible fish-keeper, ensure that you feed them a varied diet in adequate amounts. Discussed below are useful tips on what to and how to feed saltwater fish:

Live Fish Food
If possible, live fish food are always a healthy alternative to the frozen ones. You can purchase shrimp, earthworms, scallops, clams, bloodworm, mussels and other small fish. Wash and rinse the live fish food thoroughly before feeding them to your aquarium fish. For larger seafood, cut them in small pieces and feed.

Frozen Fish Food
Frozen fish food for saltwater fish are sold in almost all fish shops. They contain shrimp, bloodworm, etc. and are available in large flanks or small serving size cubes. Accordingly, do the needful preparation (like breaking into pieces) and feed them. You can also consider preparing homemade frozen food on your own to ensure a healthy food supply.

Feeding Quantity
The simple logic applicable to decide the feeding amount is providing food that your aquarium fish can consume within 5 minutes. Never provide excess saltwater fish food. Or else, the leftover food settles to the bottom, which over time will rot and alter the water quality of the aquarium. In short, the more you feed extra, the more time you need to invest for cleaning up the tank and changing water.

Saltwater Fish Feeding
So, how to feed saltwater fish? and how often to feed them? Provide food in the same way as you feed regular aquarium fish. Keep a note of the amount of food; if your fish eat all what you offer in less than 5 minutes, you need to feed more. As far as feeding frequency is concerned, marine reef fish hunt for food throughout the day. Hence, if you have them, try feeding several small meals a day.

Once you understood the right saltwater fish food and feeding tips, you can easily maintain attractive marine fish in your fish tank. Nowadays, automatic saltwater fish feeder with humidity protection feature is available in fish supply stores. In the feeder, you have to add food and refill it, whenever necessary. This is the ultimate solution for busy hobbyists, who want to maintain marine fish despite their hectic schedule.