It’s possible to think that feeding your fish the fish flakes from the pet store is enough. It will get your fish through the day, but think about it this way: how would you like to eat porridge for every meal, every day, for the rest of your life? Sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it?
Different things are good for you, but how do you make sure your fish gets all the nutrients it needs? Of course, you need to do your research for your specific type of fish. But we have a few pointers to help you understand what fish can eat.
As a fish owner, feeding time is one of my favorite parts of having an aquarium. It’s fun to watch the fish eagerly swarm the surface when I sprinkle in their fish food flakes. But I used to wonder – what exactly are those fish flakes made of? It seemed like some magic combination of ingredients that fish love. Well, I did some research into how fish food flakes are produced and what goes into them.
In this article, I’ll break down the typical ingredients in fish food flakes, how the flakes are made, and some tips for choosing a high-quality flake food. Let’s dive in!
The Main Ingredients
Fish food flakes are made from a combination of protein sources, vitamins, and binding ingredients to hold the flakes together. Here are some of the most common ingredients:
Fish Meal
Fish meal provides protein and essential fatty acids It’s made by cooking, pressing, drying and grinding up small fish that are not used for human consumption Herring, anchovy, and menhaden are examples of small fish used in fish meal.
Shrimp Meal
Another good protein source, shrimp meal gives an orange color to flakes. It’s made from dried and ground shrimp parts and shells.
Soybean Meal
Soybean meal adds more protein to the flakes. It also helps bind the mixture together before flaking.
Wheat Flour
Wheat flour aids with binding and helps form the thin crispy texture of flakes.
Spirulina
This blue-green algae is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and protein. It provides a nutritional boost to the flakes.
Vitamin C
Added vitamin C helps fish absorb nutrients and acts as an immune system booster.
Astaxanthin
This carotenoid pigment gives flakes their reddish-orange color It also promotes healthy growth and boosts the immune system
Fish Oil
Fish oil provides omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA. These healthy fats support bone and fin development.
As you can see, high-quality fish food flakes contain a balance of proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, pigments and binders. Next, let’s look at how all these ingredients are made into flakes.
The Flaking Process
Fish food flakes are manufactured through an extrusion process. Here are the basic steps:
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Mixing – The ingredients are combined and mixed with water into a dough or mash.
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Heating – The mash is cooked while being pushed through an extruder machine.
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Extruding – As it’s heated and pushed through small holes in the extruder, the mash expands and is shaped into long, spaghetti-like strands or strips.
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Drying – The extruded strands are dried on trays to reduce the moisture content.
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Flaking – Once dried, the strips are passed through rollers to flatten them into thin sheets. The sheets are broken into small flakes.
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Screening – The flakes are sorted by size, often into small, medium and large.
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Packaging – Finally, the sorted flakes are packaged into bags or containers for sale.
And that’s how those tiny fish food flakes are made! Now let’s go over how to select a high-quality flake food.
Choosing a Good Fish Food Flake
With all the options on the market, choosing a flake food can be tricky. Here are some tips:
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Whole ingredients – Look for flakes made with whole fish and seafood ingredients rather than meals. This indicates higher quality.
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Variety – Choose a brand that uses 2-3 different protein sources, like whole herring, shrimp, spirulina, etc. Variety provides balanced nutrition.
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Sinking formula – Sinking flakes are less messy and allow bottom-feeding fish to eat. Floating flakes work for surface feeders.
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Minimal fillers – Avoid flakes with lots of “meals” and wheat fillers. Focus on whole proteins.
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Natural pigments – Opt for astaxanthin over artificial colors for a healthier choice.
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Vitamin C – Check that vitamin C is included to boost nutrition absorption.
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Omega-3s – Look for fish oil or omega-3s in the ingredients list.
By reading labels and comparing options, you can pick out a high-quality flake food packed with natural nutrients.
Now you know exactly what goes into those colorful flakes your fish gobble up at feeding time. It’s a carefully crafted mixture of proteins, fats, vitamins and binders that provides complete daily nutrition. With so many ingredient options today, you can find a fish food flake that matches your fish species’ needs. Next time you feed your fish, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for how their favorite food is made.
Meat Eaters vs. Vegetarians
Like people, some fish eat meat, others don’t. But this isn’t a lifestyle choice. Fish are either omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores. So make sure you know what your fish is, and feed it accordingly.
Never, ever feed your carnivorous fish a diet only consisting of beef. Some people do, but it’s not recommended because fish have a hard time digesting beef. Instead, give the cat the steak so she won’t try to eat the fish when you’re not with her. For your fish, give it small treats like worms and flies, which you can get at any pet store.
Nobody wants to see an obese fish lazing about on a plastic castle in the fish tank. It’s not right! To keep this from happening, don’t feed your fish too much or give them treats that are high in fat. Excessive fat can damage the liver and even eventually kill them, not to mention give them a complex. That being said, only buy the best flakes that list the amount of fat on the side, along with the other ingredients.
Which brings us to the backbone of a fishs diet: high quality flaked fish food. What is this fish food made of that makes it dense? It depends on the brand you buy, but most flaked foods have fish meal, squid meal, shrimp meal, earthworms, spirulina, vitamins, and minerals in them. This provides your fish with all the nutrients he needs but can’t get in captivity.
What else can fish eat beyond the flakes? There are many different options from frozen to live food. These are all made especially for your fishy friends and are also species-specific. In fact, these foods are close to what they’d chow down on in the rivers and seas.
Of course, don’t forget to defrost frozen food. You wouldn’t want dinner that’s still frozen, would you? Unless it was ice cream, of course…
Here’s a quick description of the options available.
- Dry food. It comes in flakes, pellets, and sticks. These can be kept for a long time, but to keep the vitamin and mineral quality high, buy them in small amounts only when you need them. Flakes and pellets often don’t have enough fiber, which can make fish constipated, which can lead to swim bladder problems and bloating. Make sure the dry food you choose has a lot of fiber, or add vegetables to it.
- Freeze dried. Blood worms, krill, and other creepy things are all tasty food for fish that eat meat.
- Frozen. Just cut off what you need, defrost, then feed. Frozen fish food is high quality, with simple ingredients.
- Fresh. A few fish will nibble on peas, zucchini, or shrimp. What kind of fish you have will tell you what kind of fresh food is best for it. We suggest cooking vegetables only half way and then letting them cool to room temperature before giving your fish a small piece. You can also cut up shrimp; they taste great with both the fish and you.
- Live food. It may make you feel sick, but it’s sometimes a part of life, and some fish will only eat live food. If you decide to go this route, don’t buy live food that isn’t up to par, and ask the experts at your local aquarium for advice.
You can be sure your fish is eating well now that you know about the best foods on the market.
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