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have to feed fish worms/insects?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Calmwaters 
#1 ·
Hello...

I've read in many places that it is good to feed fish bloodworms, freeze dried insects/live insects along with flakes, but do you have to? I do not have any fish that need a diet of only insects, so is it absolutely necessary, or is it fine if I keep just flakes?
 
#2 ·
Hello...

I've read in many places that it is good to feed fish bloodworms, freeze dried insects/live insects along with flakes, but do you have to? I do not have any fish that need a diet of only insects, so is it absolutely necessary, or is it fine if I keep just flakes?
It is a good a idea to offer your fish a variety of foods like flakes, pellets, veggie flakes. At the vary least, make sure you give them a meaty flake and a veggie flake so that they get all of their nutrients. The bloodworms, brine shrimp, etc. are just treats for the fish that should only be fed at the most, once a week. They really do enjoy them though. It is like candy for them. Anyway, I'm just rambling. No, you do not need to feed your fish those treats.
 
#3 ·
you dont have to, but would you be happy being fed the exact same thing every meal of your life...stale flakes at that?

all my fish get super excited when they see me get the bag of live worms out of the fridge... the corydoras go nuts whilst finding/eating them...

it ends up being a treat for me to watch the fish so happy
 
#5 ·
I also believe that it is best to feed our fish a variety of foods. For a time, I was alternating between different flake foods, thinking that some element one manufacturer leaves out, another might include. After a time, a thought occurred to me so I took about five (5) different containers of flake food and mixed them all together in a gallon zip lock bag. Then I spooned and filled the largest container, leaving the remainder in the sealed bag. Now I feed from one container, but the fish get as varied a diet in flake food as could be.
I also treat following the WWC with frozen brine shrimp (they don't seem to go for Bloodworms much) and every few days I'll drop a couple of algae wafers in (the platy's seem to be veggie hounds).

Now there is a lot to be said for culturing and feeding live foods. Brine shrimp, Daphina, worms, etc. and it can add another dimension to the hobby. However, you need more time, money and space to do it.
Most of our fish will live quite nicely with the commercially available flake and pellet foods available, especially if augmented with some frozen delicacies.

footnote: Following the WWC I treat my fish with a couple of thawed cubes of frozen brine shrimp (in several small feedings over the course of the rest of the day/evening. They go nuts for them and each fish gobbles up as much as they can get.
 
#6 ·
For mine I alternate frozen foods and flakes/wafers they love the frozen foods they get frozen every other feeding.
 
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