Proper Fish Diets

[RainboWBacoN420]

Heya there,
I've been thinking about the foods I feed my fish, and I'm curious if what I'm feeding my fish is enough. I don't hear people talk too much about what foods are best nutrient wise. I've been sticking to Omega One brands for some time now. I'm pretty sure my fish are getting an excellent variety of foods. I feed them sparingly, try to make sure everyone is eating enough. I feed neon tetra, albino cories and soon some Pearl Gauramis.

 
Here's what I'm currently using to feed my kids:
 
Omega One: Color Micro Pellets
Crude Protein: 42%
Crude Fat: 11%
Crude Fiber: 2%
Ash: 8%
Moisture: 8.5%
Phosphorus: .5%
Omega 3: 1%
Omega 6: .5%
 
Omega One: Veggie Rounds- Sinking
Crude Protein: 38%
Crude Fat: 8%
Crude Fiber: 6%
Moisture: 8.5%
Ash: 15%
Phosphorus: .5%
Omega 3: 2%
Omega 6: 1%
 
Omega One: Shrimp Pellets- Sinking 
Crude Protein: 38%
Crude Fat: 8%
Crude Fiber: 2%
Moisture: 8.5%
Ash: 10%
Phosphorus: .5%
Omega 3: 2%
Omega 6: 1%
 
These three are the main foods I feed on a daily basis.
 
I'll throw in some frozen brine shrimp and blood worms every now and then as treats. Usually once a week in a very small quantity. 
 
Is this all overkill? Because I feel like I should definitely be on top of food variety and what nutrients my fish are consuming. I know the fish I have aren't too demanding, but I'd like to go out of my way to provide the best possible diet for my fish. Already, the colors on my neons are more beautiful than ever, they're nice and plump, but to plump and just from my observations, Both cories and tetra seem really healthy.

 

[Byron]

Omega One is one of the very reliable and recommended brands, I use this myself.  I also use the New Life Spectrum basic flake, Hikari freeze-dried daphnia (once a week) and Nutrafin tabs; the latter was acquired when I had to medicate the food in one tank and these tabs are easier to do this with, but the fish really like this food so I have stayed with it as one of three sinking foods for my corys, loaches, Farlowella and Whiptails.
 
Generally, there is more nutrition in prepared foods than using any frozen, which are often highly devoid of much, but frozen is the next most "natural" food and hard-to feed fish can usually be weaned off live food with frozen types.  I agree that these (frozen) are best used as "treats" and not staple.  Bloodworms is a popular frozen, but this should not be fed more than once or at the absolute most twice a week, due to the high fat.
 
Generally speaking, you will have very healthy fish if they are fed a varied diet of prepared foods.  Some species may need live food, or frozen, to induce spawning.  I have three different flake foods and three different sinking foods, and I alternate from day to day so the fish never receive the same food twice in a row.  I'm not suggesting this is crucial, but using a variety does make sense; there are clear favourites among the fish and some like one brand more than another species does, etc, so I stay with a variety.
 
Byron.

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

I forgot to mention, I had just picked up some flightless fruit flies, I tried feeding this to my betta, but he refused to eat them, I even tried giving some to the tetra and they didn't really know what to do with it. 
I'm not sure if they're just not used to live food or what. Should I try a little garlic juice with the fruit flies, to sort of nudge them to eat it?

 

[Byron]

I forgot to mention, I had just picked up some flightless fruit flies, I tried feeding this to my betta, but he refused to eat them, I even tried giving some to the tetra and they didn't really know what to do with it. 
I'm not sure if they're just not used to live food or what. Should I try a little garlic juice with the fruit flies, to sort of nudge them to eat it?

 
This is an excellent food, but sometimes fish unaccustomed to live food do seem to wonder what it might be.  Last summer I dropped some very small insects in a couple tanks periodically, but even the larger fish didn't seem to see them as food--the insects eventually drowned and were floating--which rather surprised me that something obviously moving across the surface would be ignored.
 
As long as the garlic juice is just pure garlic with no additives, it won't hurt to try I guess; will probably kill the fruit flies though.  I had a colony of wingless fruit flies many years ago when I was raising fish, and my hatchets went wild over them.  The hatchets I have now, kept away from the recent insects.

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

 

I forgot to mention, I had just picked up some flightless fruit flies, I tried feeding this to my betta, but he refused to eat them, I even tried giving some to the tetra and they didn't really know what to do with it. 
I'm not sure if they're just not used to live food or what. Should I try a little garlic juice with the fruit flies, to sort of nudge them to eat it?

 
This is an excellent food, but sometimes fish unaccustomed to live food do seem to wonder what it might be.  Last summer I dropped some very small insects in a couple tanks periodically, but even the larger fish didn't seem to see them as food--the insects eventually drowned and were floating--which rather surprised me that something obviously moving across the surface would be ignored.
 
As long as the garlic juice is just pure garlic with no additives, it won't hurt to try I guess; will probably kill the fruit flies though.  I had a colony of wingless fruit flies many years ago when I was raising fish, and my hatchets went wild over them.  The hatchets I have now, kept away from the recent insects.
 

Thank you for the valuable advice! Do you have a specific brand of garlic juice you use?
I never attempted to use garlic juice in the aquarium before.

 

[Byron]

 

 


I forgot to mention, I had just picked up some flightless fruit flies, I tried feeding this to my betta, but he refused to eat them, I even tried giving some to the tetra and they didn't really know what to do with it. 
I'm not sure if they're just not used to live food or what. Should I try a little garlic juice with the fruit flies, to sort of nudge them to eat it?

 
This is an excellent food, but sometimes fish unaccustomed to live food do seem to wonder what it might be.  Last summer I dropped some very small insects in a couple tanks periodically, but even the larger fish didn't seem to see them as food--the insects eventually drowned and were floating--which rather surprised me that something obviously moving across the surface would be ignored.
 
As long as the garlic juice is just pure garlic with no additives, it won't hurt to try I guess; will probably kill the fruit flies though.  I had a colony of wingless fruit flies many years ago when I was raising fish, and my hatchets went wild over them.  The hatchets I have now, kept away from the recent insects.
 

Thank you for the valuable advice! Do you have a specific brand of garlic juice you use?
I never attempted to use garlic juice in the aquarium before.
 


 
Neither have I.  I cannot stand the smell of garlic, so it is the last thing I'd consider, lol...my NLS flake has garlic in it, though I would never know.  I have read of garlic supposedly enticing fish to eat, and being healthy.