Maintaining the health and well being of your pet fish requires that you choose the correct fish food and that you feed them on a consistent schedule.  Over feeding, under feeding, and malnutrition can have a very serious impact on the health of your pet fish.  In many circumstances, a new fish owner may not even know what kind of food to give their fish.  Always speak to the pet store clerk or a veterinarian about the best way to feed your fish as there is no common rule for every species.  Nevertheless, here are some basic guidelines for feeding fish.

Fish can be omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores so you need to identify which kind of food your fish will eat.  Most small fish that are kept in bowls will survive happily on some kind of fish flake diet, but other fish can have very specific dietary needs.  In addition, fry will need special foods until they develop so you need to do your research before settling on one type of food.  Moreover, adult fish like to have a variable diet so including dry, froze, and fresh foods can help them maintain a balanced diet.

Fish will definitely have different feeding behaviors as well.  Some fish feed from the top of their habitat while others like to feed at the bottom.  Similarly, some fish are day time eaters while others prefer to feed at night.  As a fish owner, you need to find out what time of day your fish prefers to eat as well as where as you’ll need food that sinks for fish that prefer feeding at the bottom of the water.

Finally, remember that fish foods are not good forever.  While they don’t often carry an expiry date, many fish foods, especially fish flakes, can lose their nutritional value very quickly, sometimes in less than a month.  Keep food fresh and make sure that your fish receive a variety of vitamins and nutrients.