| When deciding to breed your fish it is essential to | | | | leaching in the water as in the dry foods available |
| condition them and add some live foods to their diet. | | | | commercially. Live foods are also better matched to |
| Live food is rich in important vitamins and has a | | | | the natural feeding instincts of fish being just like |
| higher nutritional value than the dried varieties from | | | | they would eat in their natural environments and they |
| the aquarium stores. This food also corresponds to | | | | will respond much more eagerly to this food. |
| the foods that they would go after in the natural | | | | There are many worms that fish really enjoy. They |
| environment, so the fish are keen and extremely | | | | can be purchased at the pet store but also be easily |
| interested in it. Worms are a great on the fish menu, | | | | cultured at home. Earthworms are an easy no-cost |
| and there a many types to consider. You can buy | | | | solution and need to be rinsed carefully to remove all |
| these at the pet store but a really cheap solution is | | | | soil before using. They can be fed whole or cut up, |
| right outside in your garden! Earthworms, even | | | | depending on the size of the fish and the worms. |
| though they are not a natural part of a fish diet are | | | | Minced in a kitchen blender they will make excellent |
| very much enjoyed. Simply wash off the excess soil | | | | food for fry (note: definitely recommend an old one |
| carefully and feed. Be careful that the ground has not | | | | specifically for the purpose). Ensure that the worms |
| been recently sprayed with chemicals or pesticides. | | | | have not been gathered from ground that has been |
| Naturally the worms may need to be cut up for | | | | treated recently with pesticides or similar chemicals. |
| smaller fish, depending on the size of both worms | | | | Earthworms are easy to culture and supply an |
| and fish. If you are up to the task they can be | | | | ongoing economical food source. You just need a |
| minced in a blender to make a delicious brew for | | | | plastic container filled will compost rich in organic |
| baby fry. Hopefully an old blender dedicated for fish | | | | matter. Keep it moist and add worms. They can be |
| food would be the right choice. | | | | fed vegetable kitchen scraps, fruit, cereals, grass |
| Other types of worms can be easily cultured. You | | | | clippings, leaves etc. Egg capsules appear on the |
| can buy cultures for White worms and Grindle worms | | | | surface as small white dots and will hatch as baby |
| at the local aquarium store. They can be kept in | | | | worms in a matter of 3 or 4 weeks. |
| plastic containers of compost and fed with cereal | | | | Whiteworms are small and white and range from |
| based foods such as bread, oats, porridge and baby | | | | about half and inch to an inch and a half in size. They |
| foods. These must all be pre-moistened. Other | | | | can be cultured with a culture purchased from the |
| varieties of live food include crickets which are | | | | pet store. Use a plastic container just 8 x 12 inches |
| enjoyed by larger fish. The housefly is also a good | | | | and 2 inches deep, containing peatmoss or slightly |
| possibility, but make sure that no insecticide or | | | | acidic compost. It should be moist but never too wet |
| sprays have been used and the flies have been | | | | and covered with plastic or cardboard and kept dark. |
| swatted! Many human foods are also suitable for fish. | | | | Put some pin holes in the cover to provide air or the |
| Fresh or frozen green vegetables such as peas, | | | | worms will suffocate. They can be fed on bread pre- |
| spinach, cucumber and lettuce are great as | | | | moistened with water and cereals such as porridge |
| supplementary foods. Peas should be cooked to | | | | oats, also pre-moistened. Replace any food if it starts |
| soften them and lettuce and spinach blanched to | | | | to go moldy and experiment with the amount and |
| break down the cellulose and make them more easily | | | | quantity of food given. Do not remove any worms |
| digested. Fresh or frozen fish and shell fish such as | | | | until the culture is thriving and there are plenty of |
| mussels, prawns and shrimps are all very good foods | | | | worms around the food when the lid is lifted. If the |
| to add to the variety. | | | | culture has the right consistency then the worms will |
| It is important not to overfeed, while this may not | | | | be clean when they are removed and can be fed |
| cause any direct harm to the fish it will cause serious | | | | straight to the fish, if not the culture may be too |
| water contamination and in turn seriously stress or kill | | | | wet and the worms will need to be rinsed. |
| the fish. Uneaten food quickly decomposes and | | | | Grindal worms are smaller than white worms, growing |
| ammonia is produced and the filter may not be able | | | | to only about a quarter to a half inch in size. They |
| to cope with the extra production, the build up of | | | | can be cultured in much the same way as with white |
| ammonia becomes toxic to the fish. There is such a | | | | worms, possibly with a shallower container. Grindal |
| wide variety of live food available that there is no | | | | worms are not very prolific breeders and care is |
| reason for the aquarium fish diet to consist solely of | | | | needed not to run down the culture by taking out |
| dried flakes. Live foods are also mainly free or very | | | | too many at once. They are easy to remove as |
| inexpensive to culture at home and every hobbyist | | | | they congregate on the underside of the lid. Feed |
| can easily provide some, if not all of these options | | | | with moistened cereals, baby foods and bread. |
| for their fish. Live foods for your fish are particularly | | | | Feeding live foods is not only very beneficial for |
| beneficial when conditioning them for breeding. They | | | | conditioning fish for breeding but also the most |
| are high in nutritional value and essential vitamins | | | | economical method. |
| which have not been destroyed by processing or by | | | | |