A balanced diet

[atoll]

I often see posts where a balanced diet is mentioned but what exactly is a balanced diet?

For me apart from a mixture of foods some of which I make myself it's as much variety I can provide. That includes live foods, frozen foods and my own sourced from the fishmongers.I often add a few drops of olive oil to my own food mixes.

I don't feed any commercial dried foods most full of fillers like wheat and E number additives. I feed live foods mainly in the summer that I breed outside like pods.

Food is feed 3 times per day. All food is quickly consumed within 20 to 30 seconds and all eat the foods I feed. My fish live long lives and most breed in my aquarium.

Thats my take on a balanced died, you of course may have a different take on it.

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[Aquadude1]

In my mind its always been any diet that provides all essential amino acids for fish. I have found often a combination of foods is needed for this. I like the lrs foods mixed with ocean nutrition, coral powder food, and occasional phyto. But I bet there are many effective ways to achieve the same goal

 

[56longroof]

I think adding in live foods is the best way to accomplish a balanced diet. I rarely feed any dry. I have never seen a wild fish eat wheat or fish meal.

 

[atoll]

I think adding in live foods is the best way to accomplish a balanced diet. I rarely feed any dry. I have never seen a wild fish eat wheat or fish meal.

Thats because fish never get fed them or they would do
They had to stop tourists/ divers taking boiled eggs onto the reef in the Red sea to feed Napoleon wrasse. They were bumping against the divers asking for the eggs causing injuries plus pollution on the reef.

 

[The Ugly Phase]

Thats because fish never get fed them or they would do
They had to stop tourists/ divers taking boiled eggs onto the reef in the Red sea to feed Napoleon wrasse. They were bumping against the divers asking for the eggs causing injuries plus pollution on the reef.

lol is this true?

 

[atoll]

lol is this true?

Yes. When I was diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea it was common for some to take boiled eggs from breakfast with them. I never did nor did I see anybody of our party do it but it was happening.

 

[afboundguy]

Balanced to me means variety. I use the analogy of how would you feel if you are hamburgers 24/7/365 for three square meals a day? Would you survive? Yes (at least for a bit before a heart attack or other major health issues) but you would feel like crap.

I feed a variety of frozen food, quality pellet food and live food (copepods, rotifers, BBS and white worms). I always mix it up and fish are happy and breeding.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

We feed a pretty wide range of fish species, so I would say that a balanced diet for one isn't necessarily so for another. While none of our fish naturally eat fish meal exactly, none of them eat exactly anything sold at the seafood counter either. More important than what's natural is what makes them do well in captivity.

Feeding a wide variety is probably the most straightforward way to get something in there for everyone, and then target feed certain fish that have distinct needs (like extra algae for the tangs).

 

[atoll]

none of them eat exactly anything sold at the seafood counter either.

Is that true? The reason I question it is, if a shark for instance munches on a fish lots of bits of flesh etc comes off in all sizes. Far to small to interest the shark. These smaller pieces float off and are eaten by other fish further down the line. Nothing is wasted on the reef. Same happens with other foods like mussels. The vast majority of fish eggs are eaten. I buy fish roe (fish eggs) from a large fish mongers. I buy fresh mussels, shrimp and so on.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Is that true? The reason I question it is, if a shark for instance munches on a fish lots of bits of flesh etc comes off in all sizes. Far to small to interest the shark. These smaller pieces float off and are eaten by other fish further down the line. Nothing is wasted on the reef. Same happens with other foods like mussels. The vast majority of fish eggs are eaten. I buy fish roe (fish eggs) from a large fish mongers. I buy fresh mussels, shrimp and so on.

You'd have to postulate a pretty extreme case for it to be true even once -- shark above the reef, eating some species that is found in a seafood market, and pieces making it down to some reef fish species that we keep (as opposed to remoras gobbling it all up). And mussels for human consumption are not reef species, unless I'm mistaken.

You're right about fish eggs, but I don't know that flying fish eggs rain down on reefs much since that's not their usual habitat, and capelin eggs would never be found on a tropical reef.

I think that many of the micropredatory fish that we keep would be expected to do better on some sort of very small whole prey items than on chopped fish fillets or cleaned shellfish, since there's important nutritional elements missing from cleaned flesh (in the shells, scales, skin and especially guts and their contents -- the shrimp "vein" is the part we maybe should be feeding, rather than the tail meat).

It is also relevant that humans choose their seafood primarily on taste and availability, whereas it is likely that greasy little bony fish with no commercial value are actually more in line with the nutritional needs of our captive fish.

This (our feeding ideas) is all pretty speculative without either real data from captive outcomes or at least evidence of the nutritional needs of fish (of like 100 species, which would be a challenge to compile) and measurements of relevant nutritional levels in whatever we intend to feed (which is also like 100 different options). Compared to other captive animal groups (birds probably, non-avian reptiles definitely, and certainly domesticated animals and livestock) fishkeepers seem to be blowing wherever the winds take them regarding feeding, and we're swayed more by ads and hearsay than anything.

I sound like I'm arguing against the idea of this thread (to figure out a good diet), but I'm not intending that. I guess I don't buy into the "natural" idea too far, in part because it might distract someone from aiming directly at good outcomes. I think "My fish live long lives and most breed in my aquarium" is the important part.

 

[atoll]

Sharks feed at reef depths hence why we have reef sharks. Black tipped etc. On a shark feeding frenzy lots of fish will feed not just sharks, like I say nothing is wasted.
As for mussels and where they come from, does that really matter they aren't off the reef. Same with prawns, scallops and fish roe etc. I don't see dry flake or pellets foods on the reef but then I don't feed those with their fish meal and E numbers etc.

 

[slingfox]

I often see posts where a balanced diet is mentioned but what exactly is a balanced diet?

For me apart from a mixture of foods some of which I make myself it's as much variety I can provide. That includes live foods, frozen foods and my own sourced from the fishmongers.I often add a few drops of olive oil to my own food mixes.

I don't feed any commercial dried foods most full of fillers like wheat and E number additives. I feed live foods mainly in the summer that I breed outside like pods.

Food is feed 3 times per day. All food is quickly consumed within 20 to 30 seconds and all eat the foods I feed. My fish live long lives and most breed in my aquarium.

Thats my take on a balanced died, you of course may have a different take on it.

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What is your setup for growing pods outside?

 

[atoll]

What is your setup for growing pods outside?

I have documented my how on here however, I have a YouTube channel with videos showing how. Look for sezles1 on YouTube.

 

[atoll]

What is your setup for growing pods outside?

Here you go this is one of them.

 

[afboundguy]

Here you go this is one of them.

How hot does it get where you are and do you leave the covers off? I tried doing this in the summer in a 10 gallon tank and nothing really made it. I did have it covered and it gets in the mid to upper 90's °F where I am in the summer...

 

[atoll]

How hot does it get where you are and do you leave the covers off? I tried doing this in the summer in a 10 gallon tank and nothing really made it. I did have it covered and it gets in the mid to upper 90's °F where I am in the summer...

Am in the UK. It does get quite hot in summer but the cats are only in the sun for about 4 hours and later in the afternoon. No covers at all and open to the elements. Most of the rain water runs off as it's not as dense as saltwater of course. I only have to add more salt water once or twice through the year.

 

[atoll]

 

[atoll]

 

[afboundguy]

Am in the UK. It does get quite hot in summer but the cats are only in the sun for about 4 hours and later in the afternoon. No covers at all and open to the elements. Most of the rain water runs off as it's not as dense as saltwater of course. I only have to add more salt water once or twice through the year.

I think combination of me keeping it covered and in the sun much longer than 4 hours was probably the biggest issue. I covered them to try and keep it from becoming a mosquito breeding ground as anything standing water breeds mosquitoes in my area unfortunately...

 

[atoll]

I think combination of me keeping it covered and in the sun much longer than 4 hours was probably the biggest issue. I covered them to try and keep it from becoming a mosquito breeding ground as anything standing water breeds mosquitoes in my area unfortunately...

I also get mosquito lava the fish love them. You only need enough light on the tubs to keep the water slightly green for the pods to feed on. You could also have a tub purely to grow phyto to feed the pods.