The Importance Of Proper Nutrients In Fish Diets – Part 2

Different fish food ingredients contain different nutrients, some of which help enhance growth or reproductive success. Nutritionists select ingredients based on their expert knowledge of fishes’ nutritional needs, such as vitamins, minerals and carotenoid pigments, to formulate feed that will meet their specific requirements.

The Functions Of Nutrients In Fish Diets

Vitamins: Vitamins are organic compounds that serve as catalysts for many biochemical reactions in the body tissues. Like humans, fish suffering from vitamin deficiencies will be more vulnerable to diseases and growth retardation.

Manufacturers of fish food are constantly truing to improve the shelf life of their products by developing stabilized forms of vitamins, and modifying processing and packaging methods.

The best way to protect your fish against vitamin deficiencies is by varying their diet regularly and prolonging the nutritional value of their feed.

You can do so by buying feed in smaller quantities (so it can be used up within a couple of months) and storing extra food in the freezer. You can also supplement your fishes’ nutritional needs by feeding them fresh or frozen vegetables and live foods.

Minerals: Minerals are required for building teeth, bones, scales and tissue fluids. They also serve a variety of supporting metabolic functions. For example, iron in hemoglobin molecules enables blood to carry oxygen to the cells. Some fish may not survive well if deprived of the nutrients particularly require by their species.

Many aquarium fish tend to lack minerals like calcium and phosphorus in their diet. Those living in hard water can extract some calcium from their environment, but those kept in soft water need calcium supplements. Natural forms of phosphorus are available from plants, so fish kept in an unplanned aquarium may lack this essential mineral.

Bone or meat meal is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus. However, many minerals can be toxic if present in excess, so such indiscriminately.

Carotenoid Pigments: The red, orange, yellow, and green colors in the skin, flesh and eggs of many fish and crustaceans are derived from pigments like carotenes and xanthophyll.

Foods that are rich in pigments include krill, brine shrimp and some species of zooplankton. Commercial sources of xanthophyll pigments include fish roe and crustacean meal and extracts, algae, corn, gluten, paprika, alfalfa and marigold petals.

The Right Diet: If your fish do not seem sick but refuse to eat their food, perhaps a change of diet will entice them to eat again. For instance, those that feed heavily on algae or other plants may languish if vegetables are omitted from their diet, and feeding them leafy vegetables, such as spinach or lettuce, may help them regain their appetite.

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