English
Italiano27 Jun FISH FEED: How to Feeding fishes and crustaceans, administration, nutrition and type of food
The feeding of fishes in our aquarium is often considered a secondary necessity, but it is a very important topic for the healty of fishes and crustaceans that we want to breed and for the well-being of the tank and the biosystem . The first mistake we generally do, excluding the type of food that is ust to be appropriate to the living animals in the aquarium, is to waste the quantities: if the food is scarce or inadequate, the fish will not grow in the right way. If the quantity is too abundant, we will encounter too high peaks of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate increase, pollution in general, so this always damaging the fish’s health, and we could also promote undesirable algae growth. According to our experience, to overcome these problems, it will be chosen the right kind of feed and the administration should be in such a quantity that the term of the suspended food, is feeding in a period ranging from 1 minute to 5 minutes max. Anything that will remain, will pollute and damage the aquarium’s biosystem, then consider giving small amounts 1 or 2 times a day.
The food that must be give to our fishes and crustaceans or invertebrates in the aquarium, should be chosen depending on the needs of the individual diet needs, and is generally divided into vegetable food for vegetarian fishes and animal food for carnivorous fish. The main categories you can choose are; Dry food, live food, fresh food, let’s get to know them in detail:
DRY FOOD: This type is the most popular and used to feed fish and crustaceans as it is very convenient, especially for its easy preservation, ease of administration, and poor water pollution properties. It is also specific for vegetarian, carnivorous, omnivorous fish and often well-integrated with vitamins and other elements necessary for good growth of fishes. 
We can find various types of feed depending on the nutritional needs of the animals and the size of their mouth, as there are various formats such as flakes made from flours and then reduced in flakes of various sizes, have the property to float on the surface, so with the help of special eaters tool, they will not be scattered throughout the tank; you can olso reduce them to smaller fragments if you want to give to smaller fishes.
Other formats, often used for Chiclids or bottom fish, are pellets and microgranules, they has also the property of floating or sticking to the bottom as the bottom tablets and have a more inviting shape that recalls small spheres or small bushes. Finally, there are dusts, there are microscopic granules, especially suited to the feeding of fry in growth.
LIVE FOOD: This type is suitable for carnivorous and predatory fishes that need living food to feed, usually not just Chiclid but also Betta Splendens, Neon, Cardinals and many more. Usually the living food category are the Nauplii of Salt Water Artemia also called Sea Monkeys, mosquito larvae, camels, red larvae, bigotries, chironomus, daphnia, enchitrei or in the case of big predators, small fishes. (Not recommended). The administration of live food is very important for this kind of fishes, as it will promote good growth, excellent vitality and wonderfull colors. In addition, live food is free from preservatives and colorants, so it is better for health and sometimes is the only food that breeds fry fishes.
FRESH FOOD: This type is the same as live food, but is more suitable for those who do not have the time to breed small live animals and administer in a second moment, it is often frozen and stored in a freezer. Frozen foods are obviously larvae of mosquitoes, camels, red larvae, bigotries, chironomus, or small pieces of meat such as heart, pieces of chicken, small fish or insects. It is recommended for those who do not like to see live animals eaten by other animals, it is comfortable and healthy as the conserve will take place by freezing and therefore without preservatives, but obviously is poor integration of vitamins and other elements. For administration, remember to thaw completely before leaving it in water, as the fish may be affected by ingesting frozen pieces.
To conclude and answer one of the most frequent questions that is: “How can I give food to my fishes if I’m not present?” We can say that usually according to our experience, is is for a weekend or a maximum of 3/4/5 days, you do not have to worry about it, it will not matter to give food for such a short time, you can increase little bit feed the day before your absence. The fish in the wild nature can adapt to the various situations and can also do yours. 
Remember that if this period should be from one week to a few months, sure you will have to use timed electronic feeders or the use of bottom or sticky tablets that will release food slowly and only when the fish will need it.