Natural fresh-frozen foods of natural origin provide aquarium pets with access to the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates they need. Shock freezing will help keep the components intact.
What foods are called frozen
Live food is predominantly frozen, sorting it by type and size. These are small species of crustaceans, worms and larvae. The advantage of this food is that it retains its nutritional properties and naturalness.
Popular types of frozen food for aquarium fish:
Gill legged 1-2 cm long and weighing 10 mg. The color depends on its nutrition and is greenish or red. Artemia (including nauplii - its larvae) is one of the most highly nutritious fish feeds (protein content in it is up to 60%, fat - 20%). Feeding this species improves color, provides growth and a high level of survival. Artemia promotes the natural behavior of aquarium fish.
Small crustacean with a size of 5-25 mm (depending on living conditions and age). Color: gray-yellow and greenish.
Gammarus contains a large amount of protein (50%), while fat is only 6%, carbohydrates - 3%. Promotes proper digestion, active growth and enhance the natural color of fish. This food alternates with low-calorie types of food.
Branched crustacean kidney-shaped, up to 6 mm in size. It is a good herbal supplement for feeding fish, as it contains many plant components inside.
Daphnia contains a large percentage of protein - about 50%, while fat - only 15 - 25%. This type of crustacean is highly nutritious and helps to improve intestinal motility.
A coret is a mosquito larva of an elongated shape, 1-2 cm long. Its body is translucent, has a greenish or sand color.
This type of food is low-calorie (protein content - 40%); It is combined with high-calorie feed. Feeding corvette is suitable for rearing young animals.
This versatile food is the larva of a mosquito-jerk and resembles a worm. Color bright red, body length 1-2 cm.
Bloodworms have a high nutritional value, of which about 50% are protein, 10% are fats and 19% are carbohydrates. Due to the high calorie content, it is recommended to alternate bloodworms with other types of feed.
Small bristle worm with an elongated body 2-8 cm long. Color - pink or dirty red. It has high digestibility and nutritional value. It contains a large amount of crude protein and is convenient for feeding any kind of fish.
Feeding with a tubule is alternated with other freshly frozen food (low-calorie) to avoid obesity.
Tiny copepod 1-1.5 mm in size. The color of crustaceans depends on nutrition and can be red, yellow, gray, brown. They called him cyclops because he has only one eye.
Cyclops is suitable for feeding fry and small fish species. It is a high-protein feed in which protein - 60% and fat - up to 14%. The digestibility of this food is high.
Industrial Frozen Food
The first fresh-frozen feed appeared in the 50s of the last century. Since then, the technology for their procurement has been improved: durable packaging has appeared, new types of disinfection of feed material have been invented.
For ease of feeding and storage, the food is portioned in small cubes or a whole layer is offered. Industrial feed packaging:
- blister (packaging with cells like an ice mold, sealed with foil);
- tiles (solid briquette, like "chocolate", packed in a strong film and separated by breaking lines);
- layer (thin one-piece layer, packed in polyethylene).
In one package there can be different types of feed collected according to the principle of species feeding. In addition, there is a separation by age (for fry or adult fish). For herbivorous fish create a mixture with spirulina and spinach.
Before you buy this or that species, you need to study in detail the description of frozen food for aquarium fish.
Reviews say that the most practical packaging is a chocolate bar, as it protects the food from air and germs. Another important point: if the food has been thawed, it will remain invisible in the blister until the package is opened. The tile is deformed.
Large manufacturers of frozen foods use thorough disinfection, which significantly increases the safety guarantee for aquarium pets.
How to choose the right food?
To meet the nutritional needs of each type of fish you need to use different types of feed. A varied diet will help to get the whole complex of necessary vitamins and minerals for proper development and strong immunity.
Table of frozen feed for aquarium fish:
| Types of fish | Suitable Frozen Food |
| Medium sized fish | coretra |
| Carp, viviparous | wolfia |
| Viviparous, labyrinth, cyprinids (average size) | daphnia |
| Cichlids, catfish, large goldfish | gammarus |
| Sea and freshwater fish (medium and large size) | artemia |
| Cichlids, catfish, goldfish (and other medium to large) | large bloodworm |
| Cichlids, cyprinids, viviparous, labyrinth, catfish (medium and small) | small bloodworm |
| For small and medium-sized fish (haracin, labyrinth, cyprinids, viviparous, catfish) | pipe maker |
| Characins, cyprinids, viviparous, labyrinths (small and medium) | moina |
| For small fish (especially haracin and cyprinids) | Cyclops |
| For juveniles and small fish (marine and freshwater) | Artemia nauplii |
| For fry | rotifer |
| Cichlids, cyprinids, labyrinths, catfish (large and medium) | duet (large bloodworm + coretra) |
| Cichlids, cyprinids, labyrinths, catfish (large and medium) | trio (large bloodworm + gammarus + artemia) |
| For fish of different sizes (including marine) | quartet (large bloodworm + gammarus + artemia + daphnia) |
| Characins, labyrinths, viviparous and cichlids (medium-large sizes) | quintet (bloodworm small + moina + daphnia + artemia + cyclops) |
| Small and medium-sized fish (especially cyprinids) | sextet (bloodworm small + artemia + cyclops + wolfia + moina + daphnia) |
Frozen Fish Feeding
To feed the fish, the necessary portion is separated from the briquette (the briquette is not thawed whole). After that, you can defrost it or put it in a feeder.
Most often, industrial feed is thawed, dipping a cube in a container of water and washing the thawed feed with running water. How to feed aquarium fish with frozen food, everyone decides for himself, weighing all the risks.
Homemade feed is often fed frozen, as it is cleaner. Once in the water, the cube quickly defrosts. Excess uneaten food will result in clouding of the water and fish disease.
Cooking freshly frozen food at home
Reviews indicate: the advantage of home frosts is that they are cleaner, as the aquarist prepares them for their pets. The complexity of this method is that it is necessary to be able to shock freeze.
Pure, lively raw materials are used to prepare frozen feed for aquarium fish. It is thoroughly washed and soaked overnight in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then lay the layer in a plastic bag or film and subjected to deep freezing at a temperature of -36 degrees.
Where to find feed frosts?
Quality fish food can be purchased at the pet store or aquarium. You can also ask if experienced aquarists have them.
A photo of frozen food for aquarium fish will help you navigate when choosing a particular manufacturer.
How to store frozen food?
Not only the preservation of valuable nutrients, but also the safety of feed depends on proper storage. If during storage or transportation it was thawed and damaged, there is a risk of fish poisoning.
All types of frozen feed for aquarium fish are stored at a temperature of -18 degrees for no more than 3 months without repeated freezing. It is allowed to store food near human food.
If the freezer has been accidentally defrosted, the fish food should be discarded.
What do aquarium fish owners say?
To find out what kind of feed you can trust, what quality a particular composition is famous for, ask the opinions of experienced aquarists. These people find the best food for their pets based on personal observations.
Most often pay attention to the muddy water, which remains after defrosting. In some feeds, trash and dirt, foreign organisms are found.
In general, reviews of frozen feed for aquarium fish are positive, as they allow you to diversify the diet and bring it as close as possible to natural nutrition.