Pet Fish food is the primary source of nutrition that you can supply to your pet fish. Being familiar with pet fish food is a very important part of pet care, since it will allow you to choose your fish’s food carefully. Not all fish food formulas are designed with a fish’s best nutritional interests in mind, and may even contribute to certain diseases in your fish. Here is some general information about pet fish food, which will help you understand why fish food is such an important part of overall fish pet care.
INGREDIENTS OF FISH FOOD
If a fish food is of high quality, it will include a few basic ingredients. Most fish food formulas are designed to be a complete source of nutrition for pet fish, and contain ingredients that will best suit a pet fish’s needs.
AMINO ACIDS
It’s very important that a fish food formula contain amino acids. Amino acids are the basic building blocks for protein, and are very important for a fish’s general health. Technically, an amino acid is a molecule that contains certain molecules which help enhance a fish’s biochemistry. Amino acids also play a very important role in a fish’s metabolism, and form linear chains to make up proteins. Each type of protein is defined by its unique sequence of amino acid chains.
FATS
Fish derive the majority of their energy from fatty acids, which are broken down from certain fats. Fatty acids are especially important for proper functioning of a fish’s heart and skeletal muscles. In addition to this, fats also play a very important role in helping a fish to absorb certain vitamins. For example, Vitamin A, D and E are all only able to be absorbed, transported or digested in conjunction with fats. This quality is also known as being ‘fat-soluble’ vitamins.
CARBOHYDRATES
The majority of the carbohydrates that a fish ingests in the wild are from plant sources. Fish need the enzyme amylase, since this enzyme acts primarily to help break down certain starches into sugars. The group called ‘carbohydrates’ may contain celluloses, starches, sugars and certain gums. In a fish’s diet, carbohydrates do not supply the majority of a fish’s energy. However, digestible carbohydrates may spare some ingested protein in order to build new tissue. Fish are unique, in that they do not utilize glycogen for energy storage as humans do.
COMMON SOURCES OF FISH FOOD
Most fish food formulas contain fish meal, shrimp meal or squid meal as the primary protein source. These types of meals are formed from the dried product which is then ground down into a powder. Much of the fish meal in fish food formulas, however, is obtained from the waste products from plants that process fish for human consumption. Certain fish food formulas may also use soybean meal as a source of protein in fish food formulas. Other ingredients commonly seen in fish food formulas include Whole Wheat and Spirulina. Spirulina is a type of plankton that contains many important nutrients for a fish’s overall health.