FOODSTUFFS OF NATURAL ORIGIN

Freeze-dried food

It is possible to buy freeze-dried food items - small animals, shrimps, worms, or plankton - in which the water content has been greatly reduced so that they can be preserved more effectively. This treatment does clearly make them expensive, but they are at least as nourishing as flakes and very popular with fish. They must be stored in a dry place. Feed them to the fish according to the manufacturer's directions and do not exceed the quantities recommended.

Frozen food: crab and phytoplankton.

Frozen food

Frozen products - shrimps, fish, worms, and plankton - can also be used, once they have been separated and rinsed. They have a very high nutritional value, as freezing does not modify their composition. They are obviously stored in the freezer and must not be refrozen after thawing, in order to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. They are more expensive than freeze-dried foodstuffs.

Cubes of freeze-dried tubifex worms.

Freeze-dried mussels.

Beef heart, similarly freeze-dried.

Domestic food items

Finally, domestic food can be provided fresh or after freezing and thawing. It is best to avoid red meats as they have too much fat. Beef heart, rich in both blood and lipids, can only be given only to large fish. White meats are preferable: chicken, turkey, or ham. As for seafood, white fish can be used - although it must be handled with care, as it can break up in the water - as well as mussels, cockles, and shrimps, which can be bought preserved naturally. Vegetables are sometimes needed for herbivorous fish: lettuce or spinach that has been blanched, i.e. out into boiling water for a few minutes.

A Freeze-dried shrimps.