Here are a couple of ideas can be considered as Alternative food for pet fishes to make some change in their diet…
There are many pet lovers around the world. Many are of them passionate about petting fishes rather than a cat or dog. If you are one of them the point of feeding your loving pet something out of the commercial foods must have crossed your mind. If you are also looking for some changes in the diet of your fish then you are at the right place. There are a couple of alternatives in the food list which you can provide your fish for eating. As fish are aquatic species, they are not accustomed to all kind of food a land-based species can eat, for obvious reasons. Go through this article to get a broad idea of what you can feed your beloved pets apart from any ready-made or commercial fish food from the market. I am going to talk about both the predatory (carnivorous) and herbivorous fish and their alternative foods.
Alternative food for pet fishes in homes
As I earlier told in case of trying something entirely new for fish or something that the species are not accustomed could prove completely lethal. So, while looking for an alternative food source for fishes you have to provide it with the raw source of the commercial foods. That means you are going to feed them the same content but in a different form, in more of a raw form, in turn, it is actually beneficiary to your fish, especially if your fish tank has enough space for the fishes to play.
Earthworms
Instead of those commercial fish foods which come in a bottle in the form of little-little balls, you can feed your fish Earthworms. Many of fish food is actually prepared by processing the Earthworms. Most of the fish like eating earthworms, though you have to keep in mind the quantity as it should not exceed the need, too much food can be harmful. If you are lazy or just do not want to spend money on buying Earthworms (though these worms are fairly cheap, also used as a bait for fishing), you can grow some at a flower tub, or in the yard. Do not worry they are totally harmless, so no fear of infection.
Lettuce
Another excellent choice, especially if you want to feed your fish some veggies, then Lettuce is the thing you should go for. As Lettuce is a green leaf, it is full of nutritious value, as well as loved by fishes. You should finely chop some lettuce and gently sprinkle them on the water of the fish tank. Yes, before doing this you should know about the breeds of your fishes, as some of the breeds or some specific fish can be a victim of green-leaf allergies. Keep a close eye on your fish to spot if any of the fish is becoming lazy, if so, then stop feeding lettuce. If your fishes are newly born, then you also can feed them boiled lettuce so that the fishes can digest easily. Make sure no left over is floating over the water, as after one-two hour it will start rotting and can cause bacterial infection.
Boiled rice
Any fish in the world love to eat boiled rice. Only God knows how that food comes to their food list, but they like it. It is one of the cheapest foods of all. Even, You can also buy some frozen rice from the supermarket to feed them. Of course, before feeding then defrost the rice. Surprisingly, fish can also eat and digest boiled pasta, or noodles. But that does not mean you are going to put some rice or pasta or noodle whenever you are craving for it, as it may result in negative wise for overfeeding. Also, while feeding rice or pasta, the quantity should not be high as the rice contains more carbohydrates. So, keep that in mind, else you will end up with overgrown, fat fishes.
Sprouts
If you are fond of Algae or Plecos or same category fishes, then they would definitely love to eat Brussels sprouts. This food can be served as a change in the regular diet. Do not forget to soak the sprouts overnight in normal water or you can also boil them just before feeding. Always defrost the sprouts or any other food to room temperature before serving to avoid the health hazard of your fishes.
Fish fillets
Feeding fish fillets is a very good option to form any predatory fish. Defrost and make it warm before feeding. Look for the Fatty fish fillets and try to pick them out because it can be harmful to the fishes, so choose healthy fish fillets only.
Peas
Coming at last at least but one of the best foods for fishes is Peas. Boiled peas are very good for fish’s health also loved by most of the fishes. It is a kind of alternative food which you must provide if you are not feeding your fish commercial foods. So, if you are up to the alternative fish foods do feed peas along with other foods to your beloved fish. Make sure to make small pieces of Peas before giving to fishes.
As the fishes are not in the open water from where they belong, you cannot provide or replicate all the natural food sources for them. Also, for keeping the fish healthy in the Aquarium environment you should keep its diet under check. Along with the said foods above you can also feed them a little amount of Zucchini slice, Brine shrimp, Microworms, Mealworms, Water fleas, Wingless fruit flies etc. If you are serving big sized Worms, first kill them with using salt then wash them, and then chop them properly into small pieces, likewise the Lettuce leaves also.
Note: These are suggestions, however, for using them in large scale, take some from fish veterinarian doctor.
Other alternatives to mull on: