November | December 2011
Feature title: Aquarium Fish Feeding
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The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry
F: Aquarium fish F: Aquarium fish
forms. Thanks to so many different substances body in a manner similar to vitamins. But unlike
spirulina enhances vitality and encourages the the vitamins, they do not have to be delivered
immune system. each day. Fitamins are present in vegetable
Other relatively common algae supple- and herbal plants. They regulate metabolic
ments of aquafeed are chlorella and Kelp algae. processes, detoxicate body and enhance over-
by Aleksandra Kwaśniak-Placheta1 Chlorella is known for its high concentra- all condition. Fitamins include among others:
and Leszek Moscicki2 tion of chlorophyll (seven percent in the dry polyphenols (flavonoids and phenolic acids),
AQUARIUM
1
Tropical - Tadeusz Ogrodnik, 25 matter) and large protein content
Opolska Street, 41-507 Chorzow, (50 percent in the dry matter), rich
Poland in essential amino acids.
2
Lublin University of Life Sciences, Health benefits are attributed to
44 Doświadczalna Street, 20-280 Chlorella Growth Factor, rich in
FISH FEEDING Lublin, Poland nucleic acids. Kelp algae is a mixture
of marine seaweed belonging to
the brown algae, which are rich in
A
minerals, including well-assimilable
quarium fish hobbyists can ornamental fish can be divided into herbivores, tablets. Fish feeding in the middle layers of the vitamin C, beta-glucan, unsaturated fatty acids, organic iodine compounds, UFAs,
enjoy an impressive range omnivores and carnivores. tank or at the bottom prefer slowly sinking spirulina, Kelp algae, chlorella, etc. and vitamins. Their addition has a
of species, whose number is Prepared foods for herbivorous fish should granules, which turn out particularly effective Stabilised vitamin C is a L-ascorbyl-2- beneficial effect on metabolism and
increasing every year. be characterised with high content of plant in multi-species tanks with fish eating in various polyphosphate resistant to high temperatures. general condition of the fish.
material, including spirulina, chlorella, Kelp algae, parts of the aquarium. Vitamin C reduces stress, stimulates the sulfur compounds (such as allin in garlic), tan-
In response to the growing aquarists’ needs spinach, nettle, etc.They should also be fed with Fish with small mouth eating under the immune system, strengthens blood vessel’s Herbs in the aquarium nins and carotenoids. The exceptional sources
manufacturers introduce foods with more and fresh or frozen plants, mostly spinach, broccoli, surface of water will choose flakes, which prove walls and accelerates wound healing. Not only have the herbs been applied to of fitamins in foods for fish are garlic, spinach,
more sophisticated formulas. However, data zucchini, carrots, etc. highly effective in tanks where intraspecific Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), including treat people, they are also commonly used as spirulina and Kelp algae.
concerning dietary habits of wild specimens For carnivorous fish, which in the wild feed competition takes place and weaker fish have long-chain fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, a dietary supplement in feeds for livestock and Garlic (Allium sativum) is a well-known
are rudimentary and extremely hard to obtain. on fish, roe, fry and invertebrates, there’s a a limited access to food. Flakes, floating all over accelerate the regeneration of tissues, including domestic pets. Herbs enhance food palatability, spice and herbal plant. Its cloves are composed
The knowledge about fish’s needs comes from choice of frozen foods (krill, shrimps, fish fillets, the tank, are easily accessible even for smaller skin, improving its function as a protective stimulate animals’ appetite, aid digestion and of sulphur-containing compounds, inter alia,
observation rather than rigorous research. squid, Daphnia pulex, Artemia, bloodworms, and weaker fish. barrier. improve overall health. allin which becomes allicin when garlic is
Therefore, the common practice is to Tubifex etc.) and live foods (fish, Daphnia, Tablets are recommended for timid fish, Moreover, they are a building material They also act as an anti-inflammatory, crushed. This is allicin to which garlic owes
use research carried out on fish for human Artemia, bloodworms, Tubifex, glassworm etc.) as they can be placed in fish’s favourite hiding of hormone-like cellular messengers - pros- antidiarrheal and
consumption instead despite the fact that it and multi-ingredient and high-protein prepared places and for feeding the fry, due to the small taglandins and reproductive cells. Part of the bacteriostatic
is not possible to create and maintain natural foods. particles that make up the tablet. demand for Omega-3 and Omega-6 fish cover agents.
network of feeding relations in aquarium and themselves by producing them from simple Herbs are
many species-typical behavior patterns are Prepared foods for Immunity enhancing UFAs, which they obtain from food. also present in
simply not observed. aquarium fish components However, carnivorous and marine fish the aquarium.
No wonder that a diet of aquarium fish is Prepared foods available on the pet market Prevention in fish is more effective than should be supplied with Omega-3 fatty acids, They play an
becoming more universal. can be divided into: multi-ingredient univer- medical treatment. Well-nourished fish with a because their ability to process them from important role in
In the wild fish feed on insects, molluscs, sal foods, used in feeding of most popular strong natural resistance to diseases is more simple UFAs is small. the preparation
crustaceans, fish, plants, algae, etc. These foods aquarium fish species and specialist foods, likely to cope with stress (transport from farms Beta-1.3/1.6-glucan - a polysaccharide of water and are
differ in terms of quality and quantity of dedicated to particular species or groups of to wholesalers, store, the customer’s home) derived from yeast’s cell walls - is a natural used as a com-
nutrients. fish with sophisticated dietary demands, such and pathogens. In prepared foods for orna- immune stimulator that directly affects mac- ponent of both
In addition, fish’s diets vary throughout the as Tropheus cichlids, Malawi cichlids of mbuna mental fish one can find numerous substances rophages, increasing their capacity for phago- prepared foods
year, as food availability varies depending on group which feed on periphyton, breeding and resources, whose components enhance cytosis of alien cells and their own cancer cells. and those pro-
the season. In the absence of their primary discus, goldfish, red parrots and algae-eaters the immune system, for example stabilised Extremely valuable components of foods duced in house
food, fish are forced to resort to less palatable from Loricariidae family etc. for aquarium fish are algae and spirulina conditions.
alternatives, which they have declined so far. A special group of foods are (Arthrospira platensis). In Europe
It’s not possible to imitate natural living products enriched with various The share of the latter in fish feed depends there are 25
conditions of wild fish but you can compose natural resources that improve on, inter alia, a very high protein content (55-70 species of basic
a diet based on products with nutrient-rich fish’s health, enhance their colora- percent) characterised by a high digestibility herbal raw
compositions to diversify their diet, hence tion and increase their resistance (90 percent). materials, includ-
prevent nutritional deficiencies and numerous to diseases. In addition, protein of Spirulina contains ing garlic and
medical disorders. The most vulnerable is the The diversity of formulas most essential amino acids for fish (if not all). common nettle,
hatch. Any deficiencies it experiences during is accompanied by a variety of The cell’s walls of this cyanobacterium are which are used
this period can lead to deformities and devel- forms in which prepared foods composed of mucopolysaccharides, which in foods for
opmental disorders. are available, so you can choose act as immunostimulators. In the cells of ornamental fish.
For instance, Artemia nauplii, commonly product perfectly adjusted to the spirulina one should find three times more To manu-
used for rearing fry, lead to the decalcification size of your fish’s mouth and their chlorophyll than in plants. Chlorophyll reduces facture pre-
of bones and reduction of the survival rate, if way of feeding (from the surface the number of putrefactive bacteria in the pared food pro-
not supplemented by other foods. of the water, its middle layers or gastrointestinal tract. The high content of ducers also use
from the bottom - see Figure 1). carotenoids, especially beta-carotene, makes plants rich in the
Nutritional requirements The best feeding solution for foods with spirulina intensify coloration in fish, so called fitamins,
In terms of their nutritional requirements bottom-feeders are granules and which is essential in case of colourful breeding which act on the
26 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 2011 november-December 2011 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 27
F: Aquarium fish F: Aquarium fish
its strong antiseptic prop- However, using use of a modern and sophisticated technologi- Ciferri O., (1983), Spirulina, the edible
Table 1: The content of crude protein, crude fat and ash in
microorganism, Microbiological Reviews,
erties and its characteristic Tubifex from polluted cal equipment. selected aquatic invertebrates (% of the dry matter)
December, 551-578;
flavour. Garlic also contains environment can lead It is much more complicated than the Crude Crude
Raw material Ash
flavonoids, pectins, mucilages, to poisoning of fish. production of aquafeed for fish farming. Clifford Chan, (2003), Exotic Discus of the protein fat
several vitamins and trace Tubifex and chirono- The quality of aquarium foods is immediate- World, Clean Ace Printing Press, Singapur;
elements. mids are both added ly visible after the application, in the literal sense. .B.;
Floreto E.A.T; Brown P Bayer R.C., (2001), Artemia - adult form 60,0 13,0 12,0
Before it started to be to prepared foods and Aquarist will immediately notice the loss of The efects of krill hydrolysate-supplemented
widely used in prepared subjected to freeze- every single fish or the contamination of water soya-bean based diets on the growth, Artemia larvae - nauplii 58,0 20,0 10,0
foods for fish, it had been drying process. in the tank caused by the dust from crumbled colouration, amino and fatty acid profiles.; krill 70,0 10,4 12.6
added by fish enthusiasts to Daphnia is a source food, quickly decaying wastes or colorants. Aquaculture Nutrition 7; 33-43;
Chironomidae 60,0 10,0 11,0
mixtures they had prepared of protein and fat Despite the wide range of various foods on Gaillard M. et al., (2004), Carotenoids of two
in their homes, especially the (including UFAs). the market, only few of the offered products Daphnia 50,0 2,4 19,0
freshwater amphipod species (Gammarus pulex
ones for the discus, often However, it contains meet the highest nutritional criteria, can guar- and G. roeseli) and their common acanthocephalan Tubifex 47,8 20,1 4,5
targeted by gastrointestinal a small number of highly antee safety of feeding and do not contaminate parasite Polymorphus minutus, Comparative
parasites. unsaturated fatty acids: the aquatic environment. Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 139,129–136; Opuszyński K., (1979), Podstawy biologii ryb (in Polish),
Foods for ornamental EPA and DHA. Protein The form and functionality of the packaging Ghioni C., Bell J.G., Sargent J.R., (1996),
PWR i L, Warszawa;
fish also utilise nettle (Urtica content (20-25 percent) units are equally important. The expectations Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Neutral Lipids and Sushchik N.N. et al., (2003), Comparison of fatty
dioica). The active substanc- and fat content (2.4-20 of the customers in this aspect are justifi- Phospholipids of Some Freshwater Insects, Comp. acid composition in major lipid classes of the
es in this plant are organic percent) vary widely ably high as the options are impressive: con- Biochem. Physiol.Vol. l14B, No. 2, pp. 161-170; dominant benthic invertebrates of the Yenisei river,
acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, depending on the feed tainers acting as feeders, helping keep food in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B
Hasik J., (2001), Usprawnienia dietetyczne procesów
tannins and others. Thanks base of the tank, where sterile conditions, transparent, but at the same 134, 111–122;
metabolicznych. Co to sń fitaminy?, (in Polish), Postńpy
to them, nettle regulates crustaceans live and on time protected from ultraviolet radiation (see Fitoterapii nr 6, (2-3); Tacon A.G.J., (1987), The nutrition and feeding
digestion. As a food sup- the season. Figure 4). These challenges can be met only by of farmed fish and shrimp - a training manual
plement it has a beneficial The composi- few companies. Kibria G. et al., (1999), Utilization of wastewater-grown
2. Nutrient sources and composition, A report
zooplankton: Nutritional quality of zooplankton and
influence on digestion and tion of Daphnia prepared for the FAO Trust Fund GCP/RLA/075/
performance of silver perch Bidyanus fed on wastewater-
provides a number of resembles freshwater Literature grown zooplankton, Aquaculture Nutrition 5, 221-227;
ITA Project Support to the Regional Aquaculture
fitamins, vitamins and trace shrimp: Gammarus Activities for Latin America and the Caribbean,
Bernard J.B., (1997), Feeding captive insectivorous
elements. pulex, which contains Lutomski J., (2001), Znaczenie ziół w terapii i dietetyce Food And Agriculture Organization Of The
animals: nutritional aspects of insects as food, Nutrition
similar amount of valu- (in Polish), Postńpy Fitoterapii 6, 2-3; United Nations, Brazil;
Advisory Group Handbook, Fact Sheet 003;
Invertebrates able protein. It is a good
used in feeding of source of unsaturated
ornamental fish fatty acids, including n-3
Before fish enthusiasts acids, and carotenoids.
could take advantage of convenient and easy- and smell of the food. This is of particular One kilogram of dry matter of Gammarus
to-store prepared foods, they had had to importance in case of feeding wild caught pulex contains about 700-800mg of carote-
use natural foods, which they fished or bred specimens and commercial farming fish, which noids (with astaxanthin share of 40 percent).
themselves. aren’t used to eat prepared foods and need Artemia salina (Artemia sp.) is a popular
Despite many advantages the use of living encouragement. Apart from valuable pro- food for ornamental fish. It is used in its larval
organisms in the aquarium has one fundamen- tein Krill provides fish with unsaturated fatty form (also independently hatched in house
tal flaw – the organisms derived from nature acids, out of which 40 percent are PUFAs conditions), frozen or freeze-dried adult forms,
can be a source of dangerous pathogens. To (polyunsaturated fatty acids), including 14.7 or as an additive to prepared foods. Newly
avoid this threat you can chose frozen, dried percent EPA and 8.3 percent DHA. Krill is hatched larvae of Artemia contain 89 percent
and freeze-dried products. Invertebrates have also a great source of carotenoids � natural water, 6.7 percent crude protein, 2.1 percent
also become the essential ingredient of pre- pigments that enhance fish’s coloration. fat, 1.1 percent ash and after drying � 58 per-
pared foods (see Table 1). Chironomids – red mosquito larvae – cent protein, 20 percent fat and 10 percent ash.
Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba) is a constitute a high-protein food, which con- Adult Artemia contains 60 percent protein,
source of easily-digestible protein, rich in tains around 60 percent crude protein and 13 percent fat and 12 percent ash in the dry
essential amino acids. It is readily consumed 10 percent fat in the dry matter. Due to matter.
by fish, especially in its processed form as an the low content of unsaturated fatty acids When composing a diet for your fish, follow
additive in flakes, granules and tablets. It is also (approximately 14 percent) and high content of the basic nutritional principles, taking into
characterized by a high palatability, resulting saturated fatty acids (approximately 28 percent account the nutritional value of main nutrients.
from the presence of amino acids (glycine, pro- of palmitic acid) the food cannot be used too Compacted information concerning this issue
line), nucleic acids and TMAO (trimethylamine often, because it can cause fatty degenerations is shown in Figures 2 and 3.
oxide). These substances and deficiency of PUFAs. Due to its high pro- When composing a diet for your fish,
affect the tein content it is a perfect food for spawners take into account the proportions of multi-
taste and fish weakened by illness or long transport, ingredient, vegetable and high-protein foods in
especially that fish take it very eagerly. the diagrams shown on Figure 3.
Tubifex (Tubifex tubifex) lives in bottom
sediments, where they feed on organic Conclusive remarks
matter, algae and bacteria that live in them. Manufacture of aquaristic feeds which meet
These organisms are very resistant to vari- high quality standards require an extensive
ous pollutants that can accumulate in them. know-how, the accuracy of processing and the
28 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 2011 november-December 2011 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 29
C L E A N C O N T R O L
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