That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Shrimp of various species play an important role in the natural diets of many freshwater fishes, and the nutrients they supply differ from those found in insects and other more commonly-used aquarium foods.  Many native and exotic fishes under my care at home and in zoos prefer shrimp to all else, and do well when they are added to the diet.  And while ocean krill (not a true shrimp) is readily available, I wonder about the long range effects of feeding a marine animal to freshwater fishes.

Unfortunately, freshwater shrimps are difficult for the average aquarist to procure. I was, therefore, pleased when Zoo Med began offering canned freshwater shrimp.  Although marketed as a reptile food, I have fed canned shrimp and find them to be some of the best foods for freshwater aquarium fish, showing great results.  But I’ve been remiss in spreading the word among my hobbyist friends…if you decide to give them a try, please post your thoughts below, thanks.

An Important Consideration                                                                         

Small, whole animals are used in Zoo Med’s canned freshwater shrimp product.  This is preferable to offering our fishes small pieces of food market marine shrimp, which are usually missing nutritionally valuable internal organs (note: food grade shrimp are fine to use on occasion). Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. In 2001, I wrote a book about the Natural History and Care of Seahorses. As I intended, many readers were discouraged, due to the demands involved in their care and the fragile state of wild populations. Today, I am happy to report that captive-born individuals of several species are regularly available, and that the task of feeding them (a major stumbling block) has been greatly simplified.  Still, they are not ideal for every aquarist. Following are some important points to consider before you decide to keep these intriguing but challenging fishes. 

Seahorses Need a Wide Variety of Small, Live Foods

The world’s 130+ seahorse species (Family Syngnathidae) are strict live food specialists. Brine shrimp, the most easily-obtained seahorse food, is suitable as a steady diet for only one, the Dwarf Seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae (please see this article). Most others avidly consume brine shrimp, but will not survive long without amphipods (scuds, side-swimmers), sand hoppers, tiny shrimp, Mysids and similar marine creatures. Read More »

Aquarium fish need three basic things to keep them happy and healthy in a captive environment: clean water, consistent temperature, and proper food. The first two things are generally easy to provide with regular maintenance and reliable equipment, but it seems something as simple as feeding some fish can be rather difficult at times. What to feed, how to feed, and how much or often to feed can vary by species. Even if you know the answers to these questions, there are some species of fish out there that will not eat the food you offer. After years of working directly with this issue, I have come up with a few tricks to get stubborn fish to eat. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Seahorse husbandry has advanced quite a bit in recent years, with several species having now been bred in captivity.  One stumbling block, however, is the near impossibility of keeping Seahorses with other marine creatures.  Seahorses are slow, methodical hunters, and the live foods they require are also favored by other fishes.  In typical community aquariums, food is gobbled up by other species before the Seahorses even know its feeding time.  But there are some options…following are a few creatures that I’ve experimented with over the years.

Pipefishes

Pipefishes are classified with Seahorses in the order Syngnathiformes, and are also confirmed live-food specialists that hunt in a similarly slow manner.  They are the best choice as Seahorse companions –all those I’ve kept have gotten along very well with Seahorses.

The Banded Pipefish, Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus, strikingly marked in red and yellow, makes a spectacular tank mate for tropical Seahorses. Read More »