So, can Koi eat bread? It is best not to feed your koi bread. Carbohydrates like bread are hard for them to digest and they are not a healthy option of food. It is best to stick to fruit, vegetables, and meats as treats for koi. They’ll enjoy them and are good for their health too.

So, let’s take a closer look at why bread isn’t’ good for koi and what a good diet consists of.

Foods not to Feed to Your Koi

One of the favourite moments for koi owners is feeding time. They swim to the surface for their daily feeding and you can admire their beautiful colors in their pond. The thing is, most koi fish will eat anything.

This means that you can feed them anything and they will at least try it. So, anything that is dropped into their pond they will be curious about and come and investigate. But this is not always a good thing.

The Problem with Bread and Other Snacks

There are some foods that you should avoid feeding your koi altogether because they are not good for their health. This can be down to the size, hardness or general healthiness of the food. For example, snacks that are high in carbohydrates should not be feed to koi.

This includes bread, as well as peas and corn. In particular, white bread is very hard for koi to digest and over time, this can lead to health problems. This is the last thing you want for your koi.

Starchy foods can even lead to blockages in the digestive system. It is best to avoid these types of human foods.

You should also avoid giving your koi any wild fish that you have caught yourself. While you would think that this would be a healthy option for koi fish, there is the chance that the wild fish and insects could have parasites.

This can infect your pond and even make your koi sick. There are lots of pet stores that allow you to buy wild fish and insects that will be safe for your koi.

A lot of people wonder whether you can feed koi cat or dog food. After all, they are all pets. But it is best not to do this. There are often a lot of animal fats and dairy products in pet food.

These are substances that koi fish cannot digest. While a one-off snack will not harm them, it is best to avoid cat and dog food altogether to ensure the health of your koi. Over time, this type of food can mean they lack the nutrients they need for good health.

In addition, problems can develop concerning their liver, underdevelopment and even the growth of fatty tumors.

Foods Your Koi Will Enjoy

A lot of koi fish are adventurous when it comes to food. This is a good thing because it means you can introduce new and exciting snacks for them to try. But always remember everything in moderation.

You do not want to overfeed your koi fish. Here are some healthy foods your koi can enjoy.

Fruit

A healthy treat that you can give koi is fruit. This can be a nutritious food that they can enjoy since it can help to relieve stress, as well as boost their immune system to keep them healthy. Some fruits that they will enjoy include:

• Grapes
• Orange slices
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• grapefruits

Remember that it may take your koi a while to work out that it is food. They may be apprehensive to try it at first. But when they get the courage to try fruit, most koi love it. Fruits are full of good vitamins that will keep them healthy.

Remember to chop up any fruit that you have into small edible pieces. For example, apples can be difficult to eat because of the skin. Consider chopping it up into small pieces and removing the skin. In addition, remove any seeds too.

Vegetables

Believe it or not, koi will also enjoy eating greens. There are many vegetables you can try out with your koi as a tasty treat. This includes broccoli and lettuce. You can even feed your koi garlic!

Vegetables can be a healthy snack for your koi so you can feel good about feeding them it during the day.

Some vegetables may be tough for koi to eat. For example, broccoli is best when it is cooked beforehand. This helps to soften it to make it easy to eat.

Live Meats

It is best for koi fish to have a diet that is high in protein. You can provide them with the protein they need to stay healthy by purchasing live meats. This can include:

• shrimp
• worms
• crayfish
• bloodworms
• silkworms
• crickets

Generally, it is anything that they would find in their natural environment. This is going to be nutritious for them and the koi will love it as a snack. You can feed them meat when it is alive for some excitement, as they will chase the meat.

But you can also feed meats to your koi that are frozen sometimes too. Again, just make sure that you do not catch the meat yourself or take them from the while. You do not know what bacteria or viruses they may be carrying. The last thing you want is to harm your koi fish.

How to Feed Koi Fish

You can feed your koi several times per day. We would say up to four times depending on many there are and feed them small amounts for around five minutes. It is best not to feed your koi fish before a storm comes.

When the rain falls on the pond, this means that oxygen levels are lower and they need oxygen when they are digesting their food.

For mealtimes, it is best to feed your koi fish special koi food. That can be flakes or pellets. This is available from your local pet store. This is going to offer them everything they need. Then you can supplement their diet with the healthy snacks we have discussed.

Remember, koi fish will also eat what they find in the pond, such as algae and any bugs that all in.

We also recommend reading our huge Koi Feeding Guide here!

Feeding Your Koi by Hand

A lot of koi fish owners want to feed their koi by hand. This is something that can be possible if you are patient and gentle. They will need to learn that you are not going to harm them and you are not a threat.

You can sit by your pond and feed them so that they know you are a source of food. They will learn that you are going to feed them when you walk over to the pond. Slowly, you can try to feed them by hand.

Make sure that you are gentle at all times with the koi and avoid sudden movements that may startle them. It can take time. So, make sure you are patient.

The post Can Koi Fish Eat Bread? Why That Is A Bad Idea appeared first on Water World Craze.

What do koi fish eat? Koi fish will eat anything that is put in front of them from specialty food, human food, to whatever comes along in their pond. But that doesn’t mean they should be fed just anything.

Due to their body makeup and being omnivores they need a special diet that will give them the nutrients that they need while also something that their bodies will process.

The food itself is not the only thing to worry about when feeding koi, you must also consider when they are eating and how they are being fed. And we can help you with that process.

Read further to learn exactly what your koi can eat, the feed process, and what kind of store-bought food is the best for them.

What to feed your koi

Koi fish are not picky eaters, they will eat anything and everything. They just like food. But to keep them healthy you as the owner have to be discerning when it comes to feeding your fish.

Just because they will eat anything doesn’t mean you should just feed them whatever sounds fun. Thankfully this openness to eating makes it easier to know what to feed them.

Koi are omnivores that feed on plants and algae just as much as they will chase a random insect that has the misfortune to come into their pond. Even though they are peaceful fish they still will take a bit out of smaller fish that are in their territory.

As a result, they need both protein and carbohydrates. In the wild, they eat the aforementioned plants along with crustaceans and worms.

For this varied diet, the best food will contain both protein and carbohydrates. Koi food can come in the form of flakes, pellets, sticks, and even powered form that you can mix.

This type of food should be the main form of substance and should be the only thing that they eat during the fall and spring months due to their lowered metabolism.

You will need a couple of different types of food, summer months are more protein-heavy while the cooler months your koi will need more carbs. Not only do these specialty foods provide the right vitamins and nutrients they also provide substances that will help keep their colors vibrant.

You must also learn what not to feed your koi.

• Beans
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Bread
• Rice
• Live fish that you have caught

The food that you buy your koi will have the correct amount of carbohydrates for them. However, a lot of people use human food as a treat for their koi. Avoid foods that have a lot of carbs such.

These foods take a long time to digest which is hard for your fish that lacks a stomach.

Your koi pond is a sterilized environment introducing a fish that you do not know could spread disease in your pond or bring parasites. If you want to feed them something live then go to your local pet store or dealer for feeder fish.

These are fish that are breed for the sole purpose of being feed to other fish. If you rather not see your koi go after something living they also come in frozen and dried forms.

Treats for your koi

Koi fish love treats and they especially love human food as a change from the pellets or flakes that you typically feed them.

Human food should only be used as a treat for your koi instead of their main source of food. Think about what you are feeding them before taking snack cakes out to the back yard.

Is the food that you are about to feed your koi healthy for you? If it isn’t then it isn’t healthy for your koi.

Avoid feeding your koi anything comes out of a cardboard box. Treats should be natural to get the best vitamins and nutrients possible. Think about the procedure that goes into creating processed foods.

A lot of foods that come in cardboard boxes have chemicals that don’t agree with your koi’s system. Carbs, salt, and high fructose corn syrup along with added chemicals that could affect your koi’s heath.

These types of chemicals don’t contribute to your fishes’ health nor provide any nutrients, they just taste good. When your koi eats these items it limits their ability to absorb needed from healthy proteins and carbs.

It’s best to stick to natural foods when giving your koi treats. They will enjoy it because it’s a change of pace, but these natural foods will also contribute nutrients.

Practice moderation when feeding your koi human food. This is a treat, not their main source of food.

Types of human food koi can eat:

Orange slices, grapes, and watermelon are fruits that your koi will enjoy eating. Look for soft fruits that are easy to break up. Oranges and grapes you can break up by hand and feed them.

For watermelons cut a thin slice and throw it in the water. They will circle the slice and nibble on it. After they are done scoop the slice out so it doesn’t foul the water.

Other fruits that work well for koi are soft melons, citrus, berries, tomatoes, and bananas.

Koi fish love broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, and leeks. Anything that isn’t too heavy on their digestive system and is light enough for them to suck into their mouths to chew since their teeth is at the back of their throat.

For denser veggies like radishes cut them in pieces small enough for your koi to handle. Starchier items can be feed to your koi, but use caution for legumes, rice, and corn since it takes longer for them to digest.

If you are worried about the texture boil the food then allow it to cool down before feeding your koi.

When it comes to meat stick with things that they could find in the water. Don’t bring them beef because their digestive system might not be able to handle it. Smaller animals such as snails, shrimp, or worms are the perfect meat product for them to eat.

Either frozen, dried or fresh doesn’t matter they will eat it. One thing that you shouldn’t do is bring back live fish that you have caught while fishing.

If you want to put fish in your koi pond for the specific reason for your koi to eat then go to your local pet store or fish dealer and ask for feeder fish. These are cheap fish that are breed specifically to feed to other carnivores of omnivore fish.

When you purchase for a reliable source you know that the fish, even if their only purpose is to be eaten, is not diseased or carry parasites that can spread to your koi.

Also, this might go without saying, but parasitic worms are not good to feed your koi. Things like maggots, ugh, live off of rotten meat if you feed your koi these nasties they will get bacteria from the meat the maggots have consumed.

I’m sure you won’t mind this exclusion.

Here are some of our articles that we also recommend reading in this regard:

How to feed your fish

For koi, you can just toss in some food once a day and expect them to thrive. They need periodic feeding throughout the day that increases in the summer and decrease in the spring and fall months.

They don’t have a stomach to process food, using their intestines to digest their food. Making the feeding process more complicated. Feeding them a lot at once is too much for their system and it will take longer for your koi to digest their food.

When feeding your koi a little bit at a time is the best way to go.

The number of times you feed your koi depends on the season, which is covered below. During these feeding times be cautious about how much you give them.

Feed your koi for up to 5 minutes each time making sure they are getting enough food. The amount of food depends on the size of your koi fish. Smaller fish will not need as much food, while a jumbo koi can put down a lot more food.

Keep an eye on the weather when you feed your koi. Don’t feed your koi before a storm. They need a lot of oxygen for digestion, during a storm, the oxygen in the water will drop down and they can’t go to the surface to breathe.

Without enough oxygen, they will begin to stress out. With stress, their immune system will be affected causing parasites and disease.

You can feed your koi by throwing the food in their pond allowing them to swim to get what they need or you can hand feed them the food. When you throw food in the pond you might overfeed them.

After they are done you will need to scoop out any uneaten food so that it doesn’t contaminate the water with decay. Hand-feeding is perfectly safe and easy if you don’t have a lot of fish in your pond.

Koi do have teeth, but they are far back in their throat so they don’t pose a danger to you when feeding. At the very most they might suction your finger mistaking it for food.

Hand-feeding allows you to feed them exactly the right amount of food. Also, the process creates a stronger bond between you and your fish. You will begin to recognize their particular behaviors and patterns when you have a more personal experience with them.

When you are away, either due to a busy schedule or going on vacation, try to find someone who can come over to feed your koi. If you can’t find someone that you feel is capable of feeding your fish invest in an auto feeder.

Indoor auto feeders are easy to find, but if you have an outdoor pond make sure the feeder is specifically for outdoors. These feeders can be times and have portion control capabilities.

Feeding schedule for feeding koi

The season also plays a part in the type of food that they need or if they need food at all. Koi fish are cold-blooded creatures so their need for food changes due to the temperature.

They also don’t have a stomach and rely on their intestines to process their food, when their water is cold they will go into hibernation. During the summer and spring months their metabolism is high and you can feed them more.

But during the winter it will slow down and they don’t need as much food or doing need food at all.

If you feed your koi treats only provide them once the water gets around 65° F. Once the water gets to this temperature your koi’s metabolism will start to kick back and you will be feeding them several times a day.

During the colder months, their metabolism will decrease then stop in winter. If you feed them treats during this time they will not get the need nutrients from their specialty food.

Koi hibernate during the winter months so they will get little to no food. It’s important to give them enough food during the summer and fall months so that they have enough nutrients to last through the colder months.

The temperature where you live plays a part in your koi’s feeding process. If you live in a warmer environment that has mild winters your koi will have less of a hibernation time and will be more hungry throughout the year.

In colder environments, they might have a long hibernation time so feeding during the summer and fall is important to get enough nutrients in them before the long sleeping process begins.

During the cooler months before and after winter feed them carb-rich foods such as wheat germ. In the fall this type of food is to prepare their system for hibernation, while after winter they need to adjust to eating regularly again.

During the hotter months protein-rich foods, and treats, are perfect because that is when their metabolism is the highest.

It’s hard to determine when you should feed koi with changing temperatures and the degree amount varies from person to person, but here is a handy guide to go by.

• Extreme heat 95-over 100° F – Koi will lose their appetite, feed once or twice a day
• 75-95° F – Four to five times a day
• 75-65° F – Four times a day
• 65-55° F – Three times a day (start to decrease their protein intake)
• 55-50° F – Two times a day
• 50-40° F-Start feeding them three times a week
• Under 40°- Stop feeding them

If the temperature is above 75 degrees Fahrenheit then feed them around 5 times a day. Due to the heat, their digestive system will process the extra food fast.

Once it gets below 75 degrees you can start skipping at least one meal to get them to the point where they are ready to hibernate. Under 65° and you can feed them 3 times a day and decrease their protein intake.

Once the temperature outside gets to about 50 or 55 degrees Fahrenheit their metabolism is going to drop considerably, if they are taking food then feed them twice a day. If they don’t partake in any food don’t worry they are just hibernating.

If they need something to eat during these periods’ algae, plants and any bugs that come into their pond will be more than enough. When you first get koi it might be easier for you to hand feed them.

This personal approach helps you to see when their appetites start to decrease and you will have a better gage in the future years to come.

Best store-bought food for your koi and auto feeder

Koi need specialty food so that they have enough nutrients throughout the year and to keep their colors bright. Since they are omnivores you can’t just go out and buy anything for them, and feeding them human food will ensure that they are missing some nutrients.

It is a very tricky process making sure your koi are feed right, both the amount of food given and frequency throughout the year.

While you still need to feed them yourself at times to create a closer bond between you, if you feed your koi they will come up to greet you when you walk out, it can be hard for you alone to keep up this process.

If you work at home or are at home throughout the day, then it won’t be a big deal. For those who work or might be gone for vacation or whatnot, it becomes a hassle to make sure you are caring for them properly.

Luckily there are auto feeders that will help you care for them when you are away. You can also set up the auto feeders to calculate the frequency so that it changes as the weather gets colder.

Store-bought food

During the warmer months, Tetra Pond Koi Vibrance (you can get it here) is a good general choice for your koi. It comes with the protein, fats, fiber, and vitamin C that your fish need.

This particular formula is best used when the water is above 50° F. Koi Vibrance is a stick form of food and will float on the water, making it easier for you to clean if there is any uneaten food left.

When the water temperature falls below 50° F you need to switch to the TetraPond Spring and Fall Diet (you can get it here). Like the Koi Vibrance, this is a stick variety of food. While this food does have protein, fats, and vitamin C it is high in fiber due to wheat germ.

When you are feeding your koi this type of colder weather food you will also limit the times that they eat per day.

Hikari Gold Pellets (you can get them here) are an all-around food source for your koi, but they are specifically made to help with the vibrancy of your fish. This brand is made in Japan so it might take a bit to arrive depending on what shipping method that you chose.

With fish food, it is ok to provide a mix to your koi so they can eat this and a more general type of food.

When you need to be away or are just busy an auto feeder helps keep your fish feed regularly if you have no one that can help. Not all auto feeders work outdoors, the mechanism and food are not protected from the rain.

Automatic feeder

The P7000 Pond Fish Feeder (see it here) has a timer and portion control. The cup capacity is at 30 so you can fill it up if you are going to be away for a little bit. The model only takes sticks and pellets.

Flakes are great when you are hand feeding your fish but are not substantial enough for a lot of auto feeders due to clogging.

A word of caution for store-bought food. While it might seem thrifty to buy bulk food for your koi it’s better to get smaller bags. A koi’s food needs change so often throughout the year, so any unused food that you have will stay in its container for a year.

If you buy in bulk you might have half of a container of food that will rot. After you own koi for a while it will get easier gaging the amount of food you need to buy during each season.

Just because your koi will eat anything doesn’t mean you should be feeding them just anything. You being the rational party need to be discerning in what you feed your fish.

Feeding them specialty food ensures that their nutritional needs are met. While feeding your koi novelty foods or human food is a cute error on the side of caution. They don’t have a stomach so digestion is harder for their system than it is for yours.

If it isn’t great for you then it is doubly bad for them. Feeding them correctly will guarantee they will be your friends for at least 20 years.

The post What Do Koi Fish Eat? The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Water World Craze.

But, is one of our top superfoods, spinach, good for your Koi? The answer is quite fascinating.

Can Koi eat spinach? You can feed your Koi fish spinach. This dark leafy green helps supplement your fish’s diet with essential nutrients. Best of all, your fish will eat this healthy food right up. It’s a great addition to their diet and recommended by many Koi fish owners.

If you want to add variety to what your Koi eats, then spinach is a great place to start. However, this barely scratches the surface of supplementing your Koi’s diet. Keep reading to find out all the best tips for feeding your Koi spinach and other people food.

The benefits of feeding your Koi spinach

If you recall the cartoon Popeye, his immense strength and vitality came from eating spinach. Feeding your Koi spinach won’t help them grow comically oversized muscles like Popeye, but they will give your fish some of those coveted health benefits.

Below you’ll find the top benefits of feeding your Koi spinach.

1. It has antimicrobial properties

This means that everyone’s favorite dark leafy green helps rid the body of damaging microorganisms. These microorganisms such as mold and bacteria can find their way into your Koi’s body.

But spinach’s antimicrobial properties works on a cellular level to eradicate these damaging organisms. It’s loaded with vitamins.

Consider spinach a superfood that’s not just great for human consumption. Your Koi get all the same nutritional benefits as we do. This includes vitamins A, C, and K. Spinach is also an excellent source of folic acid which helps with cell function.

2. It contains necessary minerals

It’s not always easy to get a sufficient amount of minerals in your Koi’s diet daily. But if your fish need a boost of iron and calcium, then provide your Koi with some spinach.

3. It contains antioxidants

These free-radical fighters are a current health trend- but for a very good reason! Spinach is loaded with antioxidants. This helps keep your Koi’s cells healthy. Some studies suggest that when fish consume an antioxidant-rich diet, they have more energy.

4. It’ll be your Koi’s favorite food

A delicious treat and healthy? It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not. Koi, as well as many other fish species, favor spinach. This is important if you are looking to transition from store-bought food to whole foods.

Since Koi enjoy spinach, it makes for an easier transition when acclimating your fish to new foods.

How to prepare spinach for you Koi

Now that you know your Koi fish will go crazy for spinach, you may wonder what’s the best way to serve this vegetable. Fortunately, feeding spinach to your Koi is as easy as it can be.

To serve spinach to Koi, you can simply throw a handful of fresh, washed spinach into the water. There’s no need to cook it. After all, in the wild, fish only eat uncooked plants. There’s also no need to chop spinach for your Koi.

Your fish will nibble on the spinach leaves until they are all gone. Some Koi owners prefer to blanch the spinach before feeding it to their fish.

This is because the spinach is softer and easier to eat, but it is not necessary. If you wish to provide your Koi with blanched spinach, pour boiling water onto the spinach and let it sit for 30 seconds. The hot water wilts the leaves, giving the spinach a softer texture.

Want to provide your Koi with spinach in an extra special way? Make your own fish food pellets. It doesn’t take much effort, tastes great, and gives you peace of mind knowing your Koi fish are eating whole, natural foods.

Blend together 1/2 cup of spinach, 1/4 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup of wheat germ, a clove of crushed garlic, and 1/4 cup of your Koi’s favorite fruit. Once it is blended into a paste, form the dough into small patties and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the patties harden.

They can be stored in the fridge, or frozen to last even longer.

The benefits of feeding your Koi people food

Feeding your Koi people food is fun, but did you know it can help improve your fish’s quality of life? Below you’ll find the top benefits your Koi fish get out of snacking on our foods.

It helps fulfill nutritional needs.

Worried that your fish are not getting the dietary requirements they need? You’re not alone. Fortunately, you don’t have to waste precious time reading the backs of fish food labels.

Instead, provide your Koi with nutritionally dense human food. This is a lot easier than hunting for the perfect fish pellet or loading up on supplements.

Your Koi’s dietary needs are not too far off from our own. They need protein, which aids in growth and replenishes cells. They need healthy fats to help absorb vitamins.

Carbs are also a necessity; they keep your fish energized. And of course, your fish need vitamins, especially A, C, D, E, and K to help support a healthy nervous system.

Since our dietary needs include the same elements, it’s easy for us to determine which foods will provide the proper nutrition for our scaly friends.

It offers a variety.

Would you want to eat the same old boring sandwich every day? With all the delicious food options out there, the answer is surely no. So why is it acceptable to feed pet fish the same food pellets day after day? Instead, offer your Koi a variety of people food.

First of all, a variety of food is excellent for your Koi fish’s health. Your fish can eat a wide range of food, each with its unique nutritional benefits. Sustenance is always better when it is sourced from whole, minimally processed foods.

When compared to highly processed pellets, it’s no competition. Additionally, a variety of food keeps your fish entertained. Sure, even fish can be excited to try new foods. It also reflects their dietary habits in the wild, since they eat from many different food sources.

The best people food for your Koi

Before you decide to share your lunch with your Koi, it’s important to know which food options are best since not everything we eat should be thrown to your Koi. Below you’ll find some great options for your fish.

Vegetables

Unlike some picky children, Koi go crazy for their veggies. They love leafy greens like lettuce, kale, and of course, spinach. They also love carrots, peas, broccoli, and even garlic!

Fruit

There’s nothing like biting into a juicy piece of fruit, and your Koi certainly feel the same. Offer your Koi orange slices, grapes and melon. They also enjoy savory fruit like peppers and tomatoes.

Meat

Like humans, Koi are omnivores. Some occasional meat will give your fish a protein boost and they’ll love the taste. Feed your koi some worms, shrimp, and crab meat.

These are the most popular options you can provide for your Koi. However, there are so many options available. The best method is to stick with whole, natural foods that come straight from the Earth.

Tips for feeding Koi

Now that you know what to feed your koi, it’s important to know how to feed your Koi. There’s more to it than just dumping food in the water and walking away. Below you’ll find tips on how to properly feed your Koi.

Properly prepare your Koi’s food.

When it comes to preparing your Koi’s food, it’s best to keep it simple. Fruits are perfectly fine served raw, just remember to prepare it in bite-sized pieces. You can also serve vegetables raw. If you prefer to offer cooked vegetables, try steaming or blanching the food.

Avoid cooking methods that include additional fats. It is not necessary for your Koi’s diet. Similarly, you can provide most types of meat raw, but if you want to cook it, opt for steaming or boiling.

Don’t overfeed your Koi.

Sometimes, it’s hard to resist overfeeding your Koi, especially when they beg at the water’s surface so politely. Remember that overfeeding can leave your fish feeling unwell. Excess food causes weight gain and lethargy. Also, overfeeding leads to more fish waste.

Your pond will get dirty more quickly and negatively affect the water quality.

Don’t underfeed your Koi.

Life is hectic. Sometimes, we are so busy, it’s easy to forget to feed our Koi. However, they are living creatures that depend on us humans for survival. An underfed Koi will also suffer from lethargy from not being properly fueled.

If your Koi are frequently underfed, they can lose weight, develop deformities, and have some strain on their organs.

Promptly remove uneaten food.

Koi don’t usually leave leftovers, but if you overfeed your Koi or provide a meal they don’t like, then remember to discard any uneaten food. Eventually, leftover food will start to decompose in the water and grow harmful bacteria. This bacteria negatively affects your Koi’s water quality.

Human foods to avoid feeding your Koi

Not everything we eat is suitable for your Koi. Below you’ll find the foods to avoid feeding your fish. They will eat just about anything, so it’s important to know what’s harmful to your Koi’s health.

High-carb foods

Complex carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine for Koi. However, foods high in simple carbs should be avoided. They offer no nutritional benefit and can harm your Koi’s health if fed in excess. Simple carbs include bread, rice, pasta, cookies, crackers, and cereal.

Many people love feeding their fish bread. We explain the do’s and don’ts of that in this article (spoiler: it is a bad idea): Can koi eat bread?

High-Fat foods

Like carbs, Koi fish also need fat in their diets, but only minimally. Too much fat consumption can cause health issues. It’s best to avoid fried foods or food cooked in oils. Also, high-fat meat should be kept to a minimum. This includes beef, pork, and animal skin.

Processed foods

These types of foods are not part of a healthy diet. Processed foods are often loaded with sodium, fat, and sugar. Also, they usually contain a lot of hard to pronounce ingredients. Your koi fish does not eat processed food in the wild, so it’s best to refrain from offering it.

Try to cut these unnatural foods out of your diet as well!

Some people feed their koi fish with dog food. Here is what you should know about that!

Wrap-up

Koi will eat just about anything, but it’s best to provide natural, nourishing food options. Stick with fresh fruits, lean meats, and lots of veggies, including everyone’s favorite dark, leafy green- spinach. Your koi will love eating a healthy, varied diet, and have fun taste-testing new options.

The post Can Koi Fish Eat Spinach? 4 Nutritional Benefits Explained appeared first on Water World Craze.

Can koi fish eat cheerios? Yes, koi fish can eat cheerios, they love them. However, the cereal shouldn’t be a staple of their diet. Due to their fluctuating eating patterns, owners need to be precise when feeding koi cheerios.

Cheerios are a great snack, but they are not nutritionally efficient. Other treats such as fruit and vegetables are better for your koi. Using these nature-based treats provide plenty of vitamins and minerals to make up for the meal they are missing when you are feeding your koi a snack.

Read further to discover other types of human food they like, when to feed your koi these types of food, and the right kind of food to feed your koi.

Why cheerios?

Looking up what koi fish can eat you might wonder why so many people are talking about cheerios. Why? Back in the day, koi owners would exclusively feed their fish cheerios.

While it wasn’t detrimental to their health we now have better and more widely available food that is specifically for koi fish.

It’s not that cheerios are terrible for koi, they are made of whole grains, low in sugar and have plenty of vitamins and nutrients. But cheerios are not specialized for the koi’s diet and will not provide them with the correct balance of nutrients throughout the year.

Also, processing and manufacturing foods have changed in the past few decades and the cheerios that we eat might not be the same as the ones your grandparents used for their koi fish.

Food like these should be given in moderation if you want something else to give your koi as a treat. Some people don’t feed their koi cheerios at all, while others use them as a treat.

If you feed your koi cheerios is up to you, if you are worried about feeding them something out a cardboard box then don’t worry about feeding it to them. It isn’t an essential part of their diet and what they don’t know they won’t miss.

When purchasing cheerios for your koi fish be careful with the type, koi will eat anything, but that doesn’t mean you can feed them anything. Just get the plain multi-wheat cheerios instead of any of the flavored kinds.

They do love honey but have difficulty processing nuts so avoid the honey nut kind. Check each flavor before you toss it into the pond, or just get the plain.

They will eat several types of cereals such as flakes or rice cereal. Like with cheerios watch out for the flavored kinds and try to stick with whole grains or brown rice if you can find it.

All that you have to do is soak the cereal for about three minutes before throwing it in the pond or hand feeding your fish. The flakes and rice cereal do not need to be soaked first, you can just throw it right in.

Feed cereal to your koi like you would their regular food, as much as they can eat in five minutes.

Other types of human food koi like

Funnily enough, koi have a similar diet to us, they are a carnivore after all. So whatever we eat they love to eat as well. Unfortunately, that also translates to what is bad for us is bad for them as well.

For this very reason, a lot of koi owners use natural foods as a treat for their fish instead of items that can be found in a cardboard box. Foodstuffs such as fruit, vegetables, starches, and even meat are a better treat for your koi than cheerios are.

Simply for the fact that these food sources provide ample vitamins and nutrients naturally instead of being manufactured.

Fruits and vegetables while having carbs don’t have an abundance of them so they will not interfere with your koi’s specific nutritional needs, especially in the summer when they need more protein than carbohydrates.

While fruits and vegetables options are vast you will need to be a bit more discriminating towards meats and grains. But don’t worry about that we will tell you what to look for.

Now there is a lot of talk about koi fish-eating anything they can get their mouth on, but they have to recognize it as food first and every fish is different.

In the chance that your koi don’t eat their snacks when thrown in the pond try hand feeding them. If that doesn’t work, don’t worry about it. They are getting their nutrients from their regular food.

Fruit and Veggies

Koi love all kinds of plants to snack on, they will even eat the plants that are in their pond. Watery plant life is a big hit in the koi world, such as

• Watermelon
• Oranges
• Greens
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes

They will even eat broccoli, apples, and berries. If the food is large break it up in small enough pieces for your koi.

For hard fruits and veggies, it fine to boil their food for a few minutes until it softens. Just let it cool down before feeding it to your fish.

Watermelon or just melons, in general, are soft enough on the inside that all you need to do is cut a thin slice and throw it into the pond. Your koi will swim up to it.

Meats

Meat that koi will encounter in the wild such as:

• Bloodworms
• Crickets
• Earthworms
• Shrimp

You can use live, dried or frozen meat for your koi for those people like myself who get squeamish feeding live food.

Some even use earthworms they find while gardening, only do that in moderation though, not for your koi fish but your garden. It needs those earthworms too. They will eat any little bugs that happen upon the koi pond anyways.

We also recommend reading our ultimate koi fish feeding guide here!

Grains and starches

Here is the area where the closest attention needs to be paid. During the summer koi need a lot more protein while in the building and waning months of spring and fall they have a more carb-heavy appetite.

Grains have a lot more carbs than fruits and vegetables and can throw off your koi’s diet. These items need to be given with a light hand.

In addition to the carb issue koi have a problem with the white floor and starches. For the same reason we don’t throw rice at weddings anymore, these types of food will make your koi fish swell.

Choose for whole wheat or brown rice if you want to use these as a treat, for potatoes go for sweet potatoes instead of your typical russet. Boil and cold all grains and starches before feeding. You can even add honey to these items to make it easier for your koi to eat.

When treats are ok for your koi to eat

It isn’t healthy to just feed your koi cheerios or any human food.

The conversation needs to include when it’s ok to feed your koi cheerios. They have a complex diet that shifts throughout the year entirely dependent on the weather. Cheerios while a nice treat is not a healthy replacement for their regular pellet food.

Due to their varying diet koi have specific food for the time of year and temperature. During the summer they eat a more protein-heavy diet when their metabolism is highest. Carbs are still a staple in their nutrition, but it takes a back seat.

Your koi will also eat a lot more during the summer. This is why treats like cheerios are best given during hotter periods because there are more meals.

Koi food specifically made for the warmer months has the correct balance of proteins, carbs, fats, and vitamins. All that you need to do is feed them throughout the day.

When the temperature drops so do their appetite. They are slowing down their feeding process for the wintertime, which if it’s cold enough they will go into hibernation.

You need to provide them with the right vitamins and nutrition when sending them off to their long non-eating times. Cheerios are just filler food that isn’t providing them anything but a good taste in their mouth.

Some koi owners use this fiber-rich cereal to get their koi’s stomach adjusted to and from hibernation changes. When their water gets below 55° F koi will stop eating and enter a hibernation cycle until the temperature of their water rises.

Some owners get a box of cheerios before the temperature drops and feed them the entire box to adjust their stomach to hibernation and then do the same in spring to restore the koi’s gut to regular feeding again.

This should only be done directly before and after hibernation, if you are not a seasoned koi owner then just still with the pellets to make it easier.

Anything that you give your koi that isn’t a part of their regular feeding should be given in moderation. Koi will eat anything that you can throw in their pond, but you being the reasonable party need to exhibit caution when providing these treats.

Remember during the summer you can replace one meal with treats, but when your koi start eating less each day they need to be given their intended food only.

The post Can Koi Fish Eat Cheerios? appeared first on Water World Craze.

But, before you get your bite-sized bread cubes ready, you should probably make sure it is safe.

Can guppies eat bread? Guppies can eat a small amount of bread, but it doesn’t mean they should. It’s not a part of their natural diet and offers no health benefits. Also, pieces of bread make a clean aquarium dirty quite fast. It’s far from the best snack option.

Want to learn more about why this tasty treat is not your best option? Continue reading below.

Bread is bad for your guppies’ health

Bread is undeniably a tasty treat. Your guppy won’t deny eating it. However, it does no good for your finned friend’s health. Listed below, you’ll find the reasons why bread is a poor choice of snack food.

Inappropriate ingredients

Nearly all the ingredients in bread are not meant for your fish to consume. This holds especially true for highly processed bread that contains preservatives.

In most bread, you’ll find harmful ingredients such as sugar, corn syrup, artificial coloring, sugar, and sodium. Bread also contains yeast, possibly the most damaging ingredient, which will be discussed later.

Little nutritional value

Bread is a high-calorie food with little nutritional value. It does contain some calcium and fiber, but not enough to make an impact. Instead, your fish is mostly loading up on empty calories. Guppies should eat a diet high in protein with some nutrient-dense plant matter.

It causes digestive issues

Bread has the potential to hurt your guppies’ digestive system. It’s mostly caused by yeast. When your fish eats yeast, it expands in its stomach. This leads to bloating, constipation, and discomfort.

Guppies also can’t break down gluten, meaning more discomfort and indigestion. Unless you want a bloated, lethargic guppy, avoid feeding it bread.

Bread is bad for your guppies’ tank

Want to mess up the water quality in your guppy tank fast and effortlessly? Throw some bread in the tank and walk away. Think about dipping a piece of bread into a bowl of soup.

After a few seconds of dunking, the bread absorbs lots of liquid. However, if you dunk the bread too long, it turns into a soggy mess and will fall apart.

The same thing applies to your fish tank. If the bread crumbs thrown in aren’t eaten within moments or fished out, they will expand. This expanded bread soon disintegrates into the water.

These tiny pieces of mushy bread then sink to the bottom of the tank. The rest of the bread will wind up stuck in your tank’s filter. Worst of all disintegrated bread is a sure way to amp up your tank’s toxic ammonia levels.

Other human food to avoid feeding your guppies

Bread is not the only table food you should keep out of your guppies’ mouth. Below is a list of human food that isn’t ideal for your fish.

Processed foods

These types of foods contain lots of unnatural ingredients that can harm your guppies’ health. They have preservatives, trans fats, sugar, and salt. Guppies don’t eat these kinds of food in the wild. They should not eat it in captivity, either.

High-fat meat

Guppies do need a small amount of fat in their diet, but some of the meat that we eat has way too much fat to benefit your fish. Beef and pork can contain a lot of fat and should be avoided.

Too much fat consumption often leads to a fat buildup around your guppies’ heart. Also, too much fat is harmful to your fish’s liver.

Dairy

This is another example of food your guppies never eat in the wild. Dairy, like meat, is high in fat. It does not have much nutritional value.

Starch

Like bread, your guppy will enjoy eating starchy foods, but it is not ideal. Starchy products such as pasta, rice, crackers, and cereal all contain that indigestible gluten. They will bloat your fish and cause discomfort.

Vegetables cooked in fat

Veggies are an excellent supplement to your guppies’ diet. However, you must be careful about how it is prepared. Since the excessive intake of fat can hurt your fish, make sure to avoid it.

This means no sauteed veggies in butter and olive oil. Instead, opt for boiled, steamed, or raw vegetables.

The best human food for your guppies

Can’t resist the call of feeding your guppies some table scraps? The good news is that there are plenty of human foods suitable for guppy consumption.

Best of all, if you stick to the human foods recommended below, you’ll be doing a world of good for your fish friends. Healthy, natural foods add an abundance of vitamins and minerals to your guppies’ diet.

Also, your fish benefit from a diet with variety. A varied diet ensures proper development.

Listed below you’ll find the best human foods for your guppies.

Proteins

Guppies are active little fish. Some protein in your guppies diet is excellent for keeping your fish energized. But, you want to be sure you are providing protein beneficial to your guppies’ health. Lean meats prepared without added flavoring or fat is the best option.

Opt for egg yolks. They are easy to prepare and loved by guppies. They have lots of protein and healthy fat. Seafood such as fish and shrimp is another top pick. It can be fed to guppies raw. Steamed chicken breast is another favorite.

Vegetables

Guppies are omnivores. Protein alone won’t cut it. In fact, the majority of your guppies’ diet should be plant-based. It provides all the healthy vitamins and minerals your guppies need. It’s easy to feed your guppies vegetables too; there is no shortage of options.

Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and romaine are a popular option. Also, it’s an easy option since it does not require cooking. Just shred it into small pieces and feed to your fish. Peas, sweet corn, sweet potato, and carrots are also healthy options. Blanch them before serving.

Fruits

Plant-based is not just about vegetables. Fruits are also a healthy food group with great variety. Sweet fruits contain lots of healthy nutrients, but should mostly be considered a treat since they are high in sugar.

Try some apples, grapes, and bananas. Remember to fish out any uneaten pieces promptly after serving. High sugar fruits can grow unwanted bacteria quickly.

Don’t forget about savory fruits that are often lumped in with vegetables. You can serve these varieties more frequently than high sugar fruits. Offer your fish blanched bell pepper or raw pumpkin.

Guppies also love cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes. But before serving, scrape out any of the watery jelly found inside these fruits.

What to feed guppies when out of fish food?

We have compiled some additional foods you can feed your guppy besides fish food in this article!

Wrap-Up

While your guppies will eat bread, you should probably refrain from serving it. It’s not worth it when considering its effects on your guppies’ health and water quality.

Thankfully, there are lots of other human food treats you can offer to your fish. Stick with those lean proteins, vegetables, and fruits to keep your guppies satiated and nourished.

The post Can Guppies Eat Bread? Bad Idea! appeared first on Water World Craze.

What can you feed your guppies if you’re out of fish food? Guppies can survive without food for two weeks. If you run out of flake food there is a variety of other options to choose from.

Your children didn’t tell you they had used the last of the flake food yesterday, and now you have nothing on hand to feed your guppies? That’s okay, they will be alright for a few days. The next time you go to the grocery store, there are foods you can pick up to feed them.

What kinds of human foods can guppies eat?

Guppies will eat at the top of the tank. You’ll want to have food that can float or will not sink very quickly.

Homemade

Veggies

Guppies can eat a wide variety of vegetables if you run out of your regular flake food. That being said, there are a few things you’re going to want to keep in mind if that’s the route you’re going to take.

1. Leaving the food in the tank for longer than 12 hours if the guppy hasn’t eaten everything can contaminate your water. It could alter the PH level and make it dirty.
2. Food has to be small enough that the guppies can eat it. It’s recommended that you try to keep the bites of food about the size of their eye.
3. The jelly parts of fruit, like the insides of tomatoes or cucumbers, can contaminate the tank. Only feed your fish the solid bits of the vegetables.

If necessary, your guppies can survive off of the algae in their tank for a little bit. You have time for a grocery run.

Here are some suggestions for vegetables for your guppies:

• Mustard Greens
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Bell Peppers
• Lettuce
• Shelled Peas
• Spinach

There are some fruits you can give them, but it isn’t really recommended to be a large portion of their diet. The sugar is hard for the guppies to deal with, as they never had anything like that in the wild.

If you absolutely have to, you can chop up grapes or bananas. Just make sure it’s small enough that the guppies can easily consume it and that you remove it from the tank if the guppies aren’t eating it.

Human Proteins

About 20 percent of your guppies’ diet should be protein. But pay attention, proteins left too long in the tank can also cause serious consequences.

The excess foods will need to be removed from the tank three to four hours after feeding. Afterward, make sure you do a water 10 – 20 per cent water change to ensure clean water.

If necessary, your guppies can have some of the proteins you might prepare for yourself:

• Raw Shrimp
• Slivered Raw Beef
• Slivered Raw Chicken
• Slivered Raw Lamb
• Cut up Boiled Egg Whites (Don’t use the yolk as it will disintegrate and the guppies can’t eat this).

Fish Proteins

It’s possible to create your own culture of brine shrimp, daphnia or micro-worms at home. It will require some effort, and some of these will be smelly setups.

You can purchase kits to grow:

If you don’t want to purchase a kit, you can make a DIY version with the instructions in the video below.

Guppies can also eat fruit flies. So when fruit fly season comes around, capture those little suckers and use them to shore up your food supply.

Having a set up for food in your own home does require a bit of commitment. The creatures you are using to feed your fish will need to be looked after as well.

There is also the possibility that your hatcheries don’t survive. You’ll want to make sure that you have backup freeze-dried food just in case.

Still, we want you to know that brine shrimp is actually pretty awesome for guppies. Here is why!

Store-bought

There is always the standard fish flake food that you can get for your guppies. There are also a few alternatives for your little guys:

• Freeze-dried brine shrimp
• Freeze-dried bloodworms
• Freeze-dried tubifex worms
• Veggie pallets
• Spirulina

The flake food has all of the vitamins and minerals your guppy will need, so it’s recommended that they eat this at least once a day.

That being said, you can help your fish live it up a bit by offering them a variety. Just make sure you read the instructions on how to feed them if you are using something that you’re not familiar with.

Fish flakes can be scattered over the top of the water. Everything else needs to be divided into portions with only a little being put in at a time.

It’s easy to overfeed your fish with some of the freeze-dried food.

What will happen if I don’t feed my guppies?

Adult guppies

Your guppies will be able to survive for a little bit without food, so don’t panic. You can run to the store tomorrow and they’ll still be okay. The adults can survive up to two weeks without food.

Ideally, your fish should eat up to three times per day. You’ll want to feed them small amounts that they can eat in under five minutes so the food doesn’t go foul.

If they don’t have food, guppies can also survive on the algae in the tank. This isn’t their ideal food source, but it will sustain them while you make the trip to the store.

Also, keep in mind, if there is no food and there are babies in the tank, your adult guppies will probably eat the fry.

Fry

If you are trying to breed guppies, don’t plan any long vacations. The fry, which are the baby guppies, will likely not survive more than three days without food.

Unlike their parents, the fry don’t have the energy reserves to fall back on when they are forced to fast.

There are solutions like this automatic feeder, though you’ll have to be careful. You’re relying on your auto feeder to keep your fish fed when you aren’t going to be there to check on them. If there is a failure, there could be severe consequences for your fish.

What kind of food can you use in an automatic feeder?

Your auto feeders will require flakes, pellets or crumbles. Anything that can be dispensed easily and will stay dry.

Pros and cons of an automatic fish feeder.

So you’re going on vacation and you’ve decided an automatic feeder is the way you’re going to go. That’s great, these feeders can be very helpful for fish owners.

Here are some things you can look forward to:

• You can preset the amount of food your fish will have, as well as the number of times they will be fed every day.
• There will be less food waste. If you leave someone who isn’t used to feeding fish in charge, there’s a chance they’ll overfeed to err on the side of caution.
• With less food waste your tank will stay cleaner for a longer period of time. Meaning it won’t be such a chore to clean it when you get home.

There are, however, some things that you’ll have to keep in mind:

• Even with an automatic feeder, you’re going to want someone to check on your fish every two to three days. If there is a power outage or your automatic feeder stops working you’ll want your fish to still have someone there.
• It’s possible that the automatic feeder will malfunction and put out more food than is needed. In this case you’re going to have a very dirty tank when you come home. And possibly some sick fish.

I can’t get an auto feeder, now what?

If you can’t afford an automatic feeder you’ll want to make sure you have someone who can come check on your fish every couple of days. Preferably, it will be someone that you can trust who knows how to deal with fish.

You wouldn’t leave your dog with someone who hates animals, right?

Try to have your sitter over a few times to feed the fish while you are there. Training them in advance can assure you a restful time away and less stress for the person watching the little ones.

You can either provide fish flakes for your sitter or have them use homemade food for your pets. It’s probably best to only ask experienced fish owners to look after any cultures you have in your home. That will require more work.

Post a list of all of the foods your fish can eat and what the portions should be if the guppies are having homemade food. Any easy reference or guide will mean far less mistakes.

The post What To Feed Guppies When Out Of Food? appeared first on Water World Craze.

Whether you won your goldfish at a carnival or you simply want a pet that is rather low-maintenance, it’s important to be aware of the different foods that you can feed your goldfish.

While most people will simply feed their goldfish the flakes and pellets that they were recommended at the pet store, there are some people who wonder whether or not it is possible for goldfish to eat human food. The answer is yes.

There are many different human foods that goldfish can safely eat, provided that you have cut them into small pieces and have cooked them to make them as soft as possible (remember, goldfish are small and don’t have teeth in the front of their mouths).

Some of these foods will provide your goldfish with great nutritional value and it’s recommended that you add some of them to your goldfish’s diet.

In this article, we will provide you with a guide of what you can and cannot feed your goldfish, as well as general advice you should follow when you go to feed your goldfish.

A Typical Goldfish Diet

Mainly, goldfish will eat flakes or pellets. This is what most people will feed their goldfish and it can easily be found at any pet store. An ideal mixture of goldfish food would include shrimp, veggies, and daphnia.

They should eat between 2 to 3 times per day and need to avoid overfeeding. Some people give in and feed their goldfish every time they seem to be begging at the surface of the water, but overfeeding can cause a lot of problems, such as contamination and indigestion.

The tank will get dirty from the leftovers, which will harm the environment for your fish. It’s usually recommended that you feed your goldfish the same amount of food that would equal the size of their eye or that could be easily consumed within 2 minutes.

Make sure that the temperature of the water in the tank is where it should be, because if the water is too cold, your goldfish will not be able to digest food properly.

Also, in case you see any behavioral changes in your goldfish after feeding new foods, you should read our articles below:

List of Foods that Goldfish Can Eat

When you go into your kitchen, you might wonder whether or not you can feed your goldfish some of the very foods you eat. Luckily, you most likely can! Here’s a list of the most popular foods that goldfish can eat without any difficulty that can be found in your own kitchen.

1. Oatmeal

Believe it or not, oatmeal can be a fantastic treat for goldfish. Many goldfish seem to like oatmeal and it does seem to provide them with some nutritional benefits.

Larger goldfish have the ability to eat raw oatmeal, but if your goldfish are on the smaller side, you should try to soak the oatmeal or cook it before feeding.

It is also important to make sure that you provide your goldfish with smaller pieces so that they have an easier time consuming the food and so that it doesn’t block their intestines.

2. Vegetables

Goldfish are also capable of eating vegetables. In fact, this seems to be the food group that will be the safest for them. Here are some of the most popular vegetables that people feed their goldfish.

3. Carrots

Carrots are a highly nutritional treat that can even enhance the color of your goldfish. This is due to the fact that their color is mostly based on their diet. It’s recommended that you cook the carrots first until they’re completely soft.

Then, cut the carrot into very small pieces that your goldfish will have an easy time eating.

4. Peas

Peas are another popular snack for goldfish. They even have the ability to heal goldfish when they’re sick or constipated. You will want to make sure that the skin has been peeled off of the peas before you feed it to your goldfish to prevent choking.

It’s also recommended that you cook the peas to soften them a little bit first and then chop them into smaller pieces that your fish will have an easier time eating the peas.

5. Cucumbers

Cucumbers aren’t necessarily the most nutritional food on our list, but goldfish do enjoy them. You should try to feed them cucumbers less often, though, and certainly don’t use cucumbers as your fish’s main meal.

Remove the skin first and microwave it for a few seconds to make the cucumber soft. Then, cup it into very small pieces that your goldfish can eat. Some goldfish like the seeds and others don’t, so whether you keep them or remove them will be based on your goldfish’s taste.

6. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are the healthiest ‘human’ food that you can feed your goldfish. They love to eat lettuce, kale, spinach, and other greens.

It’s recommended that you introduce your goldfish to a variety of different greens to forage on because this is what they would naturally be doing in the wild. You can quickly microwave some of the different greens so that your goldfish can eat them easier.

Eating greens will make your goldfish a lot healthier and will prevent them from producing too much ammonia.

7. Garlic

Surprisingly, goldfish can eat garlic and it is often added as an ingredient in goldfish food. But you should only feed them garlic in moderation because it has the possibility of being toxic if your goldfish consume too much.

Many people chop up garlic into very fine pieces and add it to other food that they are giving their goldfish. Garlic has the ability to kill harmful bacteria and parasites, as well as stimulate a goldfish’s appetite.

8. Fruits

Fruits are also safe for goldfish to eat, but they shouldn’t be fed fruits too often and fruit should not be used as a substitute for other foods. Here are some fruits that are safe to feed goldfish.

9. Apples

If you choose to feed your goldfish apples, make sure that you have completely peeled the skin off to prevent choking and cut the apple into small pieces. Some people recommend that you microwave the apple to make it softer, but this isn’t mandatory.

You shouldn’t feed them apples too often, though, because apples have a lot of sugar and calories.

10. Watermelon

You can also feed your goldfish watermelon in moderation. You don’t necessarily have to cut the watermelon into tiny pieces, but you should make sure that you have removed all the seeds.

Another great thing about watermelon is that it floats, so you can place the watermelon at the top of the water. Your goldfish will chase the watermelon until it has been completely eaten, which will provide them with a lot of exercise.

But again, you shouldn’t feed them watermelon too often.

Foods You Should Never Feed Your Goldfish

With all that being said, there are some foods that you should avoid feeding your goldfish at all costs.

1. Bread

For a long time, people recommended feeding your goldfish bread. In fact, many people have done so for hundreds of years. But it’s just not something that you should do.

This doesn’t, however, mean that your goldfish has been poisoned or will inevitably die if it has eaten a few bread crumbs, but you should avoid feeding them bread at all costs. White bread, in particular, carries no nutritional value to your goldfish.

The main reason why you shouldn’t feed your goldfish bread is that it can expand and swell within your fish’s stomach, which will block important passageways, leading to constipation and a variety of other issues.

2. Crackers

You should also avoid feeding your goldfish crackers for the same reason. If you do feed your goldfish one or two, they aren’t likely to die, but crackers can expand in your goldfish’s stomach, leading to constipation and other types of blockages.

3. Cereal

Cereal is also not likely to kill your goldfish, but a common tendency among different grains is that they will likely expand and swell in your goldfish’s stomach, causing constipation and a variety of other health issues.

Plus, we can’t imagine that some of the fancier cereals containing large amounts of chocolate, marshmallows, and other processed foods will be terribly healthy for your goldfish.

4. Rhubarb greens

While you will be able to feed your goldfish many different greens- and it is recommended that you do so because of the vast health benefits- there are some greens that you should do your best to avoid. This includes rhubarb greens because they are toxic for goldfish.

5. Mammalian fats

This is generally in reference to meat. You really want to make sure that you avoid feeding your goldfish chicken, beef, pork, or any other kind of meat, even if it has been chopped up and thoroughly cooked.

Fat is a harmful ingredient for fish. Consuming any type of meat will cause fat to build up around your fish’s heart, liver, and reproductive organs. So, you generally will want to avoid fatty foods at all costs.

6. Cooking oil

When you go to cook food for your goldfish, you will want to avoid cooking food in any sort of oil, including vegetable oil, coconut oil, and others. This is because fatty oils can be extremely toxic for goldfish and can poison them.

Overfeeding

No matter what you go to feed your goldfish, you will want to make sure that you avoid overfeeding them. This is true even if you’re feeding them the most nutritious meal.

Goldfish have the tendency to eat too much, which can cause many different problems in their digestive system that are difficult to deal with.

So, the rule of thumb is to only feed your goldfish twice or three times per day and only feed as much as they can eat in a matter of a minute or two.

Critical Vitamins and Nutrients That Goldfish Need

Much like other animals, there are many vitamins and nutrients that you should make sure to include in your goldfish’s diet. These are essential in making sure that your goldfish will live long, healthy lives.

Protein

Plant-based proteins are an essential part of your goldfish’s diet and you should aim to make sure that 45 percent of their diet consists of protein. It’s essential for their development and growth as they age.

Minerals

Your goldfish do need minerals, but they generally will get all the minerals they need from the water. Some minerals such as iron, zinc, and magnesium have naturally been included in their diets. So, you don’t need to worry too much on this level.

Fat

Although we mentioned above that goldfish cannot digest mammalian fats, they do still need to have some fat in their diet because this is where they get their energy from.

Some people feed their goldfish ants, different types of mealworms, and fish oil so that fish can get the necessary amount of fat.

Vitamins

The most common vitamins that should be included as part of a fish’s diet include vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and folic acid. Luckily, most goldfish flakes contain all the vitamins a fish will need.

But sometimes, you might notice strange behaviors that may or may not be signs of a vitamin deficiency. You can always feed your goldfish live food to see if that’s the case.

Conclusion

Overall, it isn’t too difficult to take care of goldfish. They only need to be fed 2 or 3 times a day to be optimally healthy.

The good news is that many of the foods that can be found in your kitchen, vegetables, in particular, can be consumed by goldfish and will provide them with all the necessary health benefits.

Just make sure that you avoid feeding your goldfish too much and know what foods are not safe for them. Also, make sure that anything you feed them from your kitchen has been cut up into small pieces and cooked so your goldfish can consume it easily.

The post 10 Human Foods You Can Feed Your Goldfish + 6 Foods To Avoid appeared first on Water World Craze.

If you’re lucky enough to have both dogs and koi, you know that you’ll have loyal pals with you all the time.

Since we know that koi fish are pretty versatile in what they can eat, some dog and koi owners wonder if it is possible to feed their koi dog food.

Dog food can indeed be used as a treat for koi fish and it won’t cause the fish any harm. Some people give their koi fish dog treats once in a while. But this is not something that should become a staple of their diet, and it especially should not be the only thing you feed your koi.

Luckily, you’re not going to be very limited if you choose to get koi fish when it comes to what they can and can’t eat. In this article, we’ll delve into the question of koi eating dog food a little deeper, as well as give you some pointers about tasty snacks that your koi are sure to love.

Feeding Koi Dog Food

Dog food might not be the first snack you think of when it comes to what to feed your fish. However, it’s well known that koi are considered the dogs of the sea- meaning, they’ll eat just about anything you can give to them.

And if you have dogs, you might wonder about the added convenience of feeding your koi dog food.

Dog food is certainly not dangerous for koi and it won’t cause them any harm. However, since the food will not provide any nutritional value to your fish, you should avoid making this the sole or major component of their diet.

It might be a given that you should mainly be feeding your koi their specialized fish food, but a dog treat here and there every once in a while will not be a problem.

The thing is that dog food does not provide koi fish with any nutritional value.

So, it’s highly possible that, with feeding koi dog food on a regular basis or making it a staple part of their diet, your fish will not grow to their maximum potential and will lack many of the basic nutrients necessary for survival.

So, whether or not you choose to feed your koi dog food ever is up to you, but if you decide to do so, it should be done on a very occasional basis.

The main reason for this is because dog food is generally high in protein. Dogs need to have a lot of protein in their diet in order to stay healthy.

However, koi fish have some difficulty digesting protein. They also need protein in their diet, but the protein that koi fish need can be found in their fish food. Because of the potential for digestive issues to arise, you should avoid feeding them other sources of protein.

What If You Still Want To Try Feeding Dog Food?

Since dog food is not dangerous for koi fish, we totally understand if you still want to try feeding dog food. However, if you do so, we recommend going with natural high-quality dog food.

Pay attention to the ingredients and make sure that there are no fillers added to the food. So it might be a good idea to stay away from dog food with grains in it.

Remember, the more natural you feed, the fewer problems you will experience with your pond and with your fish. Natural means, most of it should be meat/ veggies.

So if you really want to try it, we recommend getting this dog food for your koi fish! It fits the recommendation and it seems that people already had success with it (which means no bad water and no sick fish) as you can see in the video below.

Can Koi Eat Other Animal Food?

If you have animals other than dogs, you might be wondering, then, if you can feed your koi the food eaten by those animals as well. Let’s take a look at some of the different foods you might be wondering about.

Cat food

Just like dog food, cat food will not be dangerous for your koi to eat. However, once again, it will not provide your fish with any nutritional value, so this is something that should be fed to them rarely, if ever.

Live food

If you have a pet that eats live food, such as small insects, worms, shrimp, or more, you definitely can also give some of these foods to your koi.

Koi are omnivorous, which means that they have the capability of eating just about anything. Shrimp, particularly, are a favorite among koi, but any other live snacks will also do.

Other fish food

If you have other fish, you may be able to feed their flakes to koi as well. For example, koi can indeed eat goldfish food. But some other pond fish foods might contain ingredients that could make it difficult for your koi to digest easily.

In the meantime, we’ll now list some of the snacks that you can feed your koi in replacement of dog food that will make for excellent and nutritional treats.

Fun Treats to Feed Koi – Feed this instead of dog food

If you want to feed your koi something interesting and unique every once in a while, dog food might not be the best answer because you still want to be providing them with something nutritional. Here are some snacks that you can feed your koi instead of dog food.

Fruit

Koi love fruit! Some of the best fruits to give them include watermelon, oranges, and grapes. You won’t necessarily have to cut them into small pieces because koi have large, powerful mouths with teeth in the back of their throats.

Fruits are known for their immense nutritional value and are even said to help improve the immune systems of your fish.

Meat

Meat might not be the first thing that you feed your koi, but it does certainly make them happy to see. Shrimp, in particular, is known for being a nutritional treat for koi.

You may also choose to treat them with foods such as crayfish and worms. Since koi are omnivores, you will be able to feed them meat on occasion without any issues.

Vegetables

Vegetables are also known for providing koi with important nutritional value. Greens particularly are among the best foods to feed them. Some favorites will include lettuce and broccoli. You won’t need to cut these up, either, because koi work together to rip the pieces apart.

Garlic is another favorite among koi. They love to gobble this treat up and they especially enjoy the scent of it!

Keep in mind that these are just suggestions for treats that you can feed your koi fish on an occasional basis.

While they do provide important nutritional value and are known to improve your fish’s health, that doesn’t mean these foods should replace any of the essential foods that need to be a part of a koi’s diet.

However, just like humans, fish might get tired of eating the same foods every day and will want a change every so often.

Further, we highly recommend feeding koi fish spinach! We explain the benefits of feeding koi fish spinach here!

Additional Facts About Koi Behavior

Koi will not eat your other fish.

Koi are known for being docile and calm fish, so they are not going to go out of their way to attack or eat the other fish in the tank or pond. However, it is important to note that koi may mistake a fish that is smaller than an inch in size for food, so you may want to keep the tiny fish away.

Here are a couple of articles you should read if you keep koi fish with other fish:

Koi eating habits:

It is generally recommended that you feed your koi between one and four times every day and limit the food to something that they can easily consume in 5 minutes. Check to see if there is any food remaining after this time to get a good idea of how much to feed them.

We highly recommend reading our Ultimate Koi Fish Feeding Guide here!

Conclusion

In all, dog food is not something that you should be looking to feed your koi on a regular basis. While it won’t cause them any harm, dog food does not contain the important nutritional value that is key in making sure your koi stay strong and healthy.

So, if you are looking to add something new to your koi’s diet every so often, there are plenty of healthier and more nutritional options that you can look into.

The post Can Koi Fish Eat Dog Food? Why This Is A Bad Idea appeared first on Water World Craze.

That’s why it’s quite common to find yourself in a situation where you just ran out of the “guppy food.” So, what should you do now? Give them the betta food from your shelf or not?

Well, the good news is – we have the answer!

Can guppies eat betta food? Guppies can eat betta food. However, giving only betta food won’t be healthy for your guppies in the long run. Guppies are omnivores, so you need to feed them a balanced diet with vegetables as well.

There are lots of betta foods that happen to be guppy foods too. These are mostly protein-based foods and more suited for guppy fry rather than adult ones.

Betta Food for Guppies – A Closer Look at Different Types

Betta food mainly consists of high protein content as bettas are carnivores. Feeding a high level of protein content regularly to guppy fish isn’t healthy.

So, you may offer betta food occasionally to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your guppies.

Pellets

These are the most common betta food that you can give to your guppies. However, the quality varies greatly depending on the brand.

Even if you feed your guppies betta pellets, you should make sure they have fewer fillers and more quality ingredients that would help your fish thrive.

Usually, betta pellets seem to offer 30-50% protein content along with fibers and fats. Some betta pellets tend to expand when they are in contact with water. This can cause your guppy to have digestive issues.

So, you need to soak them in tank water to fully hydrate them before feeding it to your precious guppy fish. Also, guppies have a smaller mouth, so crush the betta pellets before you feed them to your guppies.

It’s recommended that you only feed betta pallets to guppies when you don’t have any other commercial guppy food left.

Flakes

You can also feed your guppies betta flakes. However, these flakes are explicitly made for betta fish, so they tend to be more geared towards betta fish diet.

That’s why they have more protein content and lack other nutritious elements that you guppy would need.

If you don’t have any other guppy food left, then you can feed them betta flakes, but including it to their regular diet won’t be a healthy option.

On the other hand, flakes tend to be messy and easily dissolve in tank water, decreasing the water quality faster.

You should remove any sunken or excess flakes right after feeding time to maintain water quality. You may also need to change water frequently to avoid any increase in ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite.

Freeze-Dried Food

You can use freeze-dried betta food as a treat for your guppies. These have more nutritional values compared to pellets or flakes.

Basically, freeze-dried foods have very low moisture content and have added fillers to preserve them for a longer time.

Always check out the ingredients from the label before you feed this to your guppies.

It’s recommended that you soak the freeze-dried foods in tank water before you feed it to your guppies. If not, your guppies may feel bloated or have constipation issues later on.

A huge plus point of these foods is that they don’t have any parasites or bacteria. Freeze-dried foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia are the best choices for your guppy fish.

Frozen Food

You will get a lot of options for your guppies when it comes to frozen betta food. Both fish breeds can eat similar frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and mysis shrimp.

Guppies love these foods, and these could be a good protein source for them. However, frozen foods always have less nutritional value than live ones.

So, don’t make these their primary source of food if you want you guppy to be healthy and happy.

Plus, you have to thaw the frozen food before you feed them to your guppies. For this, you can warm up some tank water and thaw it in the water.

It’s recommended not to refreeze any leftover thawed frozen food because it might get exposed to bacteria.

Live Food

Live foods are always an excellent choice for guppy fish. There are lots of live betta foods that guppies love to eat, and you can easily introduce them into their diet.

Live foods are a great source of nutrition and have vitamins that help your guppy fish stay healthy.

You can always get live food such as daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworm from the local fish store. We highly recommend feeding brine shrimp to your guppies – here is why brine shrimp is so awesome!

You can also run multiple hatcheries at home, to maintain a more sustainable food source. Brine shrimps are actually good for guppy fry as the high protein level helps them grow faster.

Should You Only Feed Betta Food To Your Guppies?

The short answer is – NO! As we mentioned earlier, feeding your guppies only betta food isn’t healthy.

Guppies need a balanced diet consisting of both meat and vegetables. As bettas only eat meat-based food, the foods lack minerals and vitamins.

So, avoid relying solely on meat-based food for your guppy fish.

Veggie pallets are a great choice of food for your guppy fish. These pallets contain a lot of greens such as spirulina, algae, and plankton that are rich in vitamins B, C, D, and E.

They also offer a good amount of calcium and iron for your fish.

You can also feed them vegetables that are rich in minerals and vitamins such as magnesium, calcium, iron, A, B-6, B-12, C, D, and E.

Guppies eat green beans, cucumber, corn, potato, carrots, zucchini, kale, broccoli, and spinach leaves. You can feed spinach, cucumber, zucchini, and potato raw.

Just make sure you cut them into tiny pieces so that your guppy fish can easily eat them. Also, remember to remove the seeds and jelly bits from cucumbers and zucchini.

You should boil peas, carrots, green beans, and broccoli for a minute or two to soften them before you feed them. Also, peel of the shells of green beans and peas. It would help your guppy to digest them better.

What Should You Do If Your Guppy Fish Keeps Eating All Your Betta’s Food?

You might face this issue if you keep your guppies and bettas in the same tank. As both fish have some common food pallet, it’s not uncommon for your guppy fish to keep eating all the food for your betta fish.

Obviously, if you let such acts continue, it won’t be healthy for either of the fish breeds.

You can try out two methods to prevent your guppy from hogging all the food for themselves.

Firstly, you can feed your guppy at one side of the tank and then feed your betta at the opposite side of the tank. You should make sure to drip-feed only a little bit on both ends at a time.

After your betta is done eating enough, you can pour all of the food in.

Secondly, you can separate both fish breeds with a net during feeding to keep your guppies away from the betta food. Once you are done feeding both parties, take out the net.

If you don’t want to go through these hassles, it’s best to separate them into two tanks. That would also mean less stress for the fish.

The post Can Guppies Eat Betta Food? They Shouldn’t! appeared first on Water World Craze.

However, as a Guppy owner, you may be wondering, like other fish breeds, whether Guppies eat brine shrimp or not. Well, we have the answer for you!

Can Guppies eat brine shrimp? Guppies can eat brine shrimp, and they love it! Feeding live brine shrimp instead of frozen ones would be more nutritious for Guppies. However, a diet of only brine shrimp every single day may not be nutritious enough.

There are many other foods that can offer nutrients for your Guppy. If you want to get a Guppy, then you should definitely add these foods as supplements to brine shrimp for a well-balanced meal. Nothing will make your Guppy fish happier than a proper diet!

Feeding Guppies Brine Shrimp

Guppies love brine shrimp, and it’s the number one food for them. Baby brine shrimps are more nutritious than adult ones. You can definitely add baby brine shrimp in your Guppy fish diet to raise them effectively.

Basically, if you’re raising Guppy fry, then baby brine shrimp are an ideal food for them (but also for adult guppies). The natural movements of the shrimp attract the Guppies into eating them. Another great reason to feed your Guppies brine shrimp is the high level of protein.

Brine shrimp has 60% protein content with 25% fat. It also contains carbohydrates as well. The high level of protein and fat will help your fry to grow bigger, faster. However, adult brine shrimp have very little nutritious value.

So, you should avoid making adult brine shrimp the primary food source for your precious Guppy.

Another plus point is that your Guppy fish can digest brine shrimp easily. They can also survive for several hours, which can give your Guppies a continuous supply of food.

Most commercial fish foods tend to dissolve in the water and reduce water quality. But not brine shrimp! Surviving for a reasonable amount of time, they can help you maintain your tank’s water quality.

Frozen Brine Shrimp vs. Live Brine Shrimp

Live brine shrimp are always the best option for your Guppy fish. Unlike processed foods such as pellets, commercial flakes, or free-dried foods, live ones will give your Guppies more nutrients.

Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that frozen brine shrimp are bad. They just tend to have less nutritional value compared to the live ones, like other frozen foods out there.

You can culture brine shrimp at home with ease. For that, you can buy a brine shrimp hatchery kit to hatch the eggs. They usually take about 1-3 days to hatch. So, keeping multiple hatcheries running in parallel would be the best call.

But if you don’t want to go the extra miles, then you can buy live brine shrimps from the pet store. However, make sure that they are baby brine shrimps. You can also go for the frozen ones as your Guppy would love to eat them too.

How to Feed Brine Shrimp to Your Guppies

Guppy Fry

As long as the shrimp are moving your Guppies will eat them. So, when the brine shrimp eggs are hatched, you should stop the water aeration system and allow the shrimps to settle down. After all the brine shrimps settled down, you should siphon then out and place them in a net.

You can then directly pour the shrimps into your Guppy tank and watch your guppy fry eat.

Adult Guppies

But for the adult Guppies, you need to rinse the shrimps before feeding. So, first run them under tap water. Next, take a container and fill it with water from your Guppy’s fish tank. It will help to remove the metabolites that can harm your Guppies.

Lastly, pour them into your Guppy fish tank and feed them directly. You should avoid pouring too many brine shrimp into your fish tank. Only feed your Guppies as they need and no more than that. The video below shows you how it is done properly.

For the frozen ones, you have to thaw it first. You can put the frozen cubes in a bowl and fill it with tank water. You can also warm up the tank water beforehand to accelerate the thawing process. Once the frozen cube fully melts, all you have to do is pour it in your Guppy fish tank.

Thawing it beforehand prevents the frozen cube from drowning to the bottom. It also evenly distributes the brine shrimps in the aquarium.

What Do Guppies Eat Beside Brine Shrimp?

Guppies can eat a wide variety of food besides brine shrimp. They are practically omnivores. So, they need meat and vegetables in their diet. If you continue only feeding them brine shrimp, they’ll suffer from nutritional deficiencies.

Flake Food

The most common food for your Guppies is flake food. Flake food comes in a wide variety, and they offer all the necessary minerals and vitamins for your fish. You should try to feed quality flake food at least once to your Guppy fish.

Remember to check for the ingredients on the label and choose the flake food that offers the most value.

Veggie Pellet

Veggie pallets can be another excellent food to add to the diet. Basically, these contain greens such as plankton, algae, spirulina. All of these are rich in vitamins B, C, D, and E. They also contain calcium and iron.

Beef Heart

Beef heart is a great food source for Guppy fry. You need to clean the beef heart and get rid of all the fat. After that, blend it or chop it into smaller pieces and feed it to your Guppy fry. However, as they are rich in fat, you should avoid feeding it to your adult Guppies.

Daphnia

Daphnia is a great supplement to brine shrimp. Like brine shrimp, you can get them as frozen or live. However, it’s best to feed your Guppies live ones. Daphnia contains a considerable amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrate.

Aside from these, it also offers vitamin D and A for your Guppy fish.

Vinegar Eel

Vinegar Eels are rich in protein (almost 50%) and fat (20%). You can culture these at home. Although they are quite easy to culture, the harvesting process is a bit troublesome.

But keep in mind, you should avoid feeding too many vinegar eels to your guppies due to their high protein content.

Micro-Worm

These are similar to vinegar eels and a high protein source for your Guppies.

Blood Worm or Mosquito Larva

Mosquito larva or blood worm are tasty treats for your Guppies. You can catch them by running a net through any standing water. But make sure you only get a small number of mosquito larvae to prevent them from hatching.

Earthworm

Guppies eat earthworms as well. They can be a great occasional treat for your Guppies. But make sure you chop them in small pieces and rinse them before feeding.

Vegetables

Well, proteins will promote their growth rate, but they do need vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy life. Vegetables are rich in many vitamins and minerals such as A, B-6, B-12, C, D, E, iron, calcium, and magnesium.

So, try to feed your Guppy fish vegetables such as spinach leaves, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, green beans, peas, kale, corn, broccoli, and potato.

What you can feed when out of fish food!

Many people ask us if they can feed their guppies human food or how they can feed their guppies while on vacation. We have created two articles for you:

How Often Should You Feed Your Guppies?

Well, Guppy fish tend to look hungry, and you can easily overfeed them. There’s no limit to how much they can eat! As long as you keep feeding your Guppies, they’ll keep eating. But, you should always avoid overfeeding as it can harm your Guppy in the long run.

Feeding your precious Guppies 1-2 times a day is enough. Just make sure you offer a balanced diet and a wide range of food.

You can offer them a small amount at a time so that they can eat within 30-40 seconds. So, multiple small pinches of flake food are enough.

However, if you feed your Guppies live food like brine shrimp, then don’t throw all of them at once. You should always divide them up in smaller portions.

The post Can Guppies Eat Brine Shrimp? Why It’s Awesome! appeared first on Water World Craze.