We prepare our own green food for aquarium fish
Dry food for aquarium fish was invented in the middle of the 20th century. Its appearance greatly facilitated the life of aquarists around the world. Previously, aquarium fish were fed live food from rivers and lakes. Getting such food was problematic.
Dry food does not look like daphnia or bloodworms. Before the invention of dry food, it was these larvae that were fed to fish, because it is their natural diet. Daphnia and bloodworms contain all the nutrients needed for life in an aquarium.
Dry food harm
In order for the fish to eat dry food as readily as the larvae, it was necessary to improve its smell and color. Therefore, flavor enhancers and dyes were added to the feed.
The composition of modern food for aquarium fish contains more than 20 components. The bright color attracts fish, and they gladly eat dry flakes, but their lifespan is significantly reduced.
This is due to the presence of lecithins in the dry food - chemical thickening compounds. They have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract of fish.
Lecithins are removed from the fish's body after two weeks, so from time to time it is better to transfer aquarium fish to green food.
Preparation of green food
The advantage of green food is its availability. Such food can be prepared absolutely free. It has four components:
- leaves dandelion;
- nettle;
- plantain;
- oak or walnut.
Young leaves of oak or walnut contain tannins necessary to cleanse the stomach and intestines. The fish are given dried leaves.
The remaining ingredients are chopped into small pieces. Pour the herbal mixture with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then the pan is removed from the stove and the broth is allowed to brew for 15 minutes. The feed is filtered through a sieve. The water is poured out.
The dried oak leaves are then ground into herbal flour. It is mixed with cooked ingredients and formed into balls from the feed. When the food has cooled to room temperature, it can be fed to the fish.
Fish readily eat such food, so you can introduce it into the diet on an ongoing basis. Prepare green food in summer and freeze it. Fresh grass can also be frozen.
The food will not lose its useful properties, and you can feed the fish until the next season. For freezing, the finished food is placed in ice molds and sent to the freezer.