exploring small aquaria, glass jars, and 9-gallon fishbowls

[eleNt]

I've been really into glass containers that can be turned into mini aquaria lately, like those 16L glass jars and 9.24 gallon fishbowls. I'm also super into aquariums in general. I love buying glass stuff because it always gives me new ideas. Right now, I'm taking care of my tetras and I need to start feeding them more fish-safe veggies like peas - you know, the kind that's cooked and mashed with the skin removed. I just fed one of my cardinals a single mashed pea to try and prevent bloating. I used to give them peas every now and then a few months ago, but I stopped for a bit until now.

I found these recipes on Hepper that I think might work for my tetras. They've got fish vitamins and all that, but are they any good for aquarium fish?

5 Homemade Fish Foods You Can Make Today (Vet Approved Recipes) | Hepper

Keeping my fish happy and healthy is my top priority, and I'm always looking for new ways to do that.

[coltin]

Most vitamins are water-soluble, so they break down quickly under warm conditions. If you want to add them to fish food, it's best to use a powder vitamin and mix it with frozen fish food just before feeding, but honestly, vitamins aren't usually necessary if you're feeding your fish properly.

To be fair, keeping vitamins cool, dark, and dry is crucial, or they'll degrade rapidly.

Making your own fish food can be a good idea, but I found it easier to just store the raw ingredients in the freezer and use them as is. For example, I'd freeze prawns, then thaw and chop them up into small pieces before feeding. Just remove the head, shell, and gut, and you're good to go.

Tetras don't typically eat much plant matter, but adding some mushed peas to their diet a few times a week won't hurt them. I've been doing that with my tetras, and they seem to be doing fine.

[eleNt]

Most vitamins are water-soluble, so they break down quickly under warm conditions. If you want to add them to fish food, it's best to use a powder vitamin and mix it with frozen fish food just before feeding, but honestly, vitamins aren't usually necessary if you're feeding your fish properly.

To be fair, keeping vitamins cool, dark, and dry is crucial, or they'll degrade rapidly.

Making your own fish food can be a good idea, but I found it easier to just store the raw ingredients in the freezer and use them as is. For example, I'd freeze prawns, then thaw and chop them up into small pieces before feeding. Just remove the head, shell, and gut, and you're good to go.

Tetras don't typically eat much plant matter, but adding some mushed peas to their diet a few times a week won't hurt them. I've been doing that with my tetras, and they seem to be doing fine.

I'm glad I found those recipes, I'll definitely make my own fish food using fish-safe plant matter like peas, carrots, and spinach. I did some research and found out that mango is also safe for them. I'm a bit worried about the Hepper recipe that included watermelon, that's definitely not safe for my tetras. I'll try to feed them the homemade food occasionally, but they're still really skittish around me, so I'll have to be slow and gentle when feeding them.

[aquamar]

When you mentioned your cardinal's bloat, my initial thought was - could it be filled with old eggs? I've heard that with tetra breeding, the first batch of eggs often aren't viable, having been stored in the fish for a while. It can take a couple of spawns for the fish to get rid of the old eggs before you get fertilized ones. Not sure if that's what's going on with your tetra, but it was my first instinct when I read about the bloat.

[coltin]

I recently lost one of my cardinal tetras, and it had that bloated look all over - the whole body was swollen and its eyes were bulging out a bit more than usual.

[eleNt]

When you mentioned your cardinal's bloat, my initial thought was - could it be filled with old eggs? I've heard that with tetra breeding, the first batch of eggs often aren't viable, having been stored in the fish for a while. It can take a couple of spawns for the fish to get rid of the old eggs before you get fertilized ones. Not sure if that's what's going on with your tetra, but it was my first instinct when I read about the bloat.

No, they weren't holding eggs, they were fat and their eyes were bulging a bit more. I know the difference, bloating in fish means they're overweight, not carrying eggs.

[sSjey]

Bloating isn't just about being overweight, it can also be a sign of an internal issue like an infection or parasites. When the eyes bulge out, it's often a sign of illness, not just being fat.

Dropsy is a more extreme case of bloating, where the fish is severely swollen and the scales stick out. This is usually a symptom of a serious underlying disease that's progressed to the point of kidney failure, causing fluid buildup inside the body.