The Puffer Forum

This community promotes long puffer life through clean water, large tank, and healthy eating.

I keep reading how its important to change up the menu every week. I understand this part, but i dont understand why we would buy more supplemental vitamins when our fish is eating well. From the quick google, i skimmed and read that Raw seafood is packed with rich vitamins. Does raw shrimp cockle mussel etc not contain certain essential vitamins that fish require? Its not the same as us eating a multi vitamin pill to supplement our diet? can too much vitamin hurt the fish (too much of anything is bad).

Btw snails and worms are also very nutritous too

Fresh seafood should be frozen first to kill off any bacteria or parasites. Freezing does also deplete the food of some vitamin content; that is one reason to add supplemental vitamins. Even with a balanced diet, it is difficult to perpetually and consistently maintain balanced nutrition. Especially with the diet carnivorous fish require, it can easily become deficient, for instance, many seafood items are rich in thiaminase, an enzyme that inhibits the body from metabolizing B1.

I eat very healthy but still take a multivitamin every day. Since we cannot possible replicate every choice our fish have to eat in the wild, adding vitamins specifically made for a fish's diet is best.

Vitamins are cheap insurance.