Which FRUITS are Suitable For Tropical Fish? VETERINARY’S Opinion

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A juvenile tropic fish requires mainly protein to grow faster. This element is much needed for every type of fish. Calcium is required to strengthen its bone. Carnivorous types of fish require the carbohydrate less. It only requires protein to survive and remain active.

Protein is the most required nutrient for every type of fish. Banana and grapes are the protein-rich fruit that fish can eat. Bananas provide carbohydrates too. Besides this cucumber and apple are both good because of their fibre concentration. However sugar-riched fruits are harmful to tropical fish as food

This answer is certified by Udipta Roy, M.F.Sc. (JRF), PhD Scholar, Aquaculture, ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai

But this two-line answer is not enough to know the answer to this question. We need to analyse the fruit’s nutritional value and then we have to judge whether that food will be suitable or not. Let’s dive deep into the topic.

Note:- Fruits are a significant addition to the diet of fish. These fulfil the deficiency of the nutritional value. However, every type of fish may not like fruits. This is some experimental data that may not be suitable for each and every type. You can try it by providing at least once first definitely.

Is banana suitable for tropical fish? 

Fishes require protein to grow quickly. For juvenile fishes, the protein requires the most. Now sometimes commercial food is not sufficient for fishes as a protein source. At that time you can use banana as a protein-rich food for your aquarium fishes.

Banana is one of the popular fruits due to its protein percentage. Per 100 gram banana can provide 1.3gram protein to the fish. Not only that, but the banana is a good source of fibre too. Fishes require fibre to get rid of constipation. Besides this, a banana gives 0.4g of fat, 105 calories and 27-gram carbs. Aquarium fish requires potassium and banana is a great source of it.

Is avocado suitable for tropical fish?

Avocado is a great source of omega 3 fatty acid. It contains vitamin C, K, E and B-6. aquarium fishes also require vitamins and omega 3 fatty acid. Despite having fatty acids and vitamins, avocado is not suitable for aquarium fishes.

Avocados are toxic to the fishes because avocado contains monounsaturated fat and a high concentration of fat is very harmful to fishes. Per 100 g avocado provides 21 gram of fat. The diet of fishes should contain low-fat concentration. Carnivorous fishes require only 8% fat and herbivorous fishes require only 3% fat through their diet. So avocados are not suitable for fish as human food.

Is watermelon suitable for tropical fish?

Watermelon is a great summer fruit. This fruit contains little sugar. However, it tastes sweet because of the fructose concentration. Now aquarium fishes do not need sugar (fructose or glucose) to grow. But a little bit of watermelon can be provided as food for aquarium fishes. But this should not be excessive. Once per two weeks is enough for fishes.

Some fishes can’t tolerate a high level of fructose and if you provide excessive watermelons then fishes may face issues to digest foods. However, this is not a big issue for fishes because a little amount of watermelon can’t make a fish ill. In general, watermelons are good for fish because of their vitamin concentration. Aquarium fishes will get 11% of vitamin A and 13% of vitamin C by eating watermelon.

However, watermelon can be poisonous to fishes too. These watermelons are called nitrate watermelons. Fishes can’t tolerate nitrate. So fishes can die just after eating that nitrite watermelon. So before providing watermelon you must check some symbols whether it is nitrate watermelon or not.

symbols of nitrate watermelon

• If you notice a thick yellow rind at a boundary after cutting watermelon from the middle then that watermelon contains nitrate definitely
• If you notice the holes inside the flesh of the watermelon then there is a high possibility to have a high nitrate concentration of that watermelon
• If the watermelon has a big and hollow center then you must avoid giving it to your fishes
• If the weight of the watermelon is light according to its size then there are few chances to have a high nitrate concentration of that melon

Note:- To check whether the watermelon contains nitrate or not, you can take a small pulp of watermelon and put it into a cup of freshwater. If the water takes the bright pink color of the pulp of that watermelon then you should be sure that watermelon is a nitrate watermelon. 

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Is cucumber suitable for tropical fish?

Cucumber is the most suitable fruit for fish. If you want to provide extra nutrition to your fish besides the daily diet then you must rely on cucumber. Cucumber is considered as the food of aquarium fish because of its fiber concentration.

Generally, fishes eat commercial foods and through this commercial food, fishes may not get fiber all the time. Fiber is required to maintain a good digestive system for fishes. Lots of aquarium fishes face the constipation issue. This is the most common issue that lots of aquarists face. To prevent this disease cucumber works as very good food for aquarium fish.

Not only that, but this fruit can treat swim bladder disease also. So you must keep cucumber as a diet of tropical fishes.

Cucumber has 0.3 grams of fiber and 0.3 grams of protein. It contains 1.9 grams of carbs too. These all nutrients are required to grow an aquarium fish quickly. You must boil the cucumber well before adding it to the aquarium as fish food.

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Is an apple suitable for tropical fish?

Apple is a very tasty fruit that we all know about. This fruit is considered as the food of aquarium fish also. Fishes like to eat fully ripe and boiled apples.

An apple contains potassium mainly. A total of 107 mg of potassium can be found from 100 grams of apple. Potassium is required to maintain the cellular volume and membrane potential. Not only that, but this helps to improve the nurse impulses also for fishes. Besides this, an apple contains 4% carbohydrates and 7% of vitamin C. Tropical fishes require vitamins to grow. So apples can be a good option as food for your aquarium fish (especially goldfish)

However, you have to make sure that the skin of an apple is fully peeled off. Tropical fishes can’t digest hard apples. So you should provide them with a soft one after boiling. Hard apples with skin may create digestive problems for tropical fishes. You should not provide apples daily. Once or twice a week is a good frequency to provide apples as food with other commercial food to tropical fishes.

Are grapes suitable for tropical fish?

Grapes are one of the most suitable food options for tropical fishes. Aquarium fishes require calcium to strengthen their bones. The grapes contain 14gram(per 100gram) of calcium and 191mg of potassium. Besides this, well-chopped grapes can be a good alternative for fish due to their taste.

Most aquarists provide commercial foods to eat to their aquarium fishes. Commercial foods are good but not sufficient enough to provide all of the nutritional elements to fish. Adding grapes with commercial foods can be better for you. Your fish will like soft and boiled grapes very much. However, you shouldn’t provide grapes daily. As grapes contain 16 grams of sugar so it may cause intestinal issues to your fish. you can provide a very little amount of grapes twice or thrice per week to your tropical aquarium fish.

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Is mango suitable for tropical fish?

High sugar is not good for aquarium fish. However, a little bit of mango can be a suitable food option for aquarium fish. It has a high potassium level that is good for the growth of fish. Per 100 gram mango provides 168 mg potassium. It contains 60% of vitamin C which is good for aquarium fishes’ health.

Goldfish, guppies may love to eat ripe mangoes. You must take away the peel before adding it to an aquarium. Tetra may not like it. You should not provide mangoes daily. You can provide a few mangoes twice a week. Make sure to change the 50% of water after adding mangoes. As mango has a high concentration of sugar, it is recommended to change the water after adding it to the aquarium.

Read more:- Why do goldfish die in a bowl quickly? Original truth has revealed

Conclusion

After a long discussion, I can conclude that fruits are not a very good food option for aquarium fish. It can be just a food option for aquarium fish.

You should not provide fruits to eat to your fish daily. Twice a month is a good frequency to provide any fruits. However, cucumber is a very good food option for aquarium fish. They love boiled soft cucumber very much. If you want to provide extra fibre to your fish then you can definitely try a cucumber. For potassium, you can provide apples and for protein, a banana is a good option as a fruit.

So best of luck & happy fishkeeping🐟