Do Fish Eat Seaweed?

From flakes to veggies to worms fishes can devour it all. This comes as an advantage as there comes a time when you will be over of fish foods and have nothing left. That is the time when you can feed them veggies and pieces of similar stuff. Feeding your fish is the primary routine of any fish keeper and one must do it with utmost care to prevent unwanted things.  

You might be wondering what fishes eat in the wild or in their natural environment for there is no one present to fish foods and their substitutes. In the wild as well fish survive on plants, seaweed, worms, and so on. the only thing is they have to look for food on their own. Fishes are experts in finding their food.  

Out of all the things seaweed might’ve attracted your scrutiny. Seaweed makes up the diet of several herbivorous and omnivorous fish in the wild. Speaking of wild, seaweed makes an ideal food for your aquarium fishes as well. You can feed seaweed to your fish without any worries and your fish will devour it like a gourmand. Follow along to see as we go into depth about feeding seaweed to your fishes.  

What is seaweed?  

Seaweed refers to a variety of marine algae and plants that grow in bodies of water such as rivers, seas, and oceans. They come in a variety of colors, including red, green, brown, and black, as well as sizes ranging from tiny to enormous underwater forests. Seaweed may be found on beaches all around the world. They can be eaten by humans as well and are famous in the countries of Asia as a form of food.  

Do fish eat seaweed?  

A short and simple answer to this would be yes. Fishes eat seaweed. They love seaweed and you might be surprised as to how fast they can munch on it. There is no harm in feeding seaweed to your fish. Although if you leave it for too long in the water or miss out on the bits and pieces of it, it can lead to ammonia or nitrate spike in your aquarium. Seaweed brings along with a lot of vitamins and nutrients for the fish. They are a package of nutrients such as iron, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and many more. So seaweed keeps your fish available with all these essential nutrients.  

What fishes eat seaweed?  

A lot of fish love to have seaweed in their diet. The fishes whose eating habits are herbivorous and omnivorous are the ones that enjoy it the most. Whether it be freshwater or saltwater fish both the types enjoy eating seaweed. You must feed seaweed to herbivorous fishes sometimes as it gives a lot of important nutrients. Algae eaters are fond of seaweed as well.  

To be specific here is the list of some fishes that fancy seaweed:

• Gold Fish 
• Betta Fish  
• Black Molly 
• Otocinclus  
• Oscar 
• Bristlenose Pleco  
• Siamese Fox fish  
• Koi  
• Angel fish  
• Groupers  

How to feed seaweed to your fish?  

If your tank is filled with herbivores and omnivores, you must often feed them seaweed. They will get a lot of necessary nutrients and vitamins from seaweed. You can feed them either dried seaweed or live seaweed.  

Live is the better option. The best seaweed that you can feed your fish is nori and kelp. You can either cut them into the sizes preferable to your fish’s size or use a feeding clip and put it in your aquarium. The best way is to use a feeding clip. As it will stay intact and can remove the seaweed easily after your fishes have finished eating it. If you go for the former method then remember to remove all the leftovers or else your tank will experience an ammonia spike. 

Can you feed dried seaweed to your fish?  

Dried seaweed is an ideal choice to feed your fish as well. You can avail yourself of nori which is by far the best seaweed you can feed your fish. Cut them and immerse them in the water for some time for them to hydrate whilst rubbing them with your fingers. As it becomes squashy, you can attract the attention of your fishes by wiggling it around.  

Your fish will come rushing towards it to eat it. If you have nori in your hands then there is either the red variant or the purple variant, both of them are safe to feed to your fishes. Other than nori you can also use Kombu. If you are worried about the nutritional value, dried does not fall back in vitamins and minerals. Your fish will get the necessary nutrients with dried ones as well. 

When it comes to feeding your fish, there is a multitude of options that you can go through. Out of them, seaweed is the best one that you can go for if you have herbivores and omnivores. They require constant eating as they don’t get many nutrients compared to meat-eaters. With seaweed, your vegan fishes won’t feel the deficiency of nutrients at all. Not only fish, but if you have shrimps, they will enjoy eating seaweed as well.