Vitamins for aquarium fish: necessary or not?

There is no doubt that pets – dogs, cats, rodents and birds – need vitamins and minerals for a healthy and active life. But do aquarium fish need vitamins? What will happen if aquatic inhabitants do not get useful substances?

Why do fish need vitamins?

In the diet of aquarium fish must necessarily be vitamins, because of their shortage can arise various physiological problems. To be fair, we note that the deficiency of useful substances in aquatic pets is rare. The fact is that high-quality food in the form of live or dry food in sufficient volume completely covers it. Why do fish need vitamins?

Name of vitamin	Assignment	Consequences of vitamin deficiency
Vitamin A	ensures normal growth, improves vision	– eye diseases (exophthalmia, corneal opacity) – hemorrhages in the skin and fins – underdevelopment – deformities
Vitamin B1	allows the fry to grow normally	– underdevelopment – deformities – seizures
Vitamin B2	important for growth and normal digestion	– digestive disorders – underdevelopment – emaciation – ulcer formation
Vitamin B5, B6	ensures normal metabolism	– gill damage – CNS disorders
Vitamin C	plays an important role in ensuring normal energy and carbohydrate metabolism	– underdevelopment – skeletal disfigurement – decreased immunity – hemorrhages in the fins and skin – fin erosion – gill deformation
Vitamin E	necessary for reproduction	– failure to reproduce – exophthalmia
Vitamin K	ensures the proper process of blood formation	– underdevelopment – ulcer formation – liver damage

The most common symptom of vitamin deficiency in fish is stunted growth of young fish. If aquatic pets do not reproduce – this can also be a sign of a lack of useful substances. Frequent fish diseases indicate an increased susceptibility to infections, which also indicate a vitamin deficiency in the body.

Causes of vitamin deficiency in fish

There are several causes of deficiency of useful substances in aquatic pets:

• low-quality, cheap, expired feed with unbalanced content of nutrients and useful substances
• failure to observe the mode and storage period of quality dry food
• leaching of some water-soluble vitamins from dry food when it gets into the water
• Destruction of vitamin C if storage conditions of fish food are not met

When do fish need vitamins?

In safe aquariums with the right biological balance, normal nutrition and timely care, it is not necessary to use vitamins for fish. However, there are situations when you can’t do without them:

• when feeding unbalanced food
• for vitamin enrichment of frozen food
• during spawning to raise fry
• during the first start-up of the aquarium and the planting of fish to reduce stress in fish
• during transportation or quarantine
• in case of prolonged starvation of aquatic inhabitants during treatment to accelerate the recovery process after treatment
• when the aquarium is overpopulated

Overview of vitamins for aquarium fish

Some aquarists use pharmacy preparations such as folic acid, Undevit and something similar to restore vitamin deficiency in their aquatic pets the old-fashioned way. However, incorrect proportions and other factors lead to even more problems in the aquarium. Why reinvent the wheel when it was invented a long time ago. Now in the pet store there are on sale enough vitamin complexes that allow you to correctly, quickly, reliably and simply correct the situation with a lack of vitamins. It is enough to buy the right remedy and use it according to the instructions.

• Tetra Vital Complex – contains active B vitamins (B1, B2, B5 and B12) as well as magnesium and iodine. Thanks to its composition it provides immunity support, heals wounds faster, accelerates metabolism and helps to reduce stress.
• Multivitamin preparation Sera Fishtamin – contains vitamins A, C, D3, E, K and B vitamins, as well as folic acid. Improves the quality of nutrition, reduces stress, promotes normal growth of fry.
• JBL Atvitol Multivitamin Drops – contains vitamins A, C, D3, E, K and B vitamins, as well as folic acid. They improve appetite, promote spawning and growth of fry, increase the brightness of coloration.

Liquid vitamins are aimed not only at replenishing vitamin deficiencies in fish, but also at maintaining the aquarium ecosystem as a whole, affecting plants and other aquatic inhabitants, as well as promoting the active growth of beneficial microorganisms.

To ensure that fish do not experience vitamin deficiency, it is important to carefully monitor their nutrition and proper storage of food so that useful substances are not destroyed. After 2-3 months, vitamins in dry food and in a jar with a vitamin complex become much less. Therefore, the storage period after opening should also be monitored.

Improving nutrition is one of the easiest ways to fill the lack of vitamins for aquarium fish. At the same time, the main cause that led to this situation must necessarily be eliminated.

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