Platy fish are freshwater types of fish that originate from South America. They’re primarily known for their beautiful colors and interesting shapes, but platies also make great pets! But what do Platy fish eat?
You can feed them frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp; live food like daphnia or earthworms; egg yolks, beef heart, and blanched vegetables (cooked) if they prefer something softer; or commercial fish food flakes mixed with an algae-based supplement like spirulina. Platy fish can also eat commercial flakes and pellets, but they should be supplemented with live food whenever possible.
It’s important to remember that platies need variety in their diets just like humans do! You wouldn’t want to eat the same thing every day for dinner for your whole life; why would you expect your pet fish to be okay with that? Try to feed them a mix of vegetables, meat, and plant matter as often as you can.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to care for them properly by answering common questions such as “What do Platy fish eat?” and “Can you feed commercial food to your platy?”.
What Do Platy Fish Eat In The Wild?
Platy fish come from different habitats depending on the type of Platy fish. For example, some types are mostly found in rivers, while others live near ponds and lakes.
In the wild, Platy fish eat small aquatic invertebrates like daphnia or plankton and algae and plants from their environment.
They will happily eat blanched zucchini, cucumber, romaine lettuce, peas, or boiled spinach in an aquarium setting.
Platies can eat algae that grow on rocks or plants, their staple diet in the wild. However, they also feed on other food sources like insects, worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae.
In the wild, platies tend to eat plant matter such as algae and small insects, but this doesn’t mean that you can feed your pet platy anything from nature.
Platies eat tiny crustaceans like mosquito larvae, plankton, daphnia, brine shrimp nauplii (baby brine shrimp), and other small invertebrates. Wild platies also eat some algae, but not a lot.
What Do Platy Fish Eat?
This question has plagued many pet owners, and it’s one of the most important parts of caring for your fish.
Platys are omnivores, meaning they will eat both plants and meat to survive. Therefore, the Platy fish diet is an important part of owning these fish and will determine how healthy they are and their lifespan.
When you’re setting up their tank or feeding them at home, there are plenty of options available to you.
So, What Can You Feed Your Pet Platy Fish?
Before we get into what you can feed your pet platies, it’s important to understand that not all foods are safe for every fish. You should never give food to a fish if you aren’t 100% sure of its safety and nutritional value!
Live Food For Platy Fish
You can feed your pet Platy fish a variety of live foods like daphnia and earthworms. If you’re feeding them plants with the thought that they will eat algae or leftovers from other aquarium inhabitants’ diets, then keep in mind that these won’t provide enough nutrition for your fish unless you’re feeding them mostly plants.
Can You Give Commercial Food To Your Platy Fish?
Most commercial pet foods are not healthy for platies and usually contain fillers such as wheat, soy, or corn. Many of these filler ingredients can make your fish obese and sickly over time.
Commercial fish food is okay to give your pet platies, but if you want to feed them something healthier and more nutritious, try some foods we’ve listed in this article instead. These will help keep your pets healthy, happy and active! Another option is to give them a mix of commercial food and homemade food.
Commercial Food For Your Platy Fish
Platy fish can eat commercial food like flakes and pellets, but these should be supplemented with live foods as much as possible. This will ensure that they get the proper amount of protein and algae-based nutrients to stay healthy.
Homemade Food For Your Platy Fish
One way to ensure that you’re feeding your fish an optimal diet is to make their food yourself.
There are many different recipes for you to try out. But it is difficult to know which ones work best, especially if you’re not used to cooking or don’t have much experience in the kitchen.
Homemade foods mustn’t contain artificial preservatives; the best option is to use our all-natural and organic Platy fish food.
You can also feed your fish blanched zucchini, cucumber, romaine lettuce, peas, or boiled spinach. However, it’s important to remember that you should never use wild plants for food because they could have chemicals in them that are unhealthy for the fish!
Another advantage of making your own food for your pet platies is that you’re able to omit any ingredients or preservatives which may be harmful, such as garlic or live plants.
Brine Shrimps
One of the most popular and easiest homemade foods to make is brine shrimp.
To prepare the brine shrimp, you will need to obtain some unprocessed saltwater from your local fish store.
You can do this by letting a jug of fresh tap water sit out for at least 24 hours until all of the chlorine has evaporated; alternatively, you can boil it on your stovetop or in an electronic kettle.
Next, you will need to pour the saltwater into a large pot and bring it up to around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once this temperature is reached, add some pure brine shrimp eggs – available for purchase at your local pet store – and wait until they hatch (this can take anywhere from 12-48 hours). At this point, the water temperature should be around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once you have a large amount of hatched brine shrimp in your saltwater solution, dump it into a strainer and rinse under cold tap water for about 30 seconds to prevent them from sticking together. You can feed this food either live or freeze-dried so that you can store it for later use.
Frozen Bloodworms
Another type of food that works great as a homemade Platy fish food is frozen bloodworms – these are also available to purchase from your local pet store. You should feed Bloodworms live if they have been previously flash-frozen, or else you run the risk of your fish becoming ill. To prepare the bloodworms, dump them into a strainer and run under cold tap water for about 30 seconds to prevent them from sticking together; then, you can feed either live or freeze-dried worms – just like with brine shrimp – so that you can store them for later use.
Micro Worms
Another popular type of homemade food for your Platy fish is micro worms. Unfortunately, this isn’t the easiest thing to make and requires a lot more work than simply taking some brine shrimp eggs from your local pet store.
Beef Heart
While this isn’t an easily attainable food, the beef heart can be an excellent source of nutrients for your pet Platy fish.
Egg Yolk
Egg yolks are another great source of protein for your fish and can easily be chopped up into small bits, which you can then sprinkle over the surface of their water.
Daphnia
“Daphnia is basically a glorified mosquito larvae,” but if your Platy fish haven’t eaten in several days, this might do the trick.
Blanched Vegetables
If you’ve ever wondered how to feed your Platy fish with vegetables, the answer is simple – cook them! However, instead of serving the veggies raw as most people do with their pet fish, blanching will help remove any toxins present in certain plants and could potentially kill your fish.
What Do Platy Fry Eat?
As soon as baby platies are born, they become interested in eating! As long as their parents aren’t too aggressive and you feed them enough brine shrimp nauplii (baby brine shrimp), your fry can eat right away.
How Much And How Often Should I Feed My Platy Fish?
It would help if you fed your fish about a pinch of food every two inches in length, once a day. If you’re using flakes or pellets, break them into smaller pieces before dropping them into the water. This will make it easier for your fish to eat and increase its chances of eating all that’s been offered.
What To Do When You’re Out Of Fish Food?
It is best to have a backup food source just in case you run out of fish food. For example, you can feed your platies some blanched vegetables or even egg yolk, for that matter.
If you find yourself without any fish food, don’t panic! There are plenty of other options to feed your fish until you’re able to get some more. You can feed them blanched vegetables or even egg yolk, for example.
Can You Overfeed Your Platy Fish?
Yes, you can overfeed your fish, and this is especially true if they’re being fed too much at once or even more than just once a day.
If you’re already feeding your platies at the recommended amount, then there’s no need to worry about overfeeding them since it can be difficult, if not impossible, to do that.
If you are worried about overfeeding, try using a feeder block for fish food instead of loose flakes or pellets. These blocks sink immediately after they’re dropped into the tank and can help prevent excess waste in your water if your fish don’t eat all the food that’s been dropped in.
FAQ
Do Platy Fish Eat Live Plants?
As mentioned above, many Platy fish owners report that the answer to this question is “no.” But, of course, if your Platy Fish are eating live plants at home, it could be because they need more fiber in their diet.
Try blanching vegetables like zucchini and carrots for a few minutes before giving them to your pet platies. You should also make sure to clean your aquarium thoroughly before adding new plants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many different types of foods you can feed your pet Platy fish.
Platies eat mostly insects, crustaceans, and plant matter in the wild. They will also supplement their diet with algae when available. Therefore, you should offer your pet platy a variety of food to ensure proper nutrition for them! Thanks for reading our blog post about the Platy fish diet.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments section below! If you want more information on this topic, check out our other blog posts for regular updates and pet care tips!