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Ricefish are not fussy when it comes to food. Because they are omnivores they enjoy both meaty and vegetable matter. Which makes them easy to feed.
You can feed the Ricefish in your aquarium with a combination of dried, frozen and live foods. They also do well on good quality flake foods and benefit from being treated to blanched green vegetables. Live insects in their larval stage are particularly welcome in a Ricefish aquarium.
While Ricefish can thrive on a flake food only diet it’s easy to vary their diet a bit without too much extra work on your part.
And because feeding a varied diet is a great way to keep your Ricefish healthy it’s worth taking a look at what you can do.
Keep reading for some easy-care feeding tips and useful information.
What Should I Feed My Ricefish?
Ricefish (Oryzias Latipes) are also known as the Medaka and also as Japanese Ricefish. Nonetheless, when it comes to meal times feeding them is the same whatever name you prefer to call them by.
Because the Ricefish is an opportunistic feeder, it will eat whatever is available in the location at the time. Which makes them easy to please. But that doesn’t mean that a varied diet isn’t welcome.
Ricefish are native to East Asia and typically live in Rice fields (hence the name), also in slow moving streams, ponds and even marshes. They also live in tidal pools which means they can tolerate brackish (slightly salty) water.
In their native environment Ricefish eat whatever falls into, or lives in, the water. This includes vegetation, aquatic worms, and insects in their larval stage. So you can see why tiny insects and larvae are a welcome addition to their diet in an aquarium setting.
Because Rice fish are a small fish (average 1.58”/4 cm) their food needs to be tiny. But that doesn’t mean that it’s difficult to vary their diet.
Let’s take a look at which foods you can feed to your Ricefish
Flake Food For Ricefish
If you’re new to fishkeeping then flake foods are a great place to start. A good quality flake food will provide all the nutrition that your Ricefish need. Flake foods are an easy, and non-messy, way to feed your fish. And flake foods are also considered the staple part of an aquarium diet for many breeds of fish.
As you become more experienced in the fishkeeeping hobby you’ll gain more confidence in adding other things to your Ricefish’s diet.
But, in the meantime, at least you’ll know that your fish are being adequately fed.
The Easy Way To Feed Insects To Your Ricefish
Ricefish love to eat insects. In fact, in their natural habitat insects, and their larvae, form a crucial part of the Ricefish diet. Insects and other meaty snacks provide Ricefish with plenty of protein which helps to keep them strong and healthy.
Fortunately, small insects and their larvae are availble to buy either live, frozen or dried, at your local Pet Store, Aquatic Dealer and online.
Which means that you don’t need to go out and forage for insect larvae to feed your Ricefish!
Here’s a few examples of insect/meaty proteins that you can buy to feed to your Ricefish (the links will take you to Amazon).
- Mosquito Larvae
- Dapnia (also known as water fleas)
- Brine Shrimp
- Walter Worms
- Blood Worms
- Tubifex Worms
- Grindal Worms
Tip: If you add insects to your Ricefish’s diet the insects need to be newly hatched or in their larval form. Whether the insects are live, dried or frozen the same rule applies. The smaller the insects are, the easier it will be for your Ricefish to eat them.
Some insects and larvae are sold as live food and others can be bought dried or frozen. If you don’t feel comfortable about feeding live foods to your Ricefish you can go for the dried option such as the ones in the links above.
Feeding Vegetables To Your Ricefish
A vegetable treat will be appreciated by your Ricefish. And green vegetables in particular are a favourite. They’re good for a fish’s digestive system too.
Some of the green vegetables you can offer to your Ricefish include:
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Spinach
- Courgette (Zucchini)
- Cabbage (eg Savoy)
There are lots of other green vegetables that you can offer to your Ricefish. For example, mine like Brussel Sprouts too. So it’s worth experimenting to see what your own Ricefish like to eat.
Ricefish only need a small amount of veg at a time. So if they don’t like a particular vegetable you won’t have wasted much food. But unless you test a few out you won’t know what to treat them to the next time.
Tip: Soften The Vegetables First – To make the vegetables easy to eat, and enjoyable for your Ricefish, you need to soften them. You can cook them lightly in a microwave, simmer, or steam them. Let them cool to room temperature before feeding the veggies to your Ricefish.
Remember to remove any uneaten vegetables from the tank after a few hours. If you leave the veggies in there for too long it will foul up the tank water which isn’t good for your Ricefish.
How Much Should I Feed My Ricefish?
You should feed your Ricefish at least twice a day. You only need to feed them small amounts each time so that you don’t have lots of leftover food fouling up the tank.
A general guide when feeding your Ricefish is to only feed them as much as they can eat in 3-5 minutes without any leftovers. You may find, as I have if I’ve added a bit too much, that your Ricefish will clear up the leftover food throughout the day.
But do your best not to overdo it.
Overfeeding your fish can cause all sorts of problems. Not only will decaying food matter foul up the tank water, but too much food won’t do your fish’s health any favours.
Overfed fish often suffer with digestive problems which has a negative effect on their overall health. And if you add the risks of poor water quality, due to too much waste food in the tank, it can be a recipe for disaster.
It’s all a bit trial and error to start with. But you’ll soon get to know when enough is enough.
If you make a mistake and there’s lots of excess food just remove it from the tank and feed less in future.
Tip: An easy way to remove leftover food from an aquarium is to use a Turkey Baster. They’re cheap, widely available and simple to use. Just remember to only release it’s contents once you’ve lifted it out of the tank.
Do Ricefish Eat Algae?
Ricefish don’t have a reputation as algae eaters. However, I often see my Ricefish nibbling at the algae that builds up on the tank glass as it gets close to tank maintenance time. I’m not sure if they are eating the microgorganisims that often occur naturally on algae, or if they’re eating some of the alge itself.
Either way they seem to enjoy it.
Because Ricefish eat some vegetation it’s possible that they are eating some of the algae build up. But to be honest I can’t be absoulutely certain.
I guess the main point I’m trying to make is that you wouldn’t buy Ricefish to solve an algae problem in your aquarium.
Do Ricefish Eat Aquarium Plants?
Although Ricefish in their native habitat will feed on vegetation they are not destructive when it comes to aquarium plants. In fact, having live plants in your Ricefish tank creates a healthy environment for them. Plants are also beneficial when it comes to breeding your Ricefish. They provide a place for the fish to deposit their eggs and a place for the fry to hide.
If you see your Ricefish pecking at the plants they are usually just picking off bits of leftover food rather than eating the plant. Which is a good thing because it helps to keep the tank clean and looking good.
I’ve got a large clump of Java Moss in my Ricefish tank and I often see them picking bits of food out of it. I’ve never seen them acutally eat any of the moss itself.
So, in my experience, Ricefish don’t eat aquarium plants. And, because it’s not something they’re generally known for, your planted tank should be safe from destruction.
What Do Ricefish Fry Eat?
Ricefish fry (baby Ricefish) will eat the same types of food as their parents. Although the food does need to be ground down into powdery pieces because the fry are extremely tiny. Also it’s worth noting that a lot of Ricefish keepers say that Ricefish fry don’t eat for 2-3 days after hatching.
You can just grind down some quality flake food to feed your baby Ricefish. Or your can buy liquid or dried fry foods. Hikari make a fry food called First Bites (Amazon link) which is formulated for fish fry of all kinds and is popular with many fish keepers.
Another way to feed Ricefish fry a healthy diet is to offer them newly hatched Brine Shrimp and/or Dapnia. What they can eat will depend on their own size and the size of the food on offer. So the bigger the baby Ricefish get the bigger the food they can manage to eat.
You do need to bear in mind that if your keep your Ricefish fry in the same tank as the adults, or in a community tank, the fry are likely to feed discreetly. Unfortunately fry often end up being eaten by the adult fish. So fry try to feed without being made into a meal themselves.
Whatever you choose to feed your Ricefish fry with it’s always lovely to see new life in the aquarium.