Ember Tetra fish is a freshwater species of fish that can be found in many pet stores across the United States. The question most people ask when they come into the store is, “Can Ember Tetra eat human food?”
Yes and No. Ember tetras can eat some of the human foods like shrimp, fruits, and frozen peas but not all human foods. However, they also need to eat pellets that are made for them or other types of fish food like freeze-dried bloodworms.
If you decide to feed your Ember Tetra human food there can be some risks involved. For example, if the person feeding the tetra doesn’t know what type of foods are safe to feed them there could be some negative side effects.
In this post, we will answer this question and provide tips on how to feed them properly.
What Does Ember Tetra Generally Eat?
Ember Tetra fish do require a specific set of foods though for them to grow and stay healthy.
Ember Tetra fish are omnivores, which means they eat both plant and animal material for food. You need to feed them a variety of dried foods like brine shrimp, fruit flies, blood worms, daphnia (freshwater crustaceans), or tubifex worms. Similarly, live/frozen foods such as brine shrimp, blood worms, daphnia (freshwater crustaceans), or tubifex worms.
If you want to feed your Ember Tetra live/frozen foods then it is important that you chill the food so they can eat it properly.
Can Ember Tetra Eat Human Food?
This is a common question many people ask, and the answer to this question is no. The reason for this is because of the size difference between humans and fish. Fish are much smaller than us so it would be difficult for them to get any nutrients from the human food that they eat. They need to eat food with nutrients that one can find in their natural habitat.
No, Ember Tetra cannot eat human food. In fact, human foods are not a part of their natural diet whatsoever. So, if you offer them any sort of other food like beef or seafood they will most likely refuse to eat it and possibly even die from starvation.
However, there are some human foods that ember tetra enjoy. This doesn’t mean that you should feed them human food all the time. But if you want to try feeding your ember tetra some foods other than their fish pellets then here are a few things they might like.
Human Foods Ember Tetra Can Eat
I will list out all the human foods that your ember tetra can eat:
Peas
One of the most popular and well-known is peas. The reason for this is because it has proteins, vitamins, and minerals that your ember tetra needs to have for its body to function properly.
Peel the pea pod while making sure that it doesn’t break and then cut off both ends of each pea with a knife or kitchen shears. Make sure not to eat these parts because they are not good for your tetra.
You can either boil the peas or steam them with a little bit of water to make sure that they don’t dry out and lose their nutritional value.
The next step is to offer it as food for your ember tetra by placing one pea at a time inside an aquarium net.
Feeding your ember tetra human food can be a good idea. It will give them something to try and eat other than just the fish pellets that they usually get in the wild. This could also have a positive effect on your aquarium as well by increasing water quality which is an important part of having healthy aquatic life!
Eggs
Eggs are also a good option because they contain protein and omega-six fatty acids. This will help keep the scales on an ember tetra’s body healthy.
Ember Tetra can be fed eggs, but it has to be boiled first. Take a small bowl of water and put the egg in it. Boil for three minutes and then take the egg out with a spoon. Let it cool for a bit before feeding your small aquarium fish with the egg.
Fruit
Some fruits that your ember tetra can eat are apples and oranges. These foods need to be sliced up into smaller pieces. So, they don’t take too long for an ember tetra to consume.
The other foods you can feed them are some of the fruits that humans eat. One of these is bananas, but make sure you peel it first because some fish can’t digest raw plant matter.
Vegetables
Vegetables are also a good option for your ember tetra. Some vegetables that you can feed them include zucchini, squash, and cucumber.
You need to cut the zucchini, squash, and cucumber into small pieces so they are easier to eat. But don’t forget that you will need to fry them first for your tetra fish to get the proper nutrients from it!
How Do I Feed My Ember Tetra?
A common question many people have is “how do I feed my ember tetra?”
The first step is to feed your ember tetra some of the human foods that I listed out. This will help give them a taste for different food sources and they might like it as time progresses. The next thing you need to do is make sure that their tank has enough oxygen levels. You can accomplish this by feeding them some live plants that are known to help with oxygen levels.
If you want your ember tetra to eat, then it might be a good idea to use feeding sticks and place them in their food. This will make it easier for the fish because they won’t have to search around for something edible!
Why Should I Feed My Ember Tetra Human Food?
The next question people might have is “why should I feed my ember tetra human food?” There are many reasons why you would want to give your fish some different foods. One of these is because they will be less likely to get bored with their normal diet and it will also help make the tank a little healthier.
The benefits of feeding your Ember Tetra human food are that they will eat it as long as you have the right amount in their tank and if you do not want to buy pellets all the time this is a great option! This means less work for the owner.
What Are The Risks Of Feeding My Ember Tetra Human Food?
Feeding human food to an ember tetra is not always the best idea because there are risks that come with it.
Parasites
One of these risks is the chance of a parasite being spread to your ember tetra from eating human food.
Tetra Fish Diseases
The other risk would be if they eat some human food and end up getting sick because their stomach can’t process this type of food.
Bloating
Another risk is if your ember tetra eats human food that causes them to bloat.
It can be difficult and sometimes unsafe for you to feed an ember tetra. Because of diseases, parasites, or stomach problems so it’s best not to do it as often.
For humans to eat certain foods, they have to cook them first because their stomachs are different from what an ember tetra is like.
Feeding your pet fish with live plants will help the tank be a healthier place for them and it will also make feeding easier on you.
Overfeeding
One risk is that you could end up overfeeding your aquarium fish and this would cause the water to go bad because there would be too much food floating around. Another risk is that you could end up feeding them something too big for their mouths to chew so they would choke on it and die!
Water Quality
Feeding your ember tetra human food can also have risks with the quality of water in an aquarium as well; because there will be more waste due to all the extra food consumption.
Foods To Avoid Feeding Your Ember Tetra
Some foods that you should avoid feeding your ember tetra are:
- Shrimp (Not brine Shrimp, other ones)
- Fruits with seeds like apples or bananas
- Potato chips and other salty snacks, which can cause the salt content in their water to get too high.
- Bread
- Raw Beef
- Anything too big for their mouths
The dangers of these human food items are they could have parasites on them or be poisonous to your fish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ember tetras are freshwater fish that can be found in many places around the world. This article answered the question “can ember tetras eat human food?” and also gave advice for when it is appropriate to feed your pet fish with human food.
