For many tank owners, the key parts of ensuring a school of fish thrive include clean water of the right temperature and pH level, a live rock, appropriate flora, and nutritious and suitable aquarium fish food.

However, some owners will opt out of serving prepared fish food and instead use live food cultures, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp and daphnia (water flea plankton).

For carnivorous and some omnivorous fish, this is not a problem, although all fish should have a balanced diet to ensure they stay healthy for as long as possible. Live foods provide high levels of nutrients to fish that can sometimes be lost in processed food.

As well as this, live foods do not break down, unlike algae wafers and flakes, which means your water quality is far less affected with them in the tank.

However, there are certain considerations to make before deciding if live food is best for your fish.

The first is lifespan. Fish flakes that have been properly prepared and stored can last months, whilst live foods tend to only last a few days when refrigerated.

This, along with expense, is why many people who choose to use live foods tend to cultivate the daphnia and brine shrimp themselves to have a regular source of food.

As well as this, whilst store-bought live foods are disease-free, there is a risk of transmitting harmful bacteria and pathogens to fish if polluted live foods are used.

In general, the best way to feed your fish is with a mixed diet of different foods, with live foods acting as a small supplement to standard flakes and pellets. This ensures your fish have all the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.