Using Commercial Feeds for the Culture of Freshwater Ornamental Fishes in Hawai‘i

Since 1993, various public and private institutions have supported the development of a freshwater ornamental industry in Hawai‘i which, based on current success, must be intensive and utilize the latest in culture technologies to remain competitive. Feeding and palatability trials using commercial feeds suggests that very little is understood about the nutritional requirements of the 1500 species that characterize the ornamental trade. Rather than focusing on a particular food for any one species, we examined feeds already developed for food fish to find whether they are suitable as feed for ornamental fish. Investigations on various aspects (price, palatability, color enhancement, growth supporting characteristics, maturation and spawning) of commercially available diets were conducted using a variety of species of freshwater ornamental fishes and form the basis for this report.