How to Store Fish Food

Fish food is very important to the overall health of fish and should be stored in a proper way to ensure it keeps its nutrients. Just as with human food, fish food can grow bacteria, mold and fungus that could result in food poisoning to the fish. Fish food can become slightly stale and lose its flavor. If this happens, fish will tend to ignore the "bad" flakes and search around for ones that are still good. Without proper storage, the food can lose many of the effective nutrients needed for healthy fish.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish food
  • Bags
  • Liquid fish vitamins
  • Trash can
  • Rubber bands
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase fish foods that are well-packaged right off of the shelf. Foods sealed in flimsy-looking bags usually are not a wise investment, as they will probably rot much quicker than those packaged well. Depending on what kind of fish food you use, be sure it is sealed properly. Fish food that should be frozen should be in blister packs or tightly sealed packaging, while dry fish food should be in a tightly sealed can or jar. Be sure to not buy too much food so that it is not sitting around unused for a long period of time. If you decide to purchase a large container to save time and money, take out a month's worth at a time, re-seal the large container and freeze it to keep the food fresh over a long period of time.

    • 2

      Store open cans and containers properly. For both dry and frozen fish foods, leaving them on top of the fish tank or underneath in a cabinet is a sure way for the food to lose its nutritional benefits. Warm and damp areas tend to spoil food quicker, which allows for bacteria and other harmful parasites to grow on the food. For this reason, all forms of fish food should be closed properly and refrigerated. Frozen foods that come in bags should be sealed tightly with rubber bands and placed in the freezer, along with frozen foods that come in blister packs.

    • 3

      Use a refortifying fish food liquid with dry food that has been around for awhile. A few drops of liquid fish vitamins can be added to dry fish food before you feed the fish. This will help to refortify the nutritional value of the older fish food that hasn't yet spoiled to ensure your fish are getting the nutrients they need when feeding. Be sure to obtain the liquid fish vitamins from a reputable store so that they are not harmful to the fish.

    • 4

      Discard any food that is suspect. If food is accidentally left in a warm environment, pay close attention to how quickly the fish eat the food when it is dropped in the tank. If they stray away from many of the flakes, chances are it is starting to go bad or has already spoiled. If food has spoiled, throw it away, as bad food will cause many more problems down the road than simply purchasing more fish food. If fish suffer from food poisoning or do not eat properly, it can be much more costly than having to purchase more fish food.