5 Nutritious Foods You Should Feed Baby Tetras

As tropical fish, Tetras are easy to care for.

I’m saying this because they are omnivores in nature and can eat both plant and animal matter.

Naturally found in the wild, Tetras consume insects, worms, crustaceans, plants, algae, or anything that’s around their habitat.

That’s how they survive.

But what about baby tetras?

What do they eat to grow?

Baby Tetra are relatively tiny after birth and can only ingest microscopic food.

Once they start growing up & swimming actively in the fish tank, it’s necessary to feed them a nutritious diet.

The ideal diet plan for a baby tetra can include dozens of different food items.

But I don’t think you should go with every other option.

Instead, start feeding them the 5 nutrition-rich foods mentioned in this post to witness their growth within months of their birth.

Let’s get started:

6 Best Foods For Baby Tetras

When it comes to finding food for baby tetras, you can easily find dozens of options.

However, the lack of suitable options would result in their hindered growth.

No one wants that.

So, what should you pick?

Well, a step in the right direction would be to pick foods that come with high protein content.

Not just protein, food with calcium (for bone strength), essential vitamins (for cell growth), and carbohydrates (for energy) will do wonders for baby tetras’ growth.

And here’s my top pick as best foods for baby tetras that’ll greatly help in their development into beautiful adults:

Green Water

Green water for baby tetras can be a great way to feed your fish without having to spend money on expensive commercial feeds.

It is easy to prepare and will provide essential nutrients for your fish.

Green water is algae that grow in the form of tiny green cells.

These cells are called phytoplankton, and they are crucial to the survival of many species of fish.

They provide an essential food source, especially during the summer months when most fish are not feeding.

You can make your green water by buying a culture from a pet store or online and growing it in your aquarium.

The best place to do this is a small container with a tight-fitting lid with holes so that the water cannot escape.

It would be best to use an air pump or water pump to aerate the water so that it does not become cloudy with algae growth during this process.

If you want to feed your fish some green water but don’t have time to make it yourself, then you can purchase prepared green water from most pet stores or online retailers.

Ensure that you follow all instructions carefully when using these products as they can cause problems if not used correctly!

Brine Shrimp

The brine shrimp is a small, orange-colored crustacean that lives in bodies of water such as the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea.

Its high salinity content makes it an excellent source of protein for fish, and it can be used as a supplement in aquariums.

The brine shrimp is often used to feed baby tetras because it has a soft shell that the fish’s digestive system can easily break down.

Feeding baby tetras can be challenging because their digestive systems are not fully developed yet, so they need smaller pieces of food to swallow without choking on them.

Brine shrimps can also help keep your aquarium clean by eating algae and other debris from the bottom of your tank.

Infusoria

Infusoria is a name given to a group of microscopic single-celled organisms that can be found in almost every freshwater environment.

They are too small to see with the naked eye but can be seen under a microscope.

Infusoria are one of the best first food sources for a newly-hatched fish fry.

The tiny organisms are rich in protein and proliferate, making them an ideal food source for your young fish.

The good thing is that you can easily culture infusoria at home by adding aquarium water and a small amount of fish food in a jar along with a lettuce leaf.

You should then place the jar near a sunny window for about a week. After a week, the water will turn cloudy with a bacterial bloom.

After that, infusoria will form in a few days. Then, the water will clear out and turn slightly pinkish as the infusoria feed on the bacteria.

Once the water is clear, your infusoria is ready. You can then feed a few drops of the freshly prepared infusoria to the tetra fry.

Egg Yolk

Feeding egg yolk to baby tetras is a good idea if you want them to grow fast and healthy.

Egg yolk can be an essential part of the diet for baby fish.

But for any baby tetra, you should feed them live and frozen foods like brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, etc., as much as possible.

Egg yolk is also not a complete food source for baby fish as it does not contain fiber essential for their digestive system.

Bloodworms

Bloodworms are worms that live in the mud at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.

They’re not worms but a type of insect known as midge fly larvae.

They have a cylindrical body and six legs, making them look like worms.

Bloodworms get their name from the color of their body.

When they feel threatened or disturbed, they release hemoglobin into the body, making their body look bloody.

The protein is released to get more oxygen in the blood to move faster and escape predators.

This is also where they get their red color from.

You can feed your baby tetras frozen bloodworms if you want to.

They are a delicious option for baby tetras and a great source of protein and other nutrients.

If you don’t want to buy them, you can always freeze your own.

Just make sure they are fully thawed before feeding them to your tetras.

I recommend using an ice cube tray (without water) to store them in the freezer.

Tips For Feeding Baby Tetras

With the proper care, tetras can grow up to 2 inches in size.

They live for five years, but they often die due to improper care.

They are tropical fish and need warm water to survive.

It is best to keep them in a tank that holds 10 gallons of water.

Tetras feed on plants and small insects in their natural habitat.

But when you keep them in a fish tank, you must feed them properly.

Furthermore, here are 5 few tips that’ll guide you in feeding baby tetras the right way:

When preparing food for baby tetras, I recommend you always use fresh water.
Feed food only in clean utensils.
Avoid mixing up different foods.
Always keep the water temperature warm for baby tetras
Feed live food that doesn’t have any harmful bacteria, which can be disastrous for baby tetras.