People Vitamins for Fish... ?

[Screwylui]

This idea is really stupid and just popped in my head so i thought i'd put it out there... you can throw it right back though Do you think there would be any advantages of sticking a multivitamin in an aquarium.. or diluting one in water and then pouring it in there...? Obviously fish physiology is very different from our own but we all need vitamins, no ? just wondering if this would be beneficial to the fish...

 

[BrianNY]

I don't think it's a stupid question at all. In fact I think it's thought provoking. Vitamins are absorbed and utilized in many different ways, so why not through the water column?

My gut reaction is that this would be risky at best. Perhaps even lethal. Feeding a balanced and varied diet is probably the surest way to get all the needed nutrients and vitamins to your fish. I wonder what our resident biochemist QTOFFER thinks?

 

[QTOFFER]

This is an interesting question. I think that alot of fish diseases are brought on by weakened immune systems caused by nutrient deficiencies. Ditto for deformities - most are genetic, but some may be caused by nutrient deficiencies too.

I'd be wary of using multivitamins meant for people because of dosing concerns. Wow, there are alot of aquarium vitamin drops on the market (http://www.aquariumpros.com/c-NV.html). I've never used any of these, so I really can't comment on their effectiveness.

To ensure that your fish are getting all the vitamins/minerals that they need, I think it's probably enough to feed a high quality fortified flake food supplemented with a good variety of fresh veggies, frozen foods, and live foods.