Like many other animals, fish in captivity need to be fed to grow quickly and healthily.
Fish in the wild feed on naturally occurring food sources like worms, insects, and other plants such as algae.
Fish will eat the bread crumbs just as they will consume any fish food since fish cannot differentiate between small pieces of bread and pieces of other small-sized fish food.
However, you should not feed the fish bread crumbs because it is so unhealthy and may cause death.
Bread consumes a lot of water, and since fish live in water, the bread will expand as long as it is in a water environment which will in turn make the fish’s stomach swell.
What Happens When You Feed Fish Bread Crumbs?
How Do The Bread Crumbs Affect Their Habitat?
If you have a small fish pond, even small amounts of bread may pollute your fish’s water.
When you dip bread into a glass of water, most of the pieces float to the surface and after a while sink to the bottom. The same can occur in a small fish pond.
The fish will eat some of the bread crumbs, but the other crumbs will sink to the floor of the fish pond.
The bread crumbs will decompose and turn into ammonia because of its yeast fermentation.
As the crumbs decompose the chemicals and unwanted bacteria will pollute the water and eventually kill the fish.
The tiny pieces of bread can also clog your fish pond filters, polluting the pond water.
How Do The Bread Crumbs Affect the Fish?
Bread Is Not Digestible
Fish do not digest bread because of the gluten inside which creates constipation that makes fish ill and sluggish. Most bread has yeast ingredients that swell the fish’s stomach and kill them.
In addition, bread is not proper food for fish for more than the gluten. Bread has fillers for the bread as well. Other food additives for fish include: salt, sugar, flavors, and colors, which are not healthy for the fish:
- Bloating makes the fish feel exhausted and causes them to be lazy to swim or eat and eventually starve.
- in addition, bread will also block the digestive system since fish won’t digest any bread at all.
When the fish’s digestive system is blocked, waste will not get released and accumulate in their stomach for days until poisoning occurs and the fish will die.
Bread crumbs will also slow fish metabolism against their digestion process as well.
The result: when the fish are swollen, gas will come out of them and the fish will literally bloat and not swim or eat. The low metabolism of fish is very low for the fish to swim and consume food for nutrients to live.
Can Lead to Pond Turnover
Establishing the fish pond ecosystem is not easy as it takes a lot of work and maintenance to keep it balanced.
Most fish ponds are cleaned off with a skimmer or net to skim off or out, the organic debris.
As the bread crumbs decompose, on the floor of the fish pond, it offers up lots of nutrients to the water, by feeding the algae in the pond, causing them to reproduce, and turning the water to that unattractive, blue, green murky state.
Organic decay does result in the bad look, but it can also cause a pond turnover.
Pond turnover happens when stagnant water mixes, mainly due to the season or wind current.
The material waste produced does not effectively dilute, but instead, gets deposited at the pond bottom level.
As this happens, healthy living in the fish has diminished, as the bottom is laid with gases of waste and toxic materials.
With the change of seasons, like now, makes things worse, as the surface cools, sinks, and stirs up the waste from the bottom, putting this waste in contact with the pure water again at the top.
What Are The Other Harmful Results Of Feeding Fish With Bread Crumbs?
Once the bread crumbs break down, they use up the oxygen needed by other living animals in the pond such as fish and plants.
Organic matter under the water grows mold – white fuzz on the pond.
Organic matter could also bring on worms, like flatworms.
Flatworms impact the growth of the number of fish in the pond by feeding on the fish eggs.
What Are The Best Home Food Alternatives To Feed Fish In A Pond?
When wondering, “What can I feed my fish?”, if you do not intend to use bread for fish food.
To properly feed your fish, it is always important to look at the food quality.
High quality food with a high protein content is typically preferable for rapid growth. High quality food has high nutrient values versus bread who is more than 90% carbohydrate.
Low quality foods lack digestive value and add unnecessary nutrients to the water.
Foods high in energy value (including snacks) are also good foods for fish.
Insects, small fish, parasites, etc. are all acceptable food sources for fish as live foods.
If fish are constipated, you can use food high in fiber (e.g. greens) to relieve constipation.
To elaborate: Boiled or peeled peas are also good to relieve constipation and full of nutrients highly beneficial to fish. Though, it would be best not to feed them consistently as they can result in digestive issues.
Other Foods You Should Not Feed Fish In A Pond
Avoid foods high in carbs as they cause:
- bloating
- swelling
- low metabolism
- and pain
Fruits contain sugar and carbs, are also not suitable for fish, and lack nutrients to keep the fish healthy and alive.
Additionally, avoid fatty meats, for example:
- poultry
- pork
- and beef
Fish require little fats for insulation and more protein for fast growth.
More fat in a fish diet can also cause obesity, making the fish lazy and tired. It can also result in a liver problem.
Final Thoughts
Fish are incapable of digesting gluten and yeast, which are the two main ingredients in bread.
So, no matter what, if you are feeding the fish in your fish tank, you shouldn’t ever feed them bread crumbs because it causes bloating, swelling, and constipation, all of which are not healthy for a fish.
Bread crumbs alone not only affect the fish you are feeding, but will also be toxic to the aquatic environment or their habitat.
Bread pieces that are left uneaten will fall and settle at the bottom level and slowly chip away, consuming the oxygen level, and serving as fertilizer for the algae to grow.
On top of the harmful effects of oxygen depletion, it will also contribute to lowering the pH level of the water due to an increase in acid buildup which will poison the water where the fish live, leading to a fish die off.