It is a well known fact that your fish (and us for that matter!) be fed food that must contain a well balanced composition of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements to provide nutrition, according to their natural requirements.

Let’s have a look at the individual benefits of the components of what is usually written on the back of your fish food container.

Carbohydrates and Fats:- These are the most important energy sources in food. Be warned, that if an oversupply of these occur, especially Fat, it get’s enriched in your fishes body and can lead to fattening and organ damage. Ideally, your intended food should be low in fat (under 6%), unless you are feeding fry or young fish, which in this case can be up to 8%.

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Protein:- Proteins consist of long chains of connected amino acids. These chains dissolve into seperate amino acids during digestion, which your fish absorb and they use these to build up muscles.

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Trace Elements:- These are the ‘tools’ of an organism. They are an indispensable part of enzymes and are required only in modicum amounts.

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Minerals:- are required for the healthy growth of your fish.

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Ballast Substances:- Actually, these have no direct nutritional value for your fish, but, are very important. They act as an excellent defense against inertia of the bowels, which would otherwise cause intestinal complications.

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VITAMINS
Vitamins is a generic term for entirely different active substances, which individually, actually have nothing in common at all. They possess many different functions and each required amount differs vastly from the other. A lack of one vitamin cannot be compensated with an oversupply of another vitamin. The following read will attempt to explain the importance and the function of each vitamin and symptoms of what can happen with the lack of.

Vitamin A:-
Importance - Assists in the improvement of eyesight, healthy growth, skin protection and it is also a fertility vitamin.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Eye defects and bleeding sores on the skin. (yuk!!)

Vitamin B:-
Importance - This group is required for obtaining energy from the carbohydrates in the food and also for your fishes nerve nutrition, by providing their brain and nerves with sugar.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Movement difficulties, which sometimes leads to cramps.

Vitamin B2:-
Importance - Aids in the digestion of protein, for muscle buildup and protection for the Mucous membrane.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Bleeding sores on the skin (again Yuk!!) and disturbances of the nervous system.

Vitamin B5:-
Importance - Nesessary for the buildup of various enzymes. This is also referred to as Vitamin PP.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Gill problems.

Vitamin B6:-
Importance - Essential for your fishes nervous system.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - A lack of this will cause damage to the nervous system, that will ultimately lead to movement difficulties.

Vitamin B12:-
Importance - Very, required for the digestive system and the build up of the red blood cells (haemoglobin), which are indispensible for the transportation of oxygen.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - A lack of this will lead to anaemia, which leads to apathy and growth disturbances.

Vitamin C:-
Importance - This is used for your fishes skeletal buildup and resistance to disease.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Gill deformity and proneness to diseases.

Vitamin D3:-
Importance - Regulates the intake of Calcium and Phosphorus and is so very important for bones (skeleton growth).

”Lack of” Symptoms: - A lack of this vitamin will lead to bone deformity (rachitis).

Vitamin E:-
Importance - This is what stimulates the production of fertility hormones and also it stabilizes other vitamins and the valuable unsaturated fatty acids in the food.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Infertility! and fattening of your fishes liver.

Vitamin H:-
Importance - Also known as biotin, it is a growth factor.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Typical are, growth disturbances, lack of appetite and cramps.

Vitamin K:-
Importance - Assists in blood coagulation resulting from injuries.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - Problems with skin healing and liver damages.

Choline:-
Importance - This is required for the digestion of fat.

”Lack of” Symptoms: - You guessed it, fattening of the liver.

As you can see, deficiency of nearly every vitamin, furthermore, leads to a lack of appetite and growth disruptions. If you have apathetic looking fish, then the chances are, there has been an insufficient supply of vitamins in their food. Also, this can relate to diseases. Often, other things can upset the applecart, such as cleaning and maintenace (putting your hand in the tank, springs to mind here), the introduction of new fish, and other stress factors etc, may lead to a disease outbreak. So, the importance of vitamins for the health of your fish, can not and should not be overlooked.
Well, there you have it. If I missed anything here, or if there is anything you do not understand, please do not hesitate to let me know.
I hope you enjoyed the read.