Ornamental fish feed market is expanding rapidly with Sera GmbH launching all-natural tablet and rearing food

Aquarium fish food is animal or plant matter intended for consumption by fish kept in ponds or aquaria. Fish food in most cases contains various micronutrients, protein-rich substances, and essential vitamins needed to maintain healthy captive fish. Food that is suitable for freshwater fish can also be used for saltwater fish. Governments of various countries have been promoting the ornamental fisheries sector over the years. These initiatives include various projects with significant investment to promote the fisheries industry. Besides, growing availability of various types of fish food based on their type can potentially stimulate growth of the ornamental fish feed market in the near future.

Recently, in July 2019, Sera GmbH launched a new tablet and rearing food range including O-Nip Nature, Spirulina Tabs Nature, Plankton Tabs Nature, Viformo Nature, and Micron Nature for ornamental fishes made of all-natural ingredients.

One of the key reasons behind the adoption of ornamental fish feed is the growing pet adoption. With rising urbanization and growing purchasing power worldwide, pet adoption has increased significantly over the years, in both developed and emerging economies. As per the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (APCA), around 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year in the U.S. As per the 2017-18 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, over 10,475 households had adopted fish as a pet. Such a vast number of pet ownership has accelerated the demand for fish feed, and thus enhancing the ornamental fish feed market.

Despite these various advantages, there are major setbacks that the ornamental fish feed market faces. The ingredients usually used in the preparation of fish feed are soybean, fish meal, squid meal, legumes, vegetable oil from sunflower, corn, wheat, and earthworms. As the prices of these ingredients fluctuate more often than not, which could restrict growth of the market in the near future.

Fish feeding off the surface of the water has been popular in the past. However, there are other ways to feed the fish such as through the use of live foods. These foods are more popular in the past because they do not spoil so quickly and do not need to be removed from the tank regularly. Live foods that need to be removed from the fish tank regularly include those that are high in sugar and nitrates. Since these foods tend to rot, they need to be removed periodically to prevent them from eating all the other food in the tank. As far as regional impact is concerned, developed countries in the European region have seemed to gain massive traction in the ornamental fish feed market. This is typically due to the fact that consumers are showing greater interest in purchasing aquarium fishes in the region. Similarly, the demand for ornamental fish feed has increased in Asia Pacific due to the availability of exotic species.