Читать книгу Clinical Guide to Fish Medicine - Группа авторов - Страница 139

Fish can be broadly grouped into simple trophic categories based on the types of food consumed: carnivore, omnivore, herbivore, and detritivore. However, it should be noted that while a carnivore is well‐defined (consumer of animal prey), what constitutes an omnivorous, herbivorous, or detritivorous fish varies widely. Most fish species are primarily carnivorous or omnivorous; only 5% of fish families include herbivorous species (Bone and Moore 2008).

Carnivory is seen in all elasmobranchs (as predators or filter feeders) and some bony fish (often pelagic species and ambush predators). Omnivory is common in bony fish found in zoos and aquariums. Herbivorous fish include both freshwater and marine bony fish that consume vascular plants, micro‐ and macroalgae, detritus, and even wood in some species of catfish (German and Bittong 2009). Herbivorous fish that are commonly displayed or cultured include most parrotfish (Scaridae) and some tilapia (Oreochromis and Tilapia spp.). Detritivorous fish include many species of mullet (Mugilidae), some surgeonfish (Acanthuridae), and some aquaculture species including smallscale yellowfin (Plagiognathops microlepis).

Nutritionally appropriate diets for carnivorous and omnivorous fish can be based on known prey items. However, designing nutritionally appropriate diets for herbivorous grazers and browsers can be challenging, as they often feed on a complex mixture of plants, algae, and detritus.

In addition to the types of foods that fish eat in the wild, understanding normal feeding patterns and seasonal changes in the diet and environment are important in determining diets for fish under human care.