At Hikari®, all of our aquatic diets are scientifically formulated with ingredients that are highly nutritious and uniquely balanced to support the health of the fish as well as the health of the water quality in a number of ways. We don’t just create great nutrition but also strive to create formulas that also taste great and have a texture the fish will find appealing. That’s right, fish want to enjoy what they eat just as much as we do! In fact, fish actually have many of the same senses that we have although they use them in very different ways.
Taste
Fish have taste buds in their lips and along their skin around their mouths. In the case of sharks, they rub their bodies against potential prey to figure out whether or not it is something they would enjoy taking a bite out of (sorry surfers!). In some fish species, their sense of taste is actually what produces the snapping or biting response when a potential food item is near.
Smell
Fish use their sense of smell to do a number of things from detecting potential food sources to tracking their annual spawning ground locations. As highly sensitive creatures, they sense chemical compounds, like pheromones, that are distributed throughout the water and can be alerted to the presence of larger predatory fish by way of a quick sniff.
Sight
Fish share some of the same vision traits as humans. They see in the same seven-color spectrum but in addition, also have the ability to see ultraviolet light. In the case of deep water fish, very low frequency light in very dark places is also within their range. Fun fact: fish eyes have spherical lenses, as opposed to our flat lenses, these lenses allow them to see well underwater where light bends more than it does out of water.
Hearing
Fish have a very strong sense of hearing, which makes sense given that sound travels five times faster in water than it does outside of it. Some fish species even communicate with sound using call and response systems to attract mates.
As incredibly complex creatures, fish require a rich and diverse life in order to thrive. When we take them out of their natural habitat and home to our aquariums for our enjoyment, we also take on the responsibility of making sure we provide them with food and stimuli that also feeds their complex set of senses.