When Captain Beefheart released his seminal album Trout Mask Replica in 1969, he surely had no idea how entwined fish and beefhearts would become in the intervening years. If you are unfamiliar, beefheart is just what it sounds like. It’s the heart of a bovine. Cows have some massive tickers, and people don’t tend to eat them. However, if you have fish in your aquarium at home, especially tropical and/or freshwater fish, it could be a great addition to their diet.

Some fish are carnivores, which means they need meat. Their bodies have been evolutionary built to run on the vitamins and nutrients provided by eating meat. These days, beefheart is a go-to choice for feeding your carnivorous fish. Beefheart is absolutely loaded with protein. If you know anything about nutrition, you know the vitality of that to a diet. Have you gotten some new carnivorous freshwater fish? You probably want them to grow big and strong, right? And wouldn’t you like to see some added color to really make them pop? Beefheart, when doled out responsibly as part of a reasonable diet, can really help your fish grow to be big and colorful. Additionally, beefheart can help keep your fish feeling energetic. Who wants lethargic fish in their aquarium? You won’t be happy, and neither will the fish.

There are a couple of ways that you can procure beefheart for your freshwater carnivorous aquarium dwellers. You can buy frozen beefheart prepackaged to have it handled and divvied out for you. There are different levels of quality, but if you care about the growth and energy of your fish going with something all-natural and frozen fresh is a wise option. Or, you can buy your own beefheart from a butcher or other meat shop. Just be sure to cut off the fat and the thick outer skin of the heart. After that, you can make your own cubes, but be sure to freeze them.

When feeding your fish, always provide them with no more food than can be consumed in three minutes. Any food that is left over at this point should be removed. You should not allow your fish to overeat. Beefheart, in reasonable portions, can benefit the health and development of your fish, but too much of a good thing is a problem on land or in the water. Some of the types of fish that beefheart is thought to benefit are discus, oscars, chichlids, angels, and, if you are a particularly adventurous fish connoisseur, piranhas.

If you haven’t tried beefheart for your fish yet, now could be the time to give it a shot. You may notice the energy level of your fish skyrocketing. If your fish are still growing, you may see them go through a spurt unlike any of the fish you’ve owned before. All aquarium owners dream of their tanks being filled with big, colorful, energetic fish. It turns out that beefheart could be the secret to unlocking that dream.