Prepared diets are replacing a lot of live food

Live food still has a place for conditioning breeders and for animals that refuse anything else. For day-to-day feeding, the trade has moved. Vacuum-packed insects, gel pre-mixes and complete pellets ship without the losses and the parasite risk of a live culture.

Reptile keepers are using insectivore and omnivore gels beside a staple pellet. Freshwater keepers are using the same idea for goldfish, koi, plecos and community fish. The useful question is no longer whether the food is alive. It is whether the diet matches the animal and whether the pack is dated.