HERE ARE A FEW BUILDING BLOCK INGREDIENTS:

AMINO ACIDS:
An amino acid is any molecule that contains both Amines and Carboxylic acids.
*Amines are organic compounds that contain nitrogen as the key atom; structurally amines resemble ammonia.
*Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of a carboxyl group.
Amino acids are used as the basic components of proteins.

The net protein utilization is profoundly affected by the limiting amino acid content or protein quality (the essential amino acid found in the smallest quantity in the foodstuff), and somewhat affected by salvage of essential amino acids in the body.
It is therefore a good idea to mix foodstuffs that have different weaknesses in their essential amino acid distributions. This limits the loss of nitrogen through deamination and increases overall net protein utilization.
Eggs (whether fish or even chicken) have the highest protein quality of any source. Which makes hard boiled egg crumbles an excellent food source for fry.
DL-methionine is an essential amino acid for producing the “Lionhead” feature in goldfish. It is noteworthy that Methionine is one of eight essential amino acids.

High levels of DL-methionine can be found in eggs, whole fish meal, and in many cereal grains such as whole unbleached wheat flour, which is used in many commercial foods such as Sanyu Koi and Goldfish Food or the ultra-premium AquaMaster Goldfish Food (which is high in whole fish meal, another source of methionine).

Other essential Amino acids include (essential meaning amino acids that cannot be produced within the fish’ body from other nutrients and proteins): Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine + Cystine3, Phenylalanine + Tryosine4, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.

Other quality sources of usable amino acids include: Whole fish meal (salmon is best), Cylcops, fish roe, squid meal, and even spirulina algae.

Bottom line; Not all protein sources are equal. An analogy used at a pet food seminar I attended was this: You can achieve the protein analysis on many pet foods with a used pair of leather shoes, but leather shoes contain little usable proteins.
Another point as to grain or plant sources (Spirulina does NOT fall into this category), is that proteins in cereal grains and other plant concentrates do not contain complete amino acid profiles and usually are deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and methionine.

FATS (lipids):
Molecular compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Fats are important for insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy.

The fatty acids are the main source of energy in fish, especially for many tissues, such as heart and skeletal muscle. Another important function for fats are for vitamin absorption. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats.

The lipids (fats) in fish can be separated into liquid fish oils and solid fats. This is why fats/lipid for use in fish food are best obtained from aquatic sources such as Whole Fishmeal. Fish lipids are highly digestible by all species of fish (& animals) and are excellent sources of the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in both the omega-3 and omega-6 families of fatty acids.

The predominant omega-3 fatty acids in fishmeal and fish oil are linolenic acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Both DHA and EPA fatty acids are produced and passed along the food chain by small-size algae and zooplankton, which are consumed by fish. Fishmeal and oil contain more omega-3, than omega-6 fatty acids.
In contrast, most plant lipids contain higher concentrations of omega-6 fatty acids. For example, oil extracted from soybeans, corn, or cottonseed is rich in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Some oils, like those from canola and flax seeds contain linolenic acid (of the omega-3 family), however, its conversion into essential DHA and EPA by most animals may be limited.

More about Omega 3 & 6

As with most animals, it is important to maintain an appropriate balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in the diet, as these two substances work together to promote health. However in fish it is the Omega 3 that is most needed and many warm water freshwater do not readily produce this fatty acid like most coldwater marine fish can.
Omega-3 fatty acids are THE essential fatty acid and one of the benefits is that they help reduce inflammation, while most omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation.

One problem with many fish foods that are void of Whole Fish Meal (vs. plain fish meal which has often lost most oils), Fish oils, or similar are that they often will get their fats from plant sources that lack even short-chain Omega 3 and only contain Omega 6.
Very few plants produce Omega-3 fats, and plant-based Omega-3 fats such as Flax, walnuts and camelina are slightly different than fish omega-3s. Plants produce a shorter chain molecule than fish, while fish produce long-chain omega-3 oil, but even warm water freshwater fish may be able to convert these short-chain omega-3 oils to the long-chain version.
An ongoing study has shown where farmed fish were fed partially with camelina suggested that they were converting the oil to the longer chain Omega 3 fatty acid.

Reference:
http://www.montana.edu/news/1114097858.html

CARBOHYDRATES:
Molecular substances which include the sugars, starches, gums and celluloses. The common attributes of carbohydrates are that they contain only the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and that their combustion will yield carbon dioxide plus one or more molecules of Water.

Most of the carbohydrates that enter the diet of fish are of plant origin. Carnivorous fish such as groupers, therefore, deal with little carbohydrate. Indeed, experiments have shown that these species are ill-equipped to handle significant quantities of raw carbohydrate, in their diets. The ability of fish to digest carbohydrates depends on their ability to elaborate amylase. All species of fish have been shown to secrete at least some amylase. It has also been demonstrated that activity of this enzyme was greatest in herbivores.

Carbohydrates are not a superior energy source for fish over protein or fat although digestible carbohydrates do spare protein for tissue building. Also, unlike in mammals, glycogen is not a significant storage depot of energy in fish.
The more efficient metabolism of amino acids over carbohydrates (glucose) by fish for energy could be due to the ability of fish to excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia from their gills without the high cost of energy in converting the waste to urea.

FISH FOOD SOURCES:

FISH MEAL:
Fish meal has been widely used as a protein source for many years for fish.

High quality whole fishmeal provides a balanced amount of all essential amino acids, phospholipids, and fatty acids for optimum development, growth, and reproduction, especially of larvae and brood stock. The nutrients in fishmeal (such as Omega 3 fatty acids) also aid in disease resistance by boosting and helping to maintain a healthy functional immune system.

Two basic types of fish meal are produced;

(1) Fish Meal from left over parts:
Produced from fishery waste (salmon, tuna, etc.) that are associated with the processing of various edible human fishery products and this fishmeal is rendered from fish offal, trimmings or cuttings, and other wastes principally from filleting and canning operations from the edible fisheries (e.g., tuna, cod, haddock, hake, pollock).
In addition to being a by-product of human fish production it is also a by-product associated with fish oil production, which is where many commercial fish foods obtain fish meal from, thus loosing an important natural nutrient; Fish Oil.

Unfortunately many of the major fish food brands use this poor source of nutrition rather than the vastly superior whole fish meal.

(2) Whole Fishmeal:
When specific fish (Herring, Menhaden, Anchovies, Hakes, Jacks, Pollack, etc.) are harvested just for the purpose to produce fish meal. The fish can be dried directly drying or cooking prior to drying and oil extracted. Most of these fish are small, bony, with high content of oil (especially the important Omega 3 discussed in the “Fats” section), and considered of little edible use for humans (e.g., anchovies, herrings, capelin, menhaden).

Fish that are only used for the production of fish meal are the best source, listed on ingredients as “Whole Fish Meal” or “White Fish Meal”. Fishmeal of high quality provides a balanced amount of all essential amino acids, phospholipids, and fatty acids (Omega 3, DHA or docosahexaenoic acid and EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid) for optimum development, growth, and reproduction, especially of larvae and brood stock. The nutrients in whole fishmeal also aid in disease resistance by boosting and helping to maintain a healthy functional immune system.

Most plant-based proteins (with the exception of Spirulina, which is not actually a plant or even a true algae), even when properly processed, are usually not as digestible as fishmeal; and their inclusion rate into the diet is often limited as it results in depressed growth rates and feed intake. Over-all protein digestibility values for fishmeal are consistently above 95%. In comparison protein digestibility for many plant-based proteins varies greatly, for example, from 77% to 96%, depending on the species of plant.

Whole Fish Meal is an excellent source of DL-methionine which along with some fats such as the VERY important Omega 3 fatty acid is important to large head growth in certain cichlids and Orandas/Lionhead goldfish.
Unfortunately many leading brands of fish food use only bi-products or low quality Fish Meal which is not complete.

Whole Fish Meal averages between 17% and 25% ash content. More ash indicates a higher mineral content, especially calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Calcium and phosphorus constitute the majority of the ash found in fishmeal. This makes Whole Fishmeal an important source of very essential minerals that fish need for osmoregulation.
Fishmeal also contains certain compounds that make the fish food more acceptable and agreeable to the taste (palatable). This property allows for the feed to be ingested rapidly, and will reduce nutrient leaching. It is thought the non-essential amino acid glutamic acid is one of the compounds that imparts to fishmeal its palatability.

Use of high quality fish meal as a percentage of processed/prepared foods ranges from 5-7% for koi and goldfish, and up to 40% to 55% for high protein tropical fish, trout, salmon, and some marine fishes diets.
Unfortunately the cost of high-quality whole fishmeal (65% protein) is 2.0 to 3.5 times the price of soybean meal so its use is often low as compared to soybean meal or lower quality fishmeal in low end fish foods (which make up the more popular brands too).

Further reading for Fish Meal (resource)
Fish Meal in Aquaculture Diets; University of Florida


SHRIMP MEAL (& Plankton/Krill):
Shrimp meal can be made from either cull shrimp that are being processed before freezing or from whole shrimp that is not of suitable quality for human consumption. The material to be made into shrimp meal is dried (sun or using a dryer) and then ground. Shrimp meal has been used in trout and salmon diets as a source of pigments to impart the desirable color in the tissues.
Shrimp/Plankton either whole or as a part of another prepared food is an excellent source for fats needed for the growth of heads in Flowerhorn Cichlids.
Krill Meal is similar (& often Krill Meal is labeled as Shrimp Meal).

Another positive aspect of Shrimp/Krill Meal is that it often has a high palatability for many fish, especially small “finicky” fish such as many small Tetras. For this reason many quality fish foods specifically designed for small finicky fish such as Hikari Micro Wafers (which also includes Garlic)or delciate Marine Fish such as Hikari Marine S includes this food source as a major ingredient.

Shrimp/Krill meal has been found to be an acceptable supplemental protein source for fish, but inferior to whole fish meal for pepsin digestibility.

SQUID MEAL:
Squid Meal is made from squid viscera portions from cannery plants including egg and testis.
Squid Meal is high digestibility of protein source, which provides a full range of amino acids for fish. It provides various kinds of vitamins and minerals and also 1.0-1.5% of cholesterol that is suitable for fish fry and young fish.

BRINE SHRIMP:
Just over a centimeter in size, the adult brine shrimp (Artemia) is a common food source for fish. They can be purchased at many Pet Stores as adults, Freeze dried or even eggs. The eggs look like a powdery brown substance but in reality the substance is thousands of cysts—eggs surrounded by protective cases. When added to water, these cysts will hatch into shrimp nauplii within a few hours.
As a food source brine shrimp are relatively limited (mostly because of their high water content). They are a good source of carotene for color and act as a natural laxative in fish digestive systems. The proteins they do supply are of high quality. Depending on the source they also can supply vegetable matter due to their consumption of algae.

As I noted, Brine Shrimp have a natural laxative ability and along with shelled peas makes for an excellent laxative. Even better would be to combine a high content Spirulina Flake such as Spirulina 20 and make a thick soup and soak some frozen or even FD Brine Shrimp (frozen or live is slightly better) for a natural immune boosting/laxative that is excellent for Bettas, goldfish, etc. Ocean Nutrition also makes a Spirulina enhanced Frozen Brine Shrimp product that is excellent as well.
See this article for more information:
Spirulina Algae; The Aquatic Health Benefits for Tropical, Marine and Goldfish

SPIRULINA:
Spirulina is a blue-green plant plankton rich in raw protein and seven major vitamins: A1, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E.
Spirulina naturally contains beta-carotene color enhancing pigments (1500 mg/kg. Carotenoids; Orange/ Red pigment enhancers), and whole range of minerals.
In addition, it contains all essential fatty acids and eight amino acids required for complete nutrition.

Spirulina is different from other algae and is similar to bacteria in many ways, occupying a niche between plants and bacteria. Spirulina is similar to cyanobacteria in structure which can be toxic (spiral shape, unlike true plant plankton). Spirulina and Blue-Green algae are recognized by the body (fish in particular) as a bacterium, causing an increase in antibodies, which in turn increase disease resistance. Spirulina is also high in usable or digestible amino acids.

Spirulina is probably one of the best fish food ingredients available, INCLUDING for carnivores (usually fed via gut loading, more information later in the article). Any staple fish food diet for community fish is improved by the addition of Spirulina Algae, which is why Spirulina 20 which has Spirulina as its number one ingredient is superior to most other basic fish food flakes for everyday feeding of general/community aquarium fish.

For much more about Spirulina of which there is MUCH new evidence as to the health benefits there in:
Spirulina Algae; The aquatic health benefits for Tropical, Marine and Goldfish. THIS IS A MUST READ ARTICLE!


GARLIC:
There is a lot of both subjective and objective evidence about the use and effectiveness of garlic for fish.
Much of this is positive, but there are also negative reviews of the use of Garlic.
I myself have used Garlic as an appetite stimulant with good results, but admittedly this was not a controlled study and is also subjective evidence.

Based on a study ("Using Garlic as an Appetite Stimulant in Sand Tiger Sharks." Drum & Croaker, January 2004, Volume 35, pages 59-63"), I would have to venture a guess that the results that I and others have observed were real, it simply depends upon the fish and what stimulates certain fish, as this study was quite flawed and only dealt with one type of fish. My positive results were with omnivores and herbivores, but not carnivores (in particular Yellow Tangs and some livebearers I only used Garlic to stimulate appetite).

Here are a couple other claims of benefits for Garlic use:
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti parasite including internal worms as well as Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) & Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans).

I do not have good evidence of the benefit of Garlic for parasite prevention/treatment, however I do have good scientific evidence of the use of garlic for bacterial treatment (which may at least allow for a stronger immune system to aid in treatment of parasites).

Garlic contains the active (& proven) ingredient; Allicin, (a.k.a. Diallyl thiosulfinate)). Allicin is a broad-spectrum agent against both Gram Positive and Gram Negative bacteria, with more gram positive activity (which unfortunately most aquatic diseases are gram negative).
Fish Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium marinum) has been demonstrated to be effectively treated with Allicin. Some human studies show the effectiveness of Garlic (Allicin) in treatment Streptoccocus (which can affect fish).

Garlic can be added to fish food at about 1-2% (generally during manufacture or homemade fish food) or an aquarium keeper can add professionally prepared products such as SeaChem Garlic Guard to fish food prior to feeding (a half hour or more is best to allow food to absorb the garlic).

GarlicGuard can be mixed with Metronidazole or Neomycin and then fed used as a food soak for treatment of internal bacterial and some parasites.
For Fish Tuberculosis, Garlic Guard can be mixed with both Neomycin and Kanamycin for improving the potential effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment.


BEEF HEART:

Although still fed to fish and often part of many homemade fish food recipes, Beef Heart is a food source that should be used very sparingly.
Although many carnivorous fish enjoy it and it may be a good way to kick start growth in juvenile fish, excessive long term use can add stress to the fish' digestive tract and kidneys, thus lowering resistance to disease and shortening lifespan (which I noted in some side by side fish food comparisons in the 1980s where Oscar Fish that were fed a diet primarily of Beef Heart had clearly shorter life spans and were more prone to infections or other problems such as HITH).

Although lower in fats than most warm blooded animal meats, Beef Heart is still about 18% Saturated Fat. These fats are very difficult for fish to process these fats, especially older fish.

The well known aquatic author Martin A. Moe (my favorite is the
"The Marine Aquarium Handbook") states:
"Fish are cold blooded and all digestion reactions take place at 70 to 80F, the temp of aquarium water. Thus they may not be able to efficiently digest or use the types of fats present in the flesh of warm blooded animals. They are much better off with the flesh of animals that are similar to their normal prey."

As well the amino acids (which make up proteins) are not ones that are easily utilized by fish.

SOYBEAN MEAL:

Use of soybean products in the aquaculture industry have become the focus of protein substitution in fish food around the world. The high protein level makes soybean meal a key ingredient for aquaculture feeds since soybean meal is considerably less expensive than traditionally used marine animal meals.
However, proteins in cereal grains and other plant concentrates do not contain complete amino acid profiles and usually are deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and methionine.

The limiting amino acid content of soybean meal is high, and are not to amino acid profiles of Whole fish meal or eggs.
Fish foods that use soybean meal as the primary protein source should be avoided (some use of soybean meal is OK, however it should NOT be the number one ingredient in any fish food).

WHOLE WHEAT:
Carbohydrates as explained earlier are not the best source of energy in fish, but sources of Carbohydrates still can be useful, especially when whole wheat is used.
One reason is for roughage, especially in many South American cichlids, goldfish and koi, but also for other fish for the wheat-germ found in whole wheat is a natural source of vitamin E, an important vitamin to promote healthy growth and fish color.
Wheat Germ is very helpful in preparing your Koi fish for winter (during the fall) in cooler climates, or even feeding during winter where water temperatures remain above 45-50F

Whole Wheat should be high in your goldfish diet so as to prevent intestinal distress which in turn can allow for opportunistic internal Aeromonas infections.
Premium Goldfish food such as AquaMaster Goldfish Diet are a must for any goldfish keeper looking for the long term health benefits from the foods they feed their prize goldfish

GLUTENS:
Gluten is a protein composite that appears in foods processed from wheat and related species. Glutens are also the basic source of glutamate, what the Japanese call "umami" what Americans and others call savory - the flavor produced by proteins and amino acids found primarily in meat. When cooked in broth, gluten absorbs some of the surrounding liquid (including the taste) and becoming firm, making for popular meatless, inexpensive filler used by many fish foods (& human foods).
Among vegetarian & vegan diets, as well as several Asian cultures (especially where Buddhism was prevalent), there was a desire to experience umami without eating meat so foods using soy and gluten proteins became very popular; this use has also crossed over to many fish foods as well.
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FISH COLOR ENHANCERS:

While I already note color enhancing properties of certain fish food ingredients, I will use this section to address specific proven natural fish color enhancers, especially as it applies to Koi, Goldfish, and some Cichlids.

*Carotenoids are a broad group of terpenoid (with 8 isoprene units) color enhancers are organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms such as algae, a few bacteria, and a few types of fungus.

The following are essentially sub groups of Carotenoids:

*Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid alcohol that is considered by Koi experts in Japan to provide vivid color-enhancement of the yellow, orange, & red areas ('Hiban' as per Japanese Koi breeders), all the while not impacting the white areas ("Shiroji" as per Japanese Koi breeders).

Zeaxanthin is found in Paprika, Safron, marigold, and most notably Spirulina.

*Astaxanthin is a carotenoid belonging to a class of phytochemicals known as terpenes that is helpful for enhancing red pigments.

Astaxanthin is found in Chlorella algae, lobster, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans, & other shellfish.

Most of the astaxanthin for aquaculture is produced synthetically even though astaxanthin is fairly abundant and obtainable from natural sources (albeit for triple the price).
I have not found any real proof of any advantages in using natural over artificial astaxanthin based on scientific evidence.
Regardless of this unproven controversy, some fish foods claim to use only natural sources such as Aqua Master Koi Foods

Here are a few other color enhancers and their color enhancing abilities (although not all scientifically confirmed)
Lutein (found in high amounts in dandelion leaves): Greenish-yellow
Tunaxanthin: Yellow
Beta-Carotene: Orange
Doradexanthins: Yellow
Canthaxanthin: Orange-red

References:
http://koicluboftheair.org/Chlorella_vulgaris.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeaxanthin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astaxanthin
http://www.koianswers.com/discussion/9/color-enhancer/p1

FISH FOOD SOURCES NOT TO USE:

*Lettuce; this is mostly cellulose and empty nutrition and worse lettuce is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria that can in turn cloud your aquarium and compete with fish for oxygen (many labs use lettuce for this).

*Bread; again mostly empty nutrition to fish (maybe not for humans, but as noted earlier fish get their energy primarily from fats). Also bread again will attract un wanted bacteria.

HOMEMADE FISH FOOD:

You can make your own supplement for general fish feeding that is high in DL-methionine; Start with whole salmon which is an excellent source of carotene for color (frozen or even canned works), frozen peas, hard boiled egg, frozen or FD brine shrimp, duck weed or spiulina powder, and fish oil (cod liver oil works fine). Blend this mixture then add corn starch to the paste to dehydrate. Spread this paste on small strips of foil (or even wax paper if your dehydrator does not get too hot). Make sure you leave room for air circulation.

*For a frozen food, substitute the corn starch with unflavored gelatin powder.

*For cichlids, goldfish and koi, add wheat germ powder.

*For more carnivorous fish increase the whole fish and decrease the spirulina powder or duckweed. Calamari (squid) can be added too for carnivorous fish, but make sure that all the ink is removed from whole squid.

* For better attraction (smell) as well as a parasite repellent (Ich), you can add garlic powder to each batch of frozen or dried fish food at a rate of less than 1% of the prepared batch, this comes to about ½ teaspoon (or less) per one cup batch of wet fish food (before drying/freezing)

For spirulina powder, Spirulina 20 Flake can be substituted, but since this already a complete diet for many fish, I double the amount of this and decrease other ingredients by comparable amounts.
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