Live food problems

[Sandtiger]

I know a lot of you out there aren't new to predatory fish and I don't want to start a flame war but this has to be said.
Mostly when new aquarists get predatory they want to feed them live food. This is a definet no-no. Live food carries disease, bacteriea and is downright messy. I'm talking about live fish, which aren't very nutrisious, since they are rarely, if ever fed. If your fish is specalized and needs live fish what you need to do is quarantine the food fish for about a week and then you can feed them to your prized pirhana or whatever you have. Live insects, on the other hand, are very good food for fish. Whether they are from a pet store or the backyard they are very nutrisous because they are either fed at the pet store or eat a lot in the backyard. If you collect your bugs from the wild make sure that they're not in an area where there's been pestacides, that would be really bad for your fish.
Like I said, I know that lots of you know this but there are some people that don't. If you have a problem, send me a pm, let me know. I don't want to start a fight but this needs to be said.

 

[Fish Friend]

? i have found my own live food in my pond in the garden... mosquito larvae !!! saves me money.. so are you saying all frozen and live foods arent good for your fish ??? coz i feed my fish a frozen bloodworm block every day and i am now gonna be feeding the larvae to my fish (i will give them a good rinse first!)

 

[discus4everGrl]

you should not feed mosquito larvae out of a pond to your fish. They can very easily transfer diseases to your fish. Not to mention that in alot of areas during this time of year, the city/states spray insecticides through neighborhoods and such to kill them. These chemicals could be potentially in the waters and stuff of these bugs not to mention a host of other toxins. The types of foods that you buy frozen are processed in order to contain no diseases. They are cultured/bred in places that are closely controled unlike the wild. I wouldn't do it and I can't stress that enough

 

[Fish Friend]

thers no chemicals on the land... my dad said so because h works at a chemical plant...i give them a reeeealllly good wash and keep them in a tub of tap water because that gets rid opf some of the gearms on them

 

[Sandtiger]

I'm not saying all live food is bad, I'm just saying that live food fish aren't the best food to feed your fish. Some fish, such as the incredibally beautiful and fasinating pike-head gourami, are from acidic waters where most paracites can't survive. Commen food fish, such as gupppies, come from neutural waters, so they have diseases that the acidic water fish don't have an immunity to. Frozen food, on the other hand, is extreamly good for your fish because it has many nutrieants that you don't get in live food.

 

[Fish Friend]

i give my fishes a frozen bloodworm block twice a week.. so thats good eh ??

 

[Masta_Cheef]

Do you have any predatory fish yourself, Sandtiger?

 

[Sandtiger]

I used to, but all that I've had died. I also had a friend who had sevrel Oscers. In addition, I read the "Top of the Food Chain" colum in TFH magazine almost religosly.

 

[JimmytheCrud]

Persomally I keep about 50 goldfish with my Arowana and lg. mouth bass at all times,plus two dozen crayfish.Ive always kept the Arowana that way(almost two years now)and had nary a prob. I think the "danger" is quite overblown

 

[LongTime]

I don't know if I would use "overblown" to describe the danger. When I kept the real predators years ago I did not have all the options that are out there now. My only choices were live fish, crickets, earthworms and what the local bait shop had to offer if the LFS was out. I did not have any problems, but some of my fireds did. I feel it is a matter of luck and careful shopping. I also believe predators have a higher resistance to disease because in the wild they would prey on the weak and diseased fish are weak.

Many LFS don't take good care of the feeder fish because they are counting on a high turnover. They are often kept in overstocked tanks and may be the last fish to be unbagged when a new shipment comes in. Take a hot day, a busy LFS, and a few other factors, you could end up bringing home 3 dozen sick fish to put in your tank. That does not give me a good feeling. You also have to feed the feeders.

You also cannot be sure your collection site has not become contaminated since your last visit to it if you collect food from the wild.

Research has soon live fish does not provide the best nutrition. In the wild the predators would eat many different kinds of fish in addition to insects and different types of crustations.

The chance of disease or contamination coupled with the research into nutrition makes freeze dried or frozen food a better choice for me. Breeding my own feeders is better than buying from others. I'd even investigate things like "trout chow" and other commercialy prepared foods. (That is not an endorsement, I've never used it personaly, but I have known people who have!)

I haven't been in a car accident for over twenty years or so. Yet, I buckle my seatbelt every time I get in a car. Like I said, I'm just not sure "overblown" would be my choice of words.

 

[scubadude]

Sandtiger, I totaly agree with you about the dangers of feeding live fish. My piranas will eat just about anything I put in the tank, but they really prefer goldfish. I hold them for at least 1 week, usually about 2, and I check them very closely for any problems, and I treat them for internal/external parasites always. I do about 3X the work on the feeder tank than I do on the 55. Goldfish are dirty scumsuckers. I fatten them up with tubeflex worms (50% protien) during the quarentine before I feed them. I also wonder what killers you kept and what was the reason they died. I lost 1 of my piranas, and I'm sure it was due to the feeding of diseased goldfish. Think it might have been tuberculosis but impossible to know without autosipy. Still have fish frozen.

 

[Sandtiger]

I can't remember what it was I kept, it was so long ago, and it was mostly my Moms, I think it was an oscer. And thank you, scubadude, for agreeing with me!

 

[Chinxican420]

Hey everybody, I just started my tank about 5 months ago and I currently have 1 6" Jardini Aro, 1 6" Bichir, 1 2.5" Yellow Cichlid, 2 2.5" red belly pacu 2 3" Silver Barracuds
and 1 3" vampire pleco.
I feel them frozen blood worms about twice a day and I keep 15-25 ghost shrip and 15 guppies in the tank untill they are gone. I also feed med size crickets to the jardini everyday.
I guees my question is... Should I do anything different?
Thanks

 

[Fish Friend]

flake food aswell... you dont need to feed them frozen bloodworm twice a day maybe twice a week.. and are these shrimps and guppys used just for food... if they are... i am not so keane... even though its part of their diet

 

[Chinxican420]

Flake food?? For which fish? I have aro pellets but he wont eat them.
Guppies and ghose shirp for food. The barracuda will only eat live food I've only seen them eat the guppies. The ghost shrip have only been eating by(that I've seen) cichlid and bichir. I'm new so please bare with all my questions.
The frozen blood worms are eaten by the pacu and aro and cichlid as well.

Thanks

 

[dasanipig]

perfect solution! find a pet store that will sell you dianos and other small tetras for the feeder price, there healither and fun to watch school untill they are eaten.

also silkworms make a great feeder insect my severums love them!

 

[Chinxican420]

Thanks dasanipig! I'll check my lfs.

 

[ram man]

have you tried meal worms? my grandpa uses them for his african knife

 

[Chinxican420]

No, I didn't.... Who do you think would eat those??

 

[Sandtiger]

I know puffers eat them, I think oscars will eat them too. I'm not sure, but I think eels might eat them. But make sure not to feed to many, they're almost pure fat!