Feeding feeder fish to cichlids
- Thread starter tlaug
- Start date
I've bought feeder fish and haven't had problems. It all depends on the store. Look closely at the fish at your pet store. If there are dead fish, then move along.
Also, if you go in and the feeder fish are sold out from time to time, thats a good thing. The Petsmart around here always completely sells out of fish a day or two before they get their new fish for the week. So new fish always come in. But it depedns a lot on the store.
If you raise your own fish, go for guppies. Gold fish are just to dirty and need cold water. You'd have better luck with guppies and would be able to grow live plants if you want.
Also, if you go in and the feeder fish are sold out from time to time, thats a good thing. The Petsmart around here always completely sells out of fish a day or two before they get their new fish for the week. So new fish always come in. But it depedns a lot on the store.
If you raise your own fish, go for guppies. Gold fish are just to dirty and need cold water. You'd have better luck with guppies and would be able to grow live plants if you want.
I haven't had any problems with feders either sunday i bought some for my africans andtwo of them were playing tug of war wityh one of the feeders and it is a good i dea to buy feeders and quarentine them because it will help prevnt diseases
What type of cichlid is it that you are wanted to feed feeders to?
Kevinfishboy, you feed feeders to your africans? Bad idea these guys cant handle a lot of protien. They will succomb to bloat extremely easily, and its often fatal if not treated immediately.
What types of africans do you have? Many are vegetarian and cant even handle eating regular cichlid flakes.
If you have Haps then you can feed them more protien, but in the form of krill and brine shrimp. Feeder fish are just too meaty and will cause dietary problems in no time.
Feed them lots of algae and sprialuna flakes.
HTH
-Diana
Kevinfishboy, you feed feeders to your africans? Bad idea these guys cant handle a lot of protien. They will succomb to bloat extremely easily, and its often fatal if not treated immediately.
What types of africans do you have? Many are vegetarian and cant even handle eating regular cichlid flakes.
If you have Haps then you can feed them more protien, but in the form of krill and brine shrimp. Feeder fish are just too meaty and will cause dietary problems in no time.
Feed them lots of algae and sprialuna flakes.
HTH
-Diana
goldfish arent really that good i just got a kiddie pool and tossed in some floating plants and a dozen mosquitofish once they get going you will have an endless suppy unless you have lots of big fish that your using the feeders as main diets for.
Gold fish are basically a Japanese carp. They are a very dirty fish. They are feeders mainly because they are cheap. I'm not sure if they have a mud vein, but they are definately a smelly fish prone to disease.
If you have ever been to a lake and seen a big carp swim by, there is always a bad smell to go with it, even when its still under the water.
If you do keep them, you need a very cold tank. They like to water to be about 70. They also produce lots of wastes leading to high nitraes and ammonia. So get a good filter and change the water regularly.
If you have ever been to a lake and seen a big carp swim by, there is always a bad smell to go with it, even when its still under the water.
If you do keep them, you need a very cold tank. They like to water to be about 70. They also produce lots of wastes leading to high nitraes and ammonia. So get a good filter and change the water regularly.
Its not just how they are kept at the lfs but also how they are kept at the farm at which they are bred and raised. Your lfs could be the most caring in the world on how the treat their feeders but if they get bad stock its not going to make much of a difference.
Yeah well you might be tricked at the LFS too. 
I work at a LFS and I clean the feeder tanks of bodies every 2 hours or so. If you came in you would probably think our fish were safe. In the morning there is usually a pile of +100 guppies in the guppie tank and +20 or so goldfish in the goldfish tank. The other fish have a feeding frenzy on their bodies. These are medicated tanks!
An analogy would be the difference between raw hamburger meat and a raw steak. The steak is from one cow and you have a low chance of getting sick from it. Hence, many people eat raw steak. The only difference with ground beef is that it has been ran through a grinder and exposed to hundereds of cows, so it likely contains some harmful e coli. etc.
My aunt actually eats raw hamburger meat when she makes burgers and I think she is insane. It doesn't mean it is safe or we should all make a habit of it (maybe she has a tough gut, I really don't know how she keeps on living). Plenty of children died at Jack in the Box from E. Coli in cooked burgers. Many references can be found with google.
Feeder fish kept in tanks of 1000 or more fish are much more likely to be exposed to a disease. One lady I kept warning about disease (I always do this when selling them), but she insisted it was safe. One week she came in sad about her Oscar's death, none of her other fish (who didn't eat them) died. He also was only a year and half old. She was convinced at that point and now raises her own feeders. I have other customers with similar stories.
These are my experiences and why I suggest people to stear clear of them.
I work at a LFS and I clean the feeder tanks of bodies every 2 hours or so. If you came in you would probably think our fish were safe. In the morning there is usually a pile of +100 guppies in the guppie tank and +20 or so goldfish in the goldfish tank. The other fish have a feeding frenzy on their bodies. These are medicated tanks!
An analogy would be the difference between raw hamburger meat and a raw steak. The steak is from one cow and you have a low chance of getting sick from it. Hence, many people eat raw steak. The only difference with ground beef is that it has been ran through a grinder and exposed to hundereds of cows, so it likely contains some harmful e coli. etc.
My aunt actually eats raw hamburger meat when she makes burgers and I think she is insane. It doesn't mean it is safe or we should all make a habit of it (maybe she has a tough gut, I really don't know how she keeps on living). Plenty of children died at Jack in the Box from E. Coli in cooked burgers. Many references can be found with google.
Feeder fish kept in tanks of 1000 or more fish are much more likely to be exposed to a disease. One lady I kept warning about disease (I always do this when selling them), but she insisted it was safe. One week she came in sad about her Oscar's death, none of her other fish (who didn't eat them) died. He also was only a year and half old. She was convinced at that point and now raises her own feeders. I have other customers with similar stories.
These are my experiences and why I suggest people to stear clear of them.