Is it safe to feed insects from the backyard?

[kaybeepgh]

Ok dumb question. I have a chocolate cichlid that I hear is supposed to love eating insects. Is it safe to find crickets, grasshoppers, slugs etc from the backyard to feed him as a treat every now and then? My 75 gallon has just overcome an ich breachout (from a stupid mistake of adding a new fish w/o quarantine) and I'm a quite paranoid about any new parasites being introduced into the tank! THANKS!

[DAVIDFBT]

If you don't spray pesticides or fertilizers, then sure. Also, if the insects aren't poisonous. But store-bought feeders are better IMO.

[kaybeepgh]

Thanks. Actually I just fed him a small slug from the garden. No pesticides or fertilizer etc. I'll have to research what would be considered poisonous. But I do think I'll look at whats available at the store - ie crickets.

[Que]

Even if you didn't spray for bugs your neighbor might have. Bugs crawl and fly in from all over. I'd say unless you live way out in the woods I wouldn't trust anything from outdoors.

Q

[kaybeepgh]

Hmmm.. Very true.. didn't think of that. thanks for the input.

[jaysen]

you should taste the bug first with a little nibble to see if you can taste any toxins. find the flavor insect your fish may like the most. in the end, you may end up liking them too :drool:.

[kaybeepgh]

No thanks. Do you taste yours?

[thesoul2008]

all the time its the only way to tell :headshake2:
lol nah i give mine guppy fry or shrimp :)

[AquatiCreations]

yea dude go to a local petstore they have crickets,mealworms.all kind of stuff,and more importantly stuff you can TRUST.

[Lady Ns]

Moths are pretty good straight from the yard. Crickets and the such I would get from a pet store. You could culture some earthworms too, if possible. Otherwise, just get the bugs and stuff from the store, just to be safe :)

[jpappy789]

I agree...better safe than sorry

[excuzzzeme]

Every now and then I will catch an ant and throw it in the tank with the silver dollars and watch them go crazy fighting over it!

[kaybeepgh]

I definately prefer to be on the safe side! I'll only feed him what I get from the store! :)

[swingr1121]

Right now i've got a 5 gal bucket with mosquito larvae in it that i scoop out every now and again and throw into my desktop tank. It's interesting to watch the neons go crazy over them. I feed from the yard all the time with no problems.

[petluvr]

Don't risk it. You never know what the bugs are carrying pesticides, insecticides and so on. I keep crickets for my flowerhorn in a small little plastic thing that I bought at wal mart. Just feed them and give them some water and they live for a while. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!!

[PuppyFluffer]

I have been feeding some tiny bugs to my betta with great success. This morning I found him dead. I'm just blown away. I gave him bloodworms last. Maybe it has nothing to do with feeding him bugs that come in at night attracted to the light....maybe it does. I'll never be able to tell. I'm quite bummed to lose the little guy though as he was not very old and in the prime of life and beautiful!

[bumpylemon]

bugs are eaten by animals all day. of course its ok.

[Coler]

I tend to agree ^ Probably any dose of pesticide/insecticide stuff that would harm your fish would have killed the insect first. Maybe be sure and pick good healthy lively ones :D

Slugs...hmmmm...I don't know...how do you tell if a slug is lively.

[petluvr]

SOUNDS LIKE RISKY BUSINESS TO ME!!!!!!
I would just buy them at the store.