Spiders as Food

[Captain Hook]

The day before yesterday I fed my girlfriend's fish a spider that was in her house. A young blue rainbowfish grabbed it and tried eating it but had trouble. Then another young blue rainbow got it and finished the job. I figured it was a pretty good meal for the fish. What do you think? Could it possibly be venomous or anything else to worry about? I live in Toronto and didn't think about anything like that until after.

[OrionGirl]

Most are fine. Just make sure the insect hasn't been exposed to any pesticides. I probably wouldn't risk feeding the fish black widows, but then, I happen to like spiders and save them from my cats, so wouldn't feed any of them to the fish. ;)

[Captain Hook]

Thanks OG I knew you would be first to respond to this thread ;)

"To give you some idea of their natural diet, a stomach analyses taken from a sample of rainbowfishes showed that their diet consisted of 40% terrestrial insects, 37% small aquatic crustaceans, 18% aquatic insects and 5% algae, pollen, seeds and miscellaneous organic matter."
http://members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/Feeding.htm

Rainbowfish seem to eat all kind of insects in the wild. I don't even think I have black widows around here. I'm just going to be feeding small to medium spiders I find around the house. I can't wait for my ornates to get bigger so I can throw them some too.

[mome rath]

Now now, let's not confuse spiders with insects... :rolleyes:

[Captain Hook]

Wouldn't you think spiders would fall into the "terrestrial insects" category? I'm not sure that if they were doing a stomach analysis you would be able to differentiate between insects and arachnids. Surely they must eat spiders and other meaty foods in the wild but you don't see an "other animals" category there do you?

Thanks for the helpful post though. :rolleyes:

[greenterrorrr]

arachnids don't fall under insects?

[geoffgarcia]

can we just call them bugs?

[roliva]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
but then, I happen to like spiders and save them from my cats, so wouldn't feed any of them to the fish. ;)


OrionGirl,
I am the same way. I love spiders and if I see one in the house, I'll pick it up and put it outside..weird huh!

[OrionGirl]

Glad I'm not the only one. :D I leave spiders on my ceilings, but move the ones that come down to the floor so the cats don't get them. My sister has had a pet black widow for many years--she rescued the first one from her cat, and has enjoyed the spiders a lot. They are neat critters!

[roliva]

That's funny. If they're on the first or second floor ceilings, I have to take them outside because my wife is scared to death of them. But I'll leave them in my basement because she hardly goes down there!

[Bill Harada]

When I had an Oscar (many years ago) I fed it anything from black widows to gekkos with nary a complaint from it. Seeing an 8" Oscar corner a 4" crayfish is a sight to behold!

[mome rath]

Originally posted by greenterrorrr
arachnids don't fall under insects?

Insects are phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, whereas spiders are also arthopods, but they belong to the class Arachnida along with ticks, mites, scorpions, etc.

As for falling into the "terrestrial insects" category, I didn't read the link so I really can't say until I do :)

I was just pointing out that everyone was calling them insects.

As far as calling everything bugs, not even all insects are "bugs." Insects in the order Hemiptera (sensu latu) are known as the "true bugs." That includes stink bugs, water striders, giant water bugs, assassin bugs, and bed bugs to name a few.

[/nerd]

[mome rath]

Originally posted by Captain Hook
I'm not sure that if they were doing a stomach analysis you would be able to differentiate between insects and arachnids.

Of course you could! :)

[Captain Hook]

Wouldn't it just be all mushed up meat?

Also I just fed my rainbows a spider (different fish) and there was a milky white substance from it when the fish bit it. Any idea what this is? Would it be harmful?

[mome rath]

Originally posted by Captain Hook
Wouldn't it just be all mushed up meat?

Also I just fed my rainbows a spider (different fish) and there was a milky white substance from it when the fish bit it. Any idea what this is? Would it be harmful?

Well, if it was crushed up meat how would they distinguish between aquatic and terrestrial insects? I think, though I'm not certain, that various parts of the arthropod exoskeleton that are completely indigestible. Chief among these would be the mandibles, which are primarily composed of chitin.

Along those lines, aquatic and terrestrial insects would have certain distinguishable morphologies readily identifyable from undigested parts. Similarly, spider chelicerae would come to mind as being something completley absent in insects... and a good indicator of ingestion.

woot

[Captain Hook]

So what do you think the white cloud was when the fish bit the spider?

[mome rath]

^_^ keke i don't know... hemolymph?