safely using feeder fish

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polosniffer

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Jun 12, 2003
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I'm curious if anyone has any methods they use to ensure that feeder fish are safe and healthy before putting them in their tanks (to ensure that you don't introduce ich or other parasites into the tank). I suppose a quarantine tank could be used but it seems like a lot of effort for a fish that's going to be eaten promptly. Also, feeder goldfish never really look all that healthy in stores, but that's probably largely because loads of them are stuffed into small tanks.
 

750t

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May 24, 2003
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I raise guppies. I like them alot . But when I get too many theres food for my jd. I have two tanks of them a twenty planted and a ten. And my jd gets plenty.
 

peifc

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Jun 18, 2003
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I don't consider that too much. If you want your fish to be healthy...that's the best way. If your fish gets sick from eating the feeder from LFS...won't you be having more work trying to get them back to health? And also...constantly going to LFS to buy feeders...just imagine the money you need to spend if you have big appetite fish? At least, raising your own feeders...you know what's in that tank before you feed your fish. Even if there is parasite, you can recognize it better and faster because "you" are the one monitoring the tank.
 

dave76

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May 13, 2003
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Originally posted by 750t
I raise guppies. I like them alot . But when I get too many theres food for my jd. I have two tanks of them a twenty planted and a ten. And my jd gets plenty.
Do you actively breed them, or do you let them propagate on thier own?
 

Erika

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Jul 1, 2003
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I used to have a 29 gal that I started w/8 guppies.(A friend needed to get rid of them as she had way too many) With no help from me, I had at least 200 within 3 mos. Now I use them as feeders for my big tank since my females always seem to be pregnant!
 

Harry Tolen

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Aug 17, 2000
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Raising your own feeders is definitely the easiest way to go. Feeders in stores are raised and kept in very overcrowded conditions, and are not quarantined at all. Thus you are extremely likely to get some fairly nasty diseases and parasites if you use them regularly without the benefit of a month or so of quarantining (and medicating) in your own tanks.

Since you need the second tank anyway, raising your own fish saves you the time and expense of the quarantining and medications.

Remember, because feeder fish are not particularly nutritious, you should feed them with flake food just prior to dumping them into the main tank.

Having provided all this info, I must admit that I don't have the heart to use feeders at all. My fish make do with frozen, freeze-dried, and dried foods and seem to do very well.
 

dave76

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May 13, 2003
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I thought feeders were considered not nutritious normally because of the conditions they were kept in. In a well kept aquarium dont healthy fish provide more nutrition and a more natural food source? The only live feeders I use are canadien night crawlers (2 to 3 times a week). These worms are gobbled up almost immediately and I have heard provide for substantial growth and development. For instance I have a Green Terror I got at about 1.5" In two months time he has grown to 4" and has vibrant colors most of the time. I thought this was because of the protien contained by live foods. What is the difference in nutrition? Is it fat content?
 

scott

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Mar 12, 2003
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I don't think protein has much to do with coloration, I think that is from pigments in the food. It does speed up growth though. I have no idea what fat content does but I know its supposed to be low. I use worms as feeders too, my fish love them. I also use ghost shrimp for the pigments in the shell, supposed to help bring out color. I just started a con breeding project for feeders. The down side is I put about ten in my main tank and two days later two are still left. I hope they don't grow up that would be a nightmare.
 

Tightdog1

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Sep 2, 2002
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the feeders i use are dwarf platys and guppies. i raise both in a 10g and then feed to my big tank, sumtimes they get a treat of convict fry too! they love those. even my pacus eat the feeders! quite a sight to see!
 
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