ready for live food

[fyaplam]

I'm sick of fooling with shrimp pellets (fish don't even acknowledge them), freeze dried bloodworms (fish pick at for 5 seconds then quit), and tubifex worms (they will not stay stuck to the tank for more than 15 seconds, ive tried numerous times).

The only food they (2 angelfish, 7 pictus cats) will eat is tetramin flakes. I also have 2 plecos, which I feed those hikari tablets which they seem to be liking decently.

Anyway I'm wandering if its safe to get fresh bloodworms from the bait shop to feed my cats and angels. There is no petshop, and of course walmart has no live food for fish, so these baitshop bloodworms or nightcrawlers are my only feasible option. If its not safe to just throw the worms in the aquarium from the container, can I freeze them first, or otherwise sanitize them for the fish?

Another thing here, i'm sure the cats would like some variety, would throwing in some very small fish be of benefit to their health, or is it not good for them to eat other fish?

Also what is some food for the plecs other than algae tabs and the algae from the tank? How do I prepare this?

Thanks

 

[StreetCypher]

You can try other frozen foods for your cats. Try market shrimp, market fish, silversides and bay scallops.
If you do purchase feeders from your LFS make sure you quarantine them first. Goldfish aren't that great nutritionally, but you get to see your cats hunt.
Also, try the superworms, you can rinse them with water first to get the dirt off them. Then you can cut them up or throw them in whole (depending on the size of your fish). You can also try crickets, ghost shrimp, and mealworms too for some variety.

 

[daveedka]

Pictus cats will appreciate small feeders as treats, but I'd definately shy away from goldies and stick to guppies or rosy reds. Pictus should aslo go nuts for frozen shrimp or frozen bloodworms. and any live worms will start a frenzie. Ghost shrimp may also be a good option for them. I feed mine hikari bottom feeders wafers as a staple and ohter stuff for treats. Be sure the fish aren't just training you on how they want to be fed, give them 3-4 days without food and then try the pellets and frozen foods again. Well fed fish tend to be a lot pickier about what they eat.
Dave