Live Feeders?

[SeriousDude5]

I was wondering how people feel about live feeders not about morals, but rather the diseases they may carry. I enjoy treating my fish to live feeders about once a month to mimiac more natural behavior. However, I have read that feeders have a high chance of carrying diseases. Does anyone have any input on this is there any safer way to feed fish feeders other than breeding or should they be completly ignored?

 

[kickeralpine]

i had an oscar for 10 years allways feed him live feeders never had a problem also had pirannhas and feed them live feeders also never had problem just look at the feeders before you buy them to make sure they look good and not sick or what not . also feeding live feeders will make your fish way more aggrestive so if ya dont want that then dont feed them live fish .

 

[WaterPond]

IMO ignore the feeders, they carry too much disease and don't have as much nutritional value as some pellet food on the market.

Feeders might be okay as an occasional treat, but don't rely on them for the only food for the fish you are feeding them to.

HTH

 

[kickeralpine]

i agree with waterpond a treat is better then all the time wish i would have done that fish got way to aggrestive on str8 feeders

 

[severum mama]

I agree, it sounds like an excellent way to introduce diseases into your tank. I've never given my fish any feeders. I mean, if you look at most feeder tanks, they way they are kept seems like it would just invite disease outbreaks, you know? The safest way to feed feeders is to breed your own. Any livebearers should give you plenty of fry! But, I agree that most staple diets, like pellet foods, are more nutritionally complete.

 

[Todd2]

The best way, and maybe only way, to see if the feeders you will be buying are carrying any diseases is to look at the fish, their condition, and whether or not there's a big mass of dead fish floating around the bottom of the tank. If most of the fish look healthy (i.e. swimming around) I'd say go for it. But if there's a lot of dead ones maybe it'd be better to hold out. It's all subjective though. I mean there's not like a known percentage of feeders that are said to carry diseases.

And from my experience rosy reds and feeder guppies seem to have less crowded living environments and to be healthier.

But if you're really paranoid it wouldn't hurt to quarentine feeders for a couple weeks to see if they'er displaying any signs of illness before feeding them.

 

[canucksfan1]

I breed my own feeders, convicts work very well for this

 

[Idealconcepts]

Quarrentining fish is a good idea or growing your own is even better. I often have 4-5 dozen African Cichlid Fry that I grow out and sell back to the LFS or give away to people, and could use them as feeders but so far haven't.

It can also depend on the type of fish you have. Some fish only take feeders, luckily all the fish I have have been converted to pellets or at least market shrimp. I do have some young Peacock Bass that I have read and been told have more vibrant colors when they are on a diet of feeders. I researching if there are any hatcheries that are in my area that I could purchase large amount of fatheads or any other type of non-gold fish feeder.

 

[Sicklid]

I breed my own feeders, convicts work very well for this

I second that... A pair of convicts will produce plenty of fresh live food in a 29 gallon tank.

 

[Algenco]

I had a pair of geophagus brasilensis that produced 7-8 eggs every 14 days. I hatched them, stuffed them with bbs and gave them to breeder angels

 

[Gillie]

I raise most of my own live foods like mosquito larvae, daphnia and bloodworms. I just leave a small tank outside in the early spring with some Hornwort in it and a sponge filter. I usually harvest pretty fair numbers of clean feeders for my breeders and fry this way.