Any reason not to buy "feeder" fish and keep them? - Aquarium Advice

Dekz · 10-13-2008, 06:40 AM

My LFS has some small White Cloud Minnows being sold at feeders for 49 cents each. They are actually quite nice fish. Any reason I couldn't buy a bunch for cheap and then NOT use them as feeders?

I told my friend about this idea and he recommended against it saying that feeders aren't very well taken care of and may carry diseases, etc.

But this could be said about any fish that you buy from a pet store right? Most pet stores have multiple tanks sharing the same filtration/water system anyway don't they?

gzeiger · 10-13-2008, 07:23 AM

Feeders are more likely than others to be in poor health since their tanks are so overstocked and they are shipped less carefully. I've had good success keeping feeder goldfish though, and I don't see any reason not to grab some if the discount is deep enough.

I would caution against placing them in a tank with other fish without a substantial quarantine though. If you get a large number, especially if the store nets them for you, expect a few to die. If you like the fish though, enjoy them.

Johnny Tuttle · 10-13-2008, 08:03 AM

That's good advice; it's nothing about the fish per se, it's more about the treatment they're receiving.

I'd be curious to hear whether or not that same store sells white cloud minnows elsewhere for pets.

JohnPaul · 10-13-2008, 09:03 AM

I agree with the others here. While all fish get treated somewhat lousy throughout the distribution chain, feeders are treated worse than display fish. Which means they are more likely to be in poorer health, and either already be carrying disease, or at least be more susceptible to disease.

An adequate time in a good quarantine tank once you buy them would be a must, IMO.

**Purrbox** · 10-13-2008, 11:45 AM

As long as you are aware that they are more likely to become ill and you'll probably have a certain amount of die off, and you take the appropriate actions as a result there is no problem with buying them to keep. A longer QT is definately in order before risking them with other fish.

bazil323 · 10-13-2008, 01:21 PM

Huh, just saw this question on aquariacentral.com. Anyway, yeah, feeders are just like any other fish. The only reason to be wary of them is that they do often carry diseases because they aren't taken care of very well. Just quarantine them and expect to loose a few at first. The same can be said for bait fish from a fishing store. I friend of mine succesfully kept some bait minnows for years.

Innovator · 10-13-2008, 05:49 PM

You can keep a reasonably constant supply by using a 40g rubbermaid container with sponge filters and heater for medication purposes and a 20g for outgoing feed transfers. I would medicate for external parasites and deworm.

tomherndon · 10-14-2008, 02:23 AM

I used feeder goldfish to keep a nitrogen cycle project interesting in some of my chemistry classes over the years. (Never more than five 1" feeders per tank. And the fish go home with students after six weeks. The comets in my water garden are unclaimed test subjects and are now over 4" long)

If I need to keep 10-12 on hand I buy 20 and keep the 'extras' in another cycled tank. After a few days, I'll have moved most of the 10 from the backup tank into the cycling tanks. And not because of rising ammonia levels in the cycling tanks.

I did try to use Rosy (fat head?) minnows one time and they didn't event make it overnight in the cycled tank. . . I double checked the PetCo and realized that they have a skimming system that allows the dead to float into the intake out of sight. This makes it seem like the water quality is bearable by the absence of dead fish.

When you see 100 live fish in the tank, open the top and count the dead and dying in the filter intake. There were a couple dozen the last time I looked.

Feeders may be just that, but it sure does seem like more can be done for them if display fish are to benefit by eating them.

10-13-2008, 06:40 AM	#1
Dekz Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 36	Any reason not to buy "feeder" fish and keep them? My LFS has some small White Cloud Minnows being sold at feeders for 49 cents each. They are actually quite nice fish. Any reason I couldn't buy a bunch for cheap and then NOT use them as feeders? I told my friend about this idea and he recommended against it saying that feeders aren't very well taken care of and may carry diseases, etc. But this could be said about any fish that you buy from a pet store right? Most pet stores have multiple tanks sharing the same filtration/water system anyway don't they?

10-13-2008, 11:45 AM	#5
Purrbox Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Iowa USA Posts: 5,441	As long as you are aware that they are more likely to become ill and you'll probably have a certain amount of die off, and you take the appropriate actions as a result there is no problem with buying them to keep. A longer QT is definately in order before risking them with other fish. __________________ ~Joy 10 Gallon Planted Photo Log - 5.5 Gallon Planted Photo Log - 2.5 Gallon Planted Photo Log - Pico Planted Photo Log

10-13-2008, 01:21 PM	#6
bazil323 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northern Wisconsin Posts: 34	Huh, just saw this question on aquariacentral.com. Anyway, yeah, feeders are just like any other fish. The only reason to be wary of them is that they do often carry diseases because they aren't taken care of very well. Just quarantine them and expect to loose a few at first. The same can be said for bait fish from a fishing store. I friend of mine succesfully kept some bait minnows for years. __________________ 16g: 2 L387 plecs and lots of mts (to be moved to 75) 20g: Cherry shrimp, pond snails, ramshorn snails 44g: F8 puffer, 4 female mollies, 8 bbgs 75g: In planning, community.

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10-13-2008, 07:23 AM	#2
gzeiger Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 114	Feeders are more likely than others to be in poor health since their tanks are so overstocked and they are shipped less carefully. I've had good success keeping feeder goldfish though, and I don't see any reason not to grab some if the discount is deep enough. I would caution against placing them in a tank with other fish without a substantial quarantine though. If you get a large number, especially if the store nets them for you, expect a few to die. If you like the fish though, enjoy them.

10-13-2008, 08:03 AM	#3
Johnny Tuttle Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 285	That's good advice; it's nothing about the fish per se, it's more about the treatment they're receiving. I'd be curious to hear whether or not that same store sells white cloud minnows elsewhere for pets.

10-13-2008, 09:03 AM	#4
JohnPaul Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 695	I agree with the others here. While all fish get treated somewhat lousy throughout the distribution chain, feeders are treated worse than display fish. Which means they are more likely to be in poorer health, and either already be carrying disease, or at least be more susceptible to disease. An adequate time in a good quarantine tank once you buy them would be a must, IMO.

10-13-2008, 05:49 PM	#7
Innovator Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,741	You can keep a reasonably constant supply by using a 40g rubbermaid container with sponge filters and heater for medication purposes and a 20g for outgoing feed transfers. I would medicate for external parasites and deworm.

10-14-2008, 02:23 AM	#8
tomherndon Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 70	I used feeder goldfish to keep a nitrogen cycle project interesting in some of my chemistry classes over the years. (Never more than five 1" feeders per tank. And the fish go home with students after six weeks. The comets in my water garden are unclaimed test subjects and are now over 4" long) If I need to keep 10-12 on hand I buy 20 and keep the 'extras' in another cycled tank. After a few days, I'll have moved most of the 10 from the backup tank into the cycling tanks. And not because of rising ammonia levels in the cycling tanks. I did try to use Rosy (fat head?) minnows one time and they didn't event make it overnight in the cycled tank. . . I double checked the PetCo and realized that they have a skimming system that allows the dead to float into the intake out of sight. This makes it seem like the water quality is bearable by the absence of dead fish. When you see 100 live fish in the tank, open the top and count the dead and dying in the filter intake. There were a couple dozen the last time I looked. Feeders may be just that, but it sure does seem like more can be done for them if display fish are to benefit by eating them.