Grasshopper for food?

[Justin0329]

So I decided to put a live grasshopper into my tank to see if my fish would like it. It literally lasted less than 5 seconds before my lunar wrasse and niger trigger both went for it. The wrasse got the most of it. My question is, is this a bad idea? Is there anything bad about "bugs" that would cause harm to my tankmates?

 

[Aski247]

I'm not familiar with saltwater fish but I know I have fead my cichlids grasshoppers before, and weekly I feed them crickets. Bug are a large part of fishes natural diet (at least in FW).

Truthfully I would not worry about feeding them grasshoppers as they are actually very healthy food compared to frozen/other live food(feeders).

 

[FlopNewsom]

This is an interesting discussion. Wonder if anyone else has tried this.

 

[Justin0329]

Ill tell you what, they love them and well, they don't cost much. Lol. Granted, my tank is mostly a predator/aggressive setup but nonetheless, they don't live long before they get eaten.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

It doesnt seem to be bad, but i only had one possible problem. There are no grasshoppers near the middle of the ocean so it is likely that those fish have never eaten a grasshopper before. I dont know if this is bad... But if it was my tank i would feed things like shrimp or crawfish. Just a thought but i would like to know what people think insects as food

 

[Sillyfishies]

I wouldn't give it to SW fish, as it is a protein they won't be built to digest causing bloat.

 

[Justin0329]

I agree. That's why I'm interested to see what responses I get. I know freshwater fish eat them all the time but I also figured they have adapted to that type of food so I'm being very cautious and not trying any more til I get a little more reassurance.

 

[Justin0329]

I wouldn't give it to SW fish, as it is a protein they won't be built to digest causing bloat.

Thank you. That was my biggest concern...

 

[Aski247]

I wouldn't give it to SW fish, as it is a protein they won't be built to digest causing bloat.

Well all carnivorous fish eat protein in their diets. I don't see how one type of protein is different from the other to the point they couldn't digest it.

Again I don't know anything about SW fish. Just trying to understand myself.

 

[Sonny bats]

Just have to watch out for any pesticides

 

[Sillyfishies]

It's like beef heart. Fish get bloat from it because it's a protein they can't digest.

 

[Aski247]

It's like beef heart. Fish get bloat from it because it's a protein they can't digest.

That's still generalizing. Yes fish who eat veggie/algee would get bloat.

What I'm saying is fish that eat other fish in the wild... How would they get bloat? They already have high protein diets. Crickets/hoppers are one of the most healthy things you can feed to carnivorous fish. So I guess I'm asking why would insects give fish bloat and not shrimp/crarfish? To me that makes no sense at all.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Shrimp is a diet they are built to eat. Its like a human that try's a different cultures food. Like if your used to eating American food then you eat like Korean food u will get a upset stomach. They aren't used to this foreign protein.

 

[MrPillow]

Certain enzymes are chemically and allosterically arranged to break down certain proteins. If an organism has never encountered a certain protein before, enzymes it already has might by chance work sufficiently at metabolizing them. It's also likely that no enzyme they create will work at metabolizing the foreign proteins.

There are millions upon millions of different proteins - proteins are the foundation of life - the core product of genetic translation. To assume that are all exchangeable willy-nilly is asking for trouble, especially when it comes to dietary needs of captive specimens.

I only feed fish food which consist of products they would encounter naturally - if they are wild originating specimens. Farm bred fish are fine on most any number of artificially prepared mixtures, or natural alternatives.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Certain enzymes are chemically and allosterically arranged to break down certain proteins. If an organism has never encountered a certain protein before, enzymes it already has might by chance work sufficiently at metabolizing them. It's also likely that no enzyme they create will work at metabolizing the foreign proteins.

There are millions upon millions of different proteins - proteins are the foundation of life - the core product of genetic translation. To assume that are all exchangeable willy-nilly is asking for trouble, especially when it comes to dietary needs of captive specimens.

I only feed fish food which consist of products they would encounter naturally - if they are wild originating specimens. Farm bred fish are fine on most any number of artificially prepared mixtures, or natural alternatives.

Thank you! I didn't know the in depth, but obviously u do!

 

[Aski247]

Well said, that's what I was looking for. I guess it makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Justin0329]

/\ what he said!
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