Feeding live fish and disease

[Animal1402]

I've never experienced problems with feeder fish or shrimp, used to feed both to a selection of predators. Even had a pike gourami alive and well for 2+ years on them. Saying that, feeder fish are not really available over here in England. I used to just buy small tetras, mountain minnows, danios. Whatever was cheap and easy. Gut load them first and pile them in. I miss my predator tank

 

[Rivers2k]

My Brother n law had Oscars and they kept getting all the disease Hole in the head, ICH, IP's All Introduced into the tank by feeders. I never use feeders and never have to deal with any of that except on new fish.

The diseases have to be introduced through adding water or a living organism that has the disease. So if you have an established tank that doesn't have new fish being introduced and these diseases aren't found in tap water how else would it get in your tank? Feeder fish are kept in tanks rampant with these disease because they don't medicate those fish.

So the diseases don't come from feeding your fish smaller fish it comes from feeding your fish diseased fish. With the top quality pellets out there why risk it?

 

[Rivers2k]

I've never experienced problems with feeder fish or shrimp, used to feed both to a selection of predators. Even had a pike gourami alive and well for 2+ years on them. Saying that, feeder fish are not really available over here in England. I used to just buy small tetras, mountain minnows, danios. Whatever was cheap and easy. Gut load them first and pile them in. I miss my predator tank

So you weren't feeding them mass quantity feeder fish you were feeding them quality community fish. Those fish are typically medicated for disease and kept in better conditions.

 

[sixtyfou]

Guys can we please not get caught up in my use of the words trash fish. I had a couple of 25 cent feeder gold fish as a kid that lived for years and were great friendly cool fish. I meant they are cheap, and poorly kept. It wasn't meant to be a knock on anyone's fish.

What's being said here lines up with what I've read. The 25 cent gold fish in the cow trough are high risk. Danios and other inexpensive fish seem to be lower risk. I like the shrimp idea. I'd like to have a shrimp tank, but that's not in the cards ATM.

 

[Toad]

Well that's the problem with feeders, they are considered trash fish, so they aren't taken care of in store because of this and their high turnover/cheap price, which lends to them being a risky thing to actually use as feeders. It's not a personal attack so much as pointing out that this exactly WHY most people recommend breeding your own or getting them from a very trusted source.

When you do set up a shrimp tank I'd suggest using aquabid if possible to get a lot of them to start with for a decent price, I know around here the only place that sells easily breeding shrimp (rcs) sells at 4 bucks a pop and no guarantees

I'd say in the meantime try some ghost shrimp and maybe crickets, most fish freak out about flailing bugs in the water lol.

 

[sixtyfou]

I've got a couple of ghost shrimp I just love. I read about breeding Red Cherry shrimp. That sounds like fun. MMMMMMmmmm, once the Christmas tree gone a tank could go there

 

[josh7]

Red cherry shrimp are awesome to breed and make a great food source for any fish.

 

[GodFan]

Red cherry shrimp are awesome to breed and make a great food source for any fish.

I wanted to try this but I cant breed enough of them! Lol

 

[Animal1402]

So you weren't feeding them mass quantity feeder fish you were feeding them quality community fish. Those fish are typically medicated for disease and kept in better conditions.

Merely stating that I'm all for feeder fish if I could get 'em here. Medicated and gut loaded I don't see an issue. And quality community fish is a stretch, you haven't seen some of the stock at my LFS