Jack dempsey help feeder guppy question?

[jetajockey]

I think the question comes down to whether a JD actually needs live food. I don't think they do, especially when they get more complete nutrition through a pellet.

Some fish, predator types for instance, will only go after live wiggling food. In that instance I give feeders but only out of necessity.

I don't have any issue giving my JD's feeders, but it also gives them this instant bite reaction to anything moving in the water smaller than them, so I don't keep them with any tankmates.

I give them feeders every once in a while, but it's just to cull the fish, not to help the JD out in any way.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Flowerhorns are a hybrid of 6-10+ South American cichlids. They can get anywhere from a foot to almost two feet. It depends on which strain to get the most detailed information. Mine is a blue titanium/thai silk and so about sixteen inches is his maximium.

I would try one at first. See how he likes it and how it goes down. From there, judge for yourself.

 

[steez]

Chas, feeders aren't part of a healthy diet for the cichlids. You can feed them if they are house-bred and disease free but what you're not understanding is that they are NOT nutritious for the fish. Cichlid pellets such as NLS (New Life Spectrum) have a balanced healthy diet for what the cichlids need. You'll see improved color, health and decreased aggression levels by feeding them pellets.

You are going to do whatever you want, since you keep arguing the fact, but the advice given is what YOU asked for.

Grats on your new JD.

 

[jetajockey]

Here's a snippet from Central American Cichlids – nutrition, habitat and health

A. octofasciatus is an omnivore that sifts around the muddy bottom of its native waters in search of anything edible, such as crustaceans, insect larvae, worms, and algae. In the confines of an aquarium it will take smaller fish, but it is by no means a specialist piscivore, and fish should not be considered a major part of its diet. Now, let’s take a Jack Dempsey and transfer it into an aquarium. The main differences between this and a Honduran tributary are in water quality, diet, space, and cohabitants.

 

[stingrays4]

Fish eating fish is a part of natural, just like some people eat fish. It's part of life whether its in the wild or in a tank. Can't change life, JD eats fish in the wild he will eat fish in his tank. I will not give him live fish just cause it's cruel, it's what he eats can't change that. It's wrong to try to change their diet just cuz it's wrong to find him a live fish. They gotta feel somewhat useful in a tank. They deserve to be happy too!

Hi what about the feeder fish? They deserve to be happy to I was just saying its actually illegal over here in the UK, but that's buying fish to feed other fish,not 'culling' excess fry i believe?

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Whether or not feeding live is up to the OP. They obviously are okay with it, so bringing up ethics isn't the question. They were asking when to feed, how many, etc.

It is true that feeders should be seen as a treat and not a staple. So, once a week and at a level that suits the specific fish has basically been decided.

 

[stingrays4]

Whether or not feeding live is up to the OP. They obviously are okay with it, so bringing up ethics isn't the question. They were asking when to feed, how many, etc.

It is true that feeders should be seen as a treat and not a staple. So, once a week and at a level that suits the specific fish has basically been decided.

Hi i was just pointing out its different over here,nothing more

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Okay, just to let everyone know my JD has a diet of nls pellets. I'm just wondering how often and how many babies guppies to feed my JD?

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Alrighty.

 

[davePM]

Hi what about the feeder fish? They deserve to be happy to I was just saying its actually illegal over here in the UK, but that's buying fish to feed other fish,not 'culling' excess fry i believe?

I don't know where you heard that it was illegal in the UK, but you are wrong.

 

[stingrays4]

I don't know where you heard that it was illegal in the UK, but you are wrong.

Hi it is ILLEGAL to buy fish to feed another fish in the UK! A new legislation was brought in to protect animals from abuse including being feed to other animals! The legislation was brought in to help the R.S.P.C.A prosecute owners from being cruel to there pets {including being fed to other animals}
The legislation states -Any one buying a pet has the moral obligation to provide the animal with a good home and to be looked after properly. This only includes animals with a vertebrate at present.
My apologies to the thread starter but I felt it my obligation to point out that it is illegal here in the UK to carry out this practice.

 

[davePM]

Hi it is ILLEGAL to buy fish to feed another fish in the UK! A new legislation was brought in to protect animals from abuse including being feed to other animals! The legislation was brought in to help the R.S.P.C.A prosecute owners from being cruel to there pets {including being fed to other animals}
The legislation states -Any one buying a pet has the moral obligation to provide the animal with a good home and to be looked after properly. This only includes animals with a vertebrate at present.
My apologies to the thread starter but I felt it my obligation to point out that it is illegal here in the UK to carry out this practice.

I assume you are referring to "Animal Welfare Act (2006)" http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents?
If so, then you are incorrect. The act does not explicitly ban the feeding of fish to other animals. It simply prohibits deliberate and “unnecessary suffering” to animals. The only specific ban is with regards to introducing 2 animals together for the intention of a fight.

If you wish to further argue the point then please provide proof of where, anywhere, in UK law, that the use of feeder fish is illegal.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Well, I know that in the US you cannot openly buy a mouse (for instance) for the use to feed it to another animal. But, this is store policy among some pet stores, not a federal/state law. But, then again you can buy frozen feeder mice or feeder fish in just the other aisle.

I can see why there would be a law in place, but a website with the law stating this would be nice to see. I'm sure there is a good deal of debate over it still. When it comes to pets, people get pretty heated over what they think is right or wrong.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

So, Wikipedia says this:

"In the UK, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits deliberate and “unnecessary suffering” to animals, but contrary to widespread belief, it does not explicitly outlaw the feeding of live feeder fish to other fish. However, it does prohibit introducing two animals for the purpose of “fighting, wrestling or baiting”.[4]"

4^ DEFRA. "Defra, UK - Animal Health and Welfare - Animal Welfare - Animal Welfare Bill". Retrieved 2006-11-30.

 

[davePM]

That is also my understanding! There are also a couple of forums with replies from RSPCA and DEFRA stating that it would be up to a judge to decide and that they couldn't really see it ever going to court unless there was some extreme circumstances surrounding the case. Most UK shops would not sell you fish I they knew they were feeders but I can walk in to many local chain store LFS and buy live insects and worms and rodents for the purpose of feeding. I would never buy fish for feeding, just for health reasons, I only ever feed fish that I have bred myself or got from someone I know.

 

[phoebekatee]

Many aquarists view the use of feeder fish as cruel and unnecessary, arguing that once the feeder fish is introduced into a small tank it has no chance to escape, and such a contrived situation cannot be considered “natural” in any meaningful sense. Most predatory species that eat live fish can also be weaned onto dead alternatives. Some of the species used as feeder fish (goldfish and rosy red minnows) contain high quantities of thiaminase, an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 and when fed in large quantities cause nutritional imbalances. When bred and held in an overcrowded or otherwise sub-optimal environment, they may also carry bacterial infections and parasites, which can be passed along to fish that eat them.