Feeding Beefheart

[hsherman1986]

So, I recently got into breeding killies (lots of fun, highly recommended ). Their favorite food so far is frozen beefheart. Now, the question is, could I get the beefheart from the meat counter at my grocery store, mince it, freeze it, and feed it to the fish? Since they like it so much, and go through it so quickly, it would be MUCH more cost effective to do it this way. Is there anything I should add to the mix? Any other suggestions?

Also, is this a good staple food for them? Could I feed it every day, or alternate it with brine shrimp? Those are the only two foods that they will readily eat. They will also pick at bloodworms, but don't show too much interest. They won't even look at daphnia or glass worms twice. And they only get fed frozen right now.

 

[ezy33]

I buy beef heart from the super market already sliced. Trim off fat and tough parts. Chop coarsely then run it through a food processer. Put into to freezer bags and flatten and lay flat in freezer. Brake off as much as you need let defrost and feed. Yea you can add shrimp Ect.

As a staple, IMO it's ok as long as you supplement with other foods like flake or live food.

 

[hc8719]

i've heard a constant mamallian meat in a fish diet really damages fish in the long run

 

[BillD]

The long run for killies is quite short.

 

[hsherman1986]

BillD has a point. Annual killies are exactly that. Most live for a year, maybe 2 if very well taken care of. Most non annuals will live 3-4 years. There isn't too much of a long run involved with these fish, unfortunately. They are wonderful fish though.

They won't eat flake food, I have tried. I will try some other frozens and alternate, so it isn't just beefheart all the time.

thanks for the tips, guys. Glad to know I can make my own beefheart. That will save me a lot of money ($5 per sheet from the LFS, or I can get a big chunk from the grocery store that will make more than 5 sheets for around $5.)

 

[hc8719]

remember, beef has execessively high levels of **fat, especially fish who's diets conisist of bugs, and other fish, both which are low in fat

EDIT: i had accidenally typed the post so it said beef was excesively high in protein, i replaced it with fat.

a pound of crickets has more protein and less fat than a pound of ground beef

 

[hsherman1986]

which is why I am asking these questions. What else can I feed them other than beefheart and brine shrimp? So far they won't eat anything else. They won't touch dry food. At all. So that is out of the question. What else to killies like to eat? Help me out here, guys

 

[jinmon]

My golden wonder killifish wouldn't eat flake the first time I offered it... the next time they did though, and they've eaten it since. And they go NUTS for bloodworms, although the smaller one wouldn't eat those either the first time offered... maybe just try the foods you've tried before ... again?

 

[hc8719]

frozen bloodworms are the best i feel

 

[hsherman1986]

I tried frozen bloodworms, they like them alright, but don't go for them as much as beefheart. I guess I will try again, and see if they go after it. I have tried flake food a couple times now, but they just dont go for it. They don't like to eat off the surface, so if it floats, they won't touch it.

I will go to the lfs and see if they have anything different. Dya think they would like something like krill? I know their mouths are big enough

 

[hsherman1986]

well, tried bloodworms again last night, and they ate them all, so that has now become an option.

Also, I decided to try the flake food again, and they all decided that it was an acceptable meal. The walkeri's weren't to sure, they kept spitting it back out, but they were at least trying it today. They won't eat off the surface, so I have to swish it in water first to get it to sink.

So now, there feeding schedule has been changed to flake food in the morning, and frozen food at night. I contribute their constant spawning to the quality of food they have been getting, so if it slows down with adding the flake food to their diet, then I will go back to frozen/live only.

thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it!!

 

[BillD]

As a supplement, you can use whiteworms, which are very easy to culture. Their high fat content is good for fish that are making eggs. They may be too high in fat for steady use but are great a few timesa week. Daphnia is also an option if you have access to them. keep in mind, that when you feed frozen or live food, the water content is very high, and a larger amount needs to be fed to supply the same amount of nutrient as a small amount of flake.

 

[hsherman1986]

i think daphnia is too small. i tried it, but they didn't show any interest. With what I do feed, i only feed as much as they will eat. They won't keep eating so long as I provide them with food, like the rest of my fish do. They will only eat a certain amount, and then they leave the rest on the bottom of the tank to rot. Each pair gets about 1/4 of a cube of whatever I feed (that is all they will eat)