where can I get live food?

[dax29]

I have read several times about feeding tubifex worms, bloodworms, and brine shrimp and other live foods to fish. Where can these live foods be obtained? I feed my fish earthworms that I get from the bait shop but I have to cut them up first. What about insects or mosquito larvae? Can mosquito larvae be caught and used? I have never seen live fish food advertised much.

 

[RoK]

You can buy them online and some pet stores have them.

 

[Toirtis]

Local aquarium society, if you have one.....members usually share cultures quite freely.

 

[fishyrican]

You can try looking here: http://www.livefoodcultures.com/

As for mosquitos, I have a container in my back yard that I keep 1/2 full of water with some kitchen waste thrown in (in a mesh bag). Every other day or so I harvest with a small net. You have to stay on top of it or your neighbors will hate you. You also have to make sure you don't get bitten because mosquitos can carry all sorts of things.

 

[cJw]

You also have to make sure you don't get bitten because mosquitos can carry all sorts of things.

Wow - how do you avoid getting bitten by a mosquito?!

I've a drainage ditch that runs behind my house that's quite ideal for mosq larvae, but it's fenced off so it's hardly easy to get to. That, and who knows what condition the water is in. :yuck:

 

[dax29]

rinse larvae

I guess you need to rinse-off the mosquito larvae before you feed them to the fish. Probably just run them under the tap while in the net.

 

[dax29]

earthworms

I wonder if earthworms would be a good choice for raising and feeding to tropical fish. The ones I buy from the bait shop are called little red wigglers. They may be little to me, but they are more than a mouthful for my fish. Even when I cut them up (crossways) the fish still have a hard time with them. I think the fish can smell them though b/c when I drop them in the fish get very excited, especially the loaches.

 

[fishyrican]

Wow - how do you avoid getting bitten by a mosquito?!

cJw, I am surprised at the question! Of course, all you have to do is ask them very nicely.

Actually, I wear a long sleeved shirt when I go "harvesting." The container I used last year was kind of small, so I would bring it inside to harvest. Boy did that draw some looks/comments from my wife! 8O I guess I harvest outside this year.

And yes, I drop them in tap water for a few minutes and then rinse them under tap water before feeding my fish.

 

[mr86mister]

try www.bettatalk.com she has a few types of live cultures

 

[cJw]

Actually, I wear a long sleeved shirt when I go "harvesting."

I just might have to try this - they're so close, it'd be silly not to. . . free fish food!

What do you feed them to? They're small enough for fry, but are they big enough for anything else?

 

[Toirtis]

Re: earthworms

I wonder if earthworms would be a good choice for raising and feeding to tropical fish.

They are, just make sure that they come from pesticide free places, and that you do not feed them exclusively to your fish.

 

[dax29]

I've been buying them from bait shops so I can only assume they have been raised commercially without exposure to pesticides. I rinse them before I feed them to the fish. I only feed them to the fish about once or twice a week right now and probably won't change that type of schedule. If I raise them I'm sure they won't be exposed to anything unless it is in the soil I'm using in the worm media.

 

[fishyrican]

My tetras really love them. They range in size from barely visible, to big enough to be a mouthful, depending on when I net them. Because of their life cycle, I can't wait too long or they will complete their life cycle.

 

[fishyrican]

Actually, I was talking about mosquitos, not earthworms.