Convicts and Live Food

[IowaFish]

Is there anyway I can get my convicts to start eating live food, or do they not usually do that?

If they do eat live food, which fish would be good to use?

 

[Sicklid]

I never saw mine refuse blackworms, or bloodworms, or brine shrimp. As they got really big, I even gave them mealworms once a month or so... but mealworms drown quickly, and have to be removed (uneaten portions). I also give them green veggies regularly. I would boil zucchini or spinach, or even romain or green leaf lettuce for one minute so it blanches then put it on a magnetic veggie feeer clip and drop it in. Cons LOVE that.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Feeding feeder fish to convicts is completely unneeded and unnecesary; the only thing it'd do is create fat, lazy fish that will probably begin to ignore all other food types.

I'm with Sicklid: if you want to introduce live foods to their diet, start culturing worms, brine shrimp, and so on. This will add necessary protein and nutrients into their diet without all the trouble involved with feeder fish.

 

[Guest]

not to mention feeder fish are usually infested with disease.

 

[Jaybird]

I have never fed my cons live food. I have given them frozen blood worms and brine shrimp. They go absolute crazy for the brine shrimp.....well, all my cichlids do.

You can also buy the freeze-dried brine shrimp. When you open the container there are all these dried cubes. Fill a glass with tankwater and put the cube in the glass. Once it re-hydrates, stir it about in the glass to break it up. You will see hundreds of the little brine shrimp in it. Then, just pour the glass back into the tank. Instant feeding frenzy!!!

 

[Sicklid]

[/quote]I have never fed my cons live food. I have given them frozen blood worms and brine shrimp. They go absolute crazy for the brine shrimp.....well, all my cichlids do.

This is also an option, IowaFish... Cons can do very well on cichlid pellets and flakes with an occasional frozen food supplement, but it should be worms/shrimp. These aren't real "guapotes" or piscivores with gigantic jaws that inhale fish like m&ms... They also need a green section in their food "pyramid" of vegetables.

Another thing to consider is when they breed (notice I didn't say if) then they will get added protein from the fry they devour as soon as another batch has hatched unless you take out the old fry. My single pair bred so much I gave up on trying to remove all the fry, and found I never had to as they got eaten by mom or dad pretty quickly. Unfortunate I know, but as cool as these fish are, they are not exactly "in demand" at the pet shops.