Live vs Pellets?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Languistic

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 7, 2009
183
117
76
Little Saigon
I know pellets are a lot healthier and safer than live, but I was also wondering if fish grow faster on pellets as well. Seems like they should given all the nutrients inside of them.
 

Tongue33

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 11, 2006
8,057
14
0
46
Utah
www.davescichlids.com
I don't share your opinions. :)

Most Fillers are not Nutritional for the most part ;)
 

Lupin

Viviendo la vida loca!
MFK Member
Languistic, you asked quite an interesting question. In my opinion, your statement that pellets are a lot healthier is quite intriguing and broad. It just comes down to the brands with their ingredients and guaranteed analysis included. A lot of pellets come with fillers such as soybean meals and starch which are quite unnecessary and not really that nutritious. While it does add up to the protein percentage, some fish lack the enzymes necessary to digest the starch. Even then, the digestion of starch can produce gas in the GI tract of the fish and potentially cause swim bladder disorders particularly with round bodied fish where the swim bladders (cranial and caudal lobes) are compressed due to the shape of the fish.

In regards to the fiber, high fiber content is needed in order for most fish to flush out their wastes effectively. The use of peas is noted in this case. Foods with very low fiber content (less than 5%), help reduce the amount of poo produced by the fish but I am not entirely convinced this helps with the digestive system of the fish as this makes them more prone to bloat and constipation.

Predatory fish, for instance, have shorter intestines and require high levels of proteins however proteins are not easily digested and the remaining undigested proteins can potentially clog the GI tract thus causing digestive upsets. It is extremely important to note that in this case, too much feeding must be avoided. Give the fish time to expel the wastes before giving it another meal and be sure to give small multiple meals rather than few large meals.

There is still a lot more points here that will be covered along the way I am sure.
 

hybridtheoryd16

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 28, 2007
2,962
4
38
kentucky
pellets are not healthier or safer than a proper feeder fish. And the only reason pellets are sold by the billions is to support lazyness. Lets face it if feeders fish were free and easy to obtain year around and they were easy to keep healthy and disease free, the entire prepared fish food market would crash and burn. But they are not. They will become sick and diseased with out proper care. They cost on average more than a pellet or flake. And you have to take care of them, unlike a can of pellets that you set on a shelf.
 

Lupin

Viviendo la vida loca!
MFK Member
hybridtheoryd16;3203814; said:
pellets are not healthier or safer than a proper feeder fish. And the only reason pellets are sold by the billions is to support lazyness. Lets face it if feeders fish were free and easy to obtain year around and they were easy to keep healthy and disease free, the entire prepared fish food market would crash and burn. But they are not. They will become sick and diseased with out proper care. They cost on average more than a pellet or flake. And you have to take care of them, unlike a can of pellets that you set on a shelf.
Hybrid, again, your statement is quite broad and opinionated. A lot of companies conduct experiments to ensure the proper food formula is developed to enhance the coloration and body development of the fish. Just because a food company created pellets to fit the dietary needs of the fish, it doesn't mean they support laziness accordingly. Your opinion on this is unfounded.

On the other hand, it is unfortunate that some companies resort to cheap means to influence the food formula's guaranteed analysis by adding fillers, for instance, to elevate the proteins at the expense of the health of the fish (i.e. gas production from digestion in GI tract resulting in digestive disorders).
 

Stump

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 19, 2008
2,962
3
0
35
Bichir Alley
hybridtheoryd16;3203814; said:
pellets are not healthier or safer than a proper feeder fish. And the only reason pellets are sold by the billions is to support lazyness.
You are so opinionated about this it's gone past being funny. On top of that, your statement is extremely flawed, and quite frankly absurd.

Lets face it if feeders fish were free and easy to obtain year around and they were easy to keep healthy and disease free, the entire prepared fish food market would crash and burn. But they are not. They will become sick and diseased with out proper care.
That's your opinion, and again, I disagree.

Some hobbyists/enthusiast actually look into what they are feeding there fish. Some might even go so far as to make sure the fish are getting a better (healthier, safer) diet than what they would get elsewhere.

Pellets are not produced and sold to "support laziness."

Some companies actually make their pellets based on what is best for the fish. The nutritional value of some pellets is far better than any feeder. It makes it a lot easier to give your fish their dietary requirements without putting them at risk of disease or parasites, and without having to feed as much to get their said requirements.
 

snyder810

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 20, 2008
759
1
18
Ohio
Languistic;3203677; said:
but I was also wondering if fish grow faster on pellets as well. Seems like they should given all the nutrients inside of them.
to get off the which is healthier battle a bit i've seen firsthand that fish grow faster live/frozen foods than they do on pellets/flakes.
 

yogurt_21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 5, 2009
1,087
1
0
AZ, USA
snyder810;3204143; said:
to get off the which is healthier battle a bit i've seen firsthand that fish grow faster live/frozen foods than they do on pellets/flakes.
I've seen the same with my oscars. I feed frozen, live and pellets for a balanced diet. but this is mainly because I don't want to breed insects to feed them which would be part of their natural diet along with smaller fish and whatever crustatiosn they could get their mouths around.
 

benzjamin13

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
MFK Member
Sep 12, 2005
31,537
542
201
Los Angeles, CA
For some reason, this topic can get heated...but it's a lot of it is subjective. If you breed and raise your own Feeders and gut load it with proper nutrition, then it should be fine. IMO, I think that Feeders make predators grow faster. As for nutrition...again, it depends on the source of Feeders. Pellets are just as good and I don't think it has anything to do with "laziness" I don't particularly feed my fish Feeders for moral purposes, but I do give it to them on occasion. At least the pellets will give you a nutrition chart telling you what it mostly contains. It's nothing bad for the fish. Where as Feeders can carry diseases that can transfer over to your fish.

With a variety of food and good water quality, fish will grow fast. Pellets, frozen, and even gut loaded live, but I think that if you feed it quality pellets and frozen variety, they will grow just as fast as feeding them live.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store