live feeder preperation, what do you do?
- Thread starter predatorkeeper87
- Start date
I guess that ignorance is bliss? Hopefully no one reading this discussion that's new to the hobby will consider that as sound advice.
Do what, rinse when you have a sore throat?
RD. Do you think freezing caught fish helps with parasites?
Also have the filets at the grocery store gone through any special process to remove parasites or bacteria etc? I know a lot of us feed tilapia and other fish from the grocery store regularly. Is that any safer than fish from the local pond/stream?
Thanks in advance
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Also have the filets at the grocery store gone through any special process to remove parasites or bacteria etc? I know a lot of us feed tilapia and other fish from the grocery store regularly. Is that any safer than fish from the local pond/stream?
Thanks in advance
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All raw uncooked fish has the potential to contain nematodes (worms) and various other pathogens, and yes these can affect fish in your aquarium.
My advice when dealing with fresh fish products, buy fresh, freeze for 48 hrs at 0F (-18C) to destroy any potential parasites, and use up within 30 days or so. Freezing will not destroy all micro-organisms, so there is still some risk involved in feeding frozen products, but freezing certainly minimizes those risks. Also note that frozen fish that have been unthawed under refrigeration, should be fed within 24 hrs. (or discarded)
Freezing tends to also increase the concentration of thiaminase in tissue, so the shorter the duration in the freezer, the better. Little is known as to how thiaminase affects various species, and according to various studies the amounts found (even within the same species of fish) tend to vary as well. Most public aquariums tend to supplement to avoid deficiencies. (especially B1, vitamin E, and vitamin C) IMO fish kept in captivity require full vitamin & trace mineral supplementation to some degree or another. This is a non-issue if one is feeding a commercial pellet as the staple, or even stuffing "some" pellets into frozen foods.
The good news is, foods such as tilapia that are purchased at your local grocer will not contain substances such as malachite green, etc, as they are human food grade.
HTH
My advice when dealing with fresh fish products, buy fresh, freeze for 48 hrs at 0F (-18C) to destroy any potential parasites, and use up within 30 days or so. Freezing will not destroy all micro-organisms, so there is still some risk involved in feeding frozen products, but freezing certainly minimizes those risks. Also note that frozen fish that have been unthawed under refrigeration, should be fed within 24 hrs. (or discarded)
Freezing tends to also increase the concentration of thiaminase in tissue, so the shorter the duration in the freezer, the better. Little is known as to how thiaminase affects various species, and according to various studies the amounts found (even within the same species of fish) tend to vary as well. Most public aquariums tend to supplement to avoid deficiencies. (especially B1, vitamin E, and vitamin C) IMO fish kept in captivity require full vitamin & trace mineral supplementation to some degree or another. This is a non-issue if one is feeding a commercial pellet as the staple, or even stuffing "some" pellets into frozen foods.
The good news is, foods such as tilapia that are purchased at your local grocer will not contain substances such as malachite green, etc, as they are human food grade.
HTH
I just breed snails, Mollies, guppies.
Working on Congo tetras and ordered 10 self cloning marbles form aquabid yesterday.
I do buy minnows for GARfield but the owner of the shops says they come from Andrews fisheries.
Never had a problem with them so I believe him.
The guppies I breed right in with the green spotted puffers they eat what they want. When I get to many I take them to a LFS that uses them for his SW setups as feeders since they are bred in brackish water.
I never get enough of the Mollies to sell off thus the purchase of minnows.
It's your fish feed it what you are comfortable with.
I don't breed fish to feed because it's safer. I breed fish because I like fish and it saves a boat ton of money on the hobby.
When I was breeding reptiles I bred my own food for those too.
You'll find with any animal the biggest long term expense if food.
Rich
Working on Congo tetras and ordered 10 self cloning marbles form aquabid yesterday.
I do buy minnows for GARfield but the owner of the shops says they come from Andrews fisheries.
Never had a problem with them so I believe him.
The guppies I breed right in with the green spotted puffers they eat what they want. When I get to many I take them to a LFS that uses them for his SW setups as feeders since they are bred in brackish water.
I never get enough of the Mollies to sell off thus the purchase of minnows.
It's your fish feed it what you are comfortable with.
I don't breed fish to feed because it's safer. I breed fish because I like fish and it saves a boat ton of money on the hobby.
When I was breeding reptiles I bred my own food for those too.
You'll find with any animal the biggest long term expense if food.
Rich
I'd have no qualms about feeding fish to fish, except I totally agree with Rd.
The potential for infection from commercial feeders, wild, or bait store fish that harbor parasites or bacteria is just not worth the risk.
And the incubation time, and dormancy stages for many parasitic phages can be much longer than a few days, or even weeks.
All it takes is 1 ich cyst, 1 colony of Flexibacter, 1 parasitic nematode, or 1 spec of virus such as VHS to wipe out an entire tank, or at best...disfigure a favorite fish to keep me on the safe path.
The potential for infection from commercial feeders, wild, or bait store fish that harbor parasites or bacteria is just not worth the risk.
And the incubation time, and dormancy stages for many parasitic phages can be much longer than a few days, or even weeks.
All it takes is 1 ich cyst, 1 colony of Flexibacter, 1 parasitic nematode, or 1 spec of virus such as VHS to wipe out an entire tank, or at best...disfigure a favorite fish to keep me on the safe path.
I wasn't giving it as advice. He asked what we did to prepare live feeders. That's just what I did. I don't anymore though
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I would use something along the lines of Boyd Vitachem to presoak frozen food (3 times a week would probably suffice to avoid deficiencies) or gut load live feeders with a quality food directly before feeding to ones fish.
