What is a good healthy diet for an rtc? I have been giving it frozen brine shrimp that it just digs out of the gravel when settles, and I have been giving it live feeders (not goldfish) I will be getting hikari massivore pellets. Are goldfish really that bad for feeding the rtc? I also gave it raw chicken breast with the fat all cut off the other night and he loved it. Is chicken okay?
Feeding live fish always carries a certain risk with it. Some do it successfully but many end up with infections and parasites being transferred to their fish. Goldfish (which you do not use, which is good) is not a good staple diet because of the fattiness and thiaminase.
Live earthworms, insects, lizards, frogs are better but one needs to research too. Some frogs, for instance, have been reported to carry transferrable intestinal worms; hence better be frozen before fed to pet fishes.
I am a proponent of feeding non-live foods of aquatic origin. RTCs do not need live at all. Mine eat all manner of pellets and sea/aquatic foods - fish pieces, shrimp, mussel, crab, squid, etc.
Beef heart is often fed too by many because of how lean it is, I assume, but even then people try to cut off all fat that's visible. The leaner the non-aquatic fleshy food, the better but I believe it is much better to avoid non-aquatic foods as a staple.
Some report good results with frozen/thawed pinkies too (baby mice and rats). Again, I believe them but personally would not do it as a staple.
