Feeding Long term health effects

[Troy1015]

Long term bichir health what do you guys feed? I feed mainly massivore and smelt with tilapia here and there. Became lazy to cut it. Recently i was told smelt is not a good staple and to just get everything onto pellets. Any info thoughts knowledge would be appreciated. As some of my fish eat only massivore some only smelt some both. I know most people sell there fish before long-term effects are seem. Wpuld be mice to hear peoples thoughts amd experiences. Any ogs
Input. My poly are my true live and longterm fish amd wamt to keep them healthy as long as possible.

 

[tlindsey]

Long term bichir health what do you guys feed? I feed mainly massivore and smelt with tilapia here and there. Became lazy to cut it. Recently i was told smelt is not a good staple and to just get everything onto pellets. Any info thoughts knowledge would be appreciated. As some of my fish eat only massivore some only smelt some both. I know most people sell there fish before long-term effects are seem. Wpuld be mice to hear peoples thoughts amd experiences. Any ogs
Input. My poly are my true live and longterm fish amd wamt to keep them healthy as long as possible.

I would suggest you feed Smelt sparingly do to the Thiamine content .

 

[Troy1015]

I would suggest you feed Smelt sparingly do to the Thiamine content .

I was told smelt does not contain thiamine which is a problem becuase the lack of vitamin b1 in it will cause problems and kill the fish eventually. But i also have read shrimp and tilapia contain to much thiamese which causes problems as well.

So long term really should we mainly be feeding our fish massivore or like pellets with smelt, tilapia, as treats?

i know a varied diet is best and have been lazy lately feeding mainly smelt as i use to rotate a massivore only day a smelt dat and a tilapia day but in realyity should it just be pellets and a once a week treat..

 

[tlindsey]

I was told smelt does not contain thiamine which is a problem becuase the lack of vitamin b1 in it will cause problems and kill the fish eventually. But i also have read shrimp and tilapia contain to much thiamese which causes problems as well.

So long term really should we mainly be feeding our fish massivore or like pellets with smelt, tilapia, as treats?

i know a varied diet is best and have been lazy lately feeding mainly smelt as i use to rotate a massivore only day a smelt dat and a tilapia day but in realyity should it just be pellets and a once a week treat..

I just try to feed what I think is best for them and mainly feed pellet.

 

[Burbotman]

In order of frequency my feeding regime consists of Smelt, Tilapia, massivoire, prawns and beef heart. I give preference of smelt over tilapia due the the fact with tilapia the fish are just getting flesh, while with smelt they get everything (bone, scales, organs etc)

I have had good success with the above with respect to both longevity and growth.

The above is based on anecdotal experiance over 17 years of Bichir keeping.

I have no doubt that there are better mixes if one looks at the nutritional details of the different foods. Pellets likely have a better nutritional spectrum and offer a superior single choice option if one chooses to go that route

 

[Troy1015]

In order of frequency my feeding regime consists of Smelt, Tilapia, massivoire, prawns and beef heart. I give preference of smelt over tilapia due the the fact with tilapia the fish are just getting flesh, while with smelt they get everything (bone, scales, organs etc)

I have had good success with the above with respect to both longevity and growth.

The above is based on anecdotal experiance over 17 years of Bichir keeping.

I have no doubt that there are better mixes if one looks at the nutritional details of the different foods. Pellets likely have a better nutritional spectrum and offer a superior single choice option if one chooses to go that route

Thanks Burbotman was hoping someone like you would give share there experience since theres a longevity to it. I share the smelt over tilapia view in regards to getting bones flesh and everything over just a filet. I know the pellets help add extras as well. Ill need to sample beef heart i have never tried that.
any input Drstrangelove T tokyogasmask King-eL maybe you guys can chime in.

 

[Vancouver_98683]

Haven't been a long term OG. But have been keeping some specimens for close to 4 years. For me it's just been fz cut tilapia ( flesh ;-) Burbotman ) and hikari sinking medium pellets.

Troy1015 get what you mean regarding some won't touch pellets if absolutely starving and vice versa. I've tried several times with only pellets for a month or more, and noticed the tilapia eaters getting thin. Since, pellets provides more nutrients and in a perfect poly world. These guys will listen and eat both, lol. Always cave every time and go back to tilapia.

Regarding what there brothers and sisters are eating out in the wild. There's this thread out there. Where Endli and Senegal specimen stomach contents were examined from Lake Chad. You'll notice their main diet is whole tilapia. Just informational stuff in the link below. It's a good read for y'all Poly-Geeks

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...egal-food-feeding-habits.673557/#post-7568269

 

[Troy1015]

Great info and thanks for the information amd feedback. That a very imformative thread. Vancouver_98683

 

[shookONES]

I've always been a proponent for a varied diet. Tilapia makes up the bulk of my fish diets, followed by shrimp, earthworms, and an array of pellets in equal ratios. I've grown numerous polys to 18" plus over the course of a decade using this method.

I think most people fall short in over-feeding, TBH. I feed 5-6 days a week of varying quantities. After a particularly heavy feeding, I'll let them fast for 2-3 days to purge. In contrast, some days not all my fish get to eat. I feel this helps keep them aggressive come feeding time. I've never really had issues with feeding with the lights on, etc.

 

[DMD123]

I have been feeding tilapia as the main meat based food with frozen krill and shrimp used on occasion. Every now and then I do a soak the food in Boyd's vitamin so they get a little something extra. I also will feed pellet food but only the Ansorgii and Nigerian lap seem to make that a major part of their diet and the endli will occasionally eat a pellet or two.

A trick I do on occasion is to make the famous J jaws7777 "meatball'. Putting a pellet into a piece of tilapia. Most time the fish dont even notice and they get the benefit of the vitamins in the pellet.