What not to feed

[Deadliestviper7]

something to consider with diet (and this goes for all life, ourselves included) is weighing the pros and cons.

for example let's say "food example 1" has A, B, and C nutritional benefits but it causes X, Y, and Z damage. does that mean "food example 1" should never be consumed? maybe... maybe not... because it might be the only (or most easily available) source of A/B/C nutrition, right?

and then you have to consider that even beneficial things can become damaging if consumed excessively.

of course, some things are patently and overwhelmingly beneficial and, vice versa, some things are patently and overwhelmingly damaging (looking at you baconator).

diet's a complicated thing i suppose.

having said all of that, i mostly just read about other peoples' experiences and then feed and observe with my own fish. if they look good and do well eating something then i continue to feed that way until something changes or i learn better from peers or personal experience.

this is a great thread btw. great info! ty to all contributors.

Perfect, and why we should more than one thing, diversity in diet is important, we shouldn't just feed one thing wether it be pellets , fish fillets etc.

Please show me where anyone with a background in fish nutrition states that feeding rodents to ones is fish is a good idea. And yes, I am aware of the fact that in the wild rodents are occasionally eaten by some predatory species of fish.

Generally speaking, most fish kept in captivity are best suited to consume the amino acids, and fatty acids, found in fish - not chicken, or beef, or rodents.

Actually wild fish eat a lot more rodents than we previously thought, especially during rain, fish have been found with over 30 lemmings in their belly, and it has been noted that fish both grow faster and reach a larger size when preying on rodents.
Trout and greyling prey heavily on lemmings, shrews and mice whenever they reach the high points in their populations
(It's cyclic there are generally 3 to 4 low years followed by 3 to 4 high years).

Trout , greyling ,largemouth bass, Muskie,
Pike, redfish are all known to prey heavily on any abundant rodents.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

something to consider with diet (and this goes for all life, ourselves included) is weighing the pros and cons.

for example let's say "food example 1" has A, B, and C nutritional benefits but it causes X, Y, and Z damage. does that mean "food example 1" should never be consumed? maybe... maybe not... because it might be the only (or most easily available) source of A/B/C nutrition, right?

and then you have to consider that even beneficial things can become damaging if consumed excessively.

of course, some things are patently and overwhelmingly beneficial and, vice versa, some things are patently and overwhelmingly damaging (looking at you baconator).

diet's a complicated thing i suppose.

having said all of that, i mostly just read about other peoples' experiences and then feed and observe with my own fish. if they look good and do well eating something then i continue to feed that way until something changes or i learn better from peers or personal experience.

this is a great thread btw. great info! ty to all contributors.

Perfect, and why we should more than one thing, diversity in diet is important, we shouldn't just feed one thing wether it be pellets , fish fillets etc.

Please show me where anyone with a background in fish nutrition states that feeding rodents to ones is fish is a good idea. And yes, I am aware of the fact that in the wild rodents are occasionally eaten by some predatory species of fish.

Generally speaking, most fish kept in captivity are best suited to consume the amino acids, and fatty acids, found in fish - not chicken, or beef, or rodents.

Actually wild fish eat a lot more rodents than we previously thought, especially during rain, fish have been found with over 30 lemmings in their belly, and it has been noted that fish both grow faster and reach a larger size when preying on rodents.
Trout and greyling prey heavily on lemmings, shrews and mice whenever they reach the high points in their populations
(It's cyclic there are generally 3 to 4 low years followed by 3 to 4 high years).

Trout , greyling ,largemouth bass, Muskie,
Pike, redfish are all known to prey heavily on any abundant rodents.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Others to avoid:
Fuzzy caterpillars.
Poisonous caterpillars (many species are poisonous).
Blister beetles.
Live scorpions.
Black widows, brown recluse, violin spiders etc.
Stink bugs.
Lady bugs.

 

[Supergeorge123]

Can fish eat Pringles?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Can fish eat Pringles?

Might not be a good idea, but if you got any rice crispier cereal that is ok as a snack

 

[RD.]

Trout , greyling ,largemouth bass, Muskie,
Pike, redfish are all known to prey heavily on any abundant rodents.

But none of those species are routinely kept long term in aquariums.

One can't always compare what a wild fish, or a cold water species can digest and metabolize, vs a warm water species of fish - even among the predatory species. It's like comparing the high lipid content in a feed designed for trout or salmon, to a feed designed for a carnivorous cichlid. Both groups of fish will show increased growth and size, but the latter will eventually lead to health complications such as fatty infiltration of the liver, heavy vacuolation, and necrosis of the liver, pancreas, and spleen. There is plenty of research available to support that conclusion.

we shouldn't just feed one thing wether it be pellets , fish fillets etc.

One also can't compare a quality commercial pellet, to a piece of fish fillet. The former consists of a multitude of raw ingredients that have been carefully balanced out for a variety tropical fish, including all the necessary amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and trace minerals. Considering our lack of understanding regarding the nutritional requirements for the hundreds of warm water species that we keep in an aquarium, it's a bit of a shotgun approach, but still. The latter is just a chunk of flesh, which typically will mostly consist of just amino acids, and fatty acids. Great as a growth supplement, not so great for long term health if fed exclusively.

With all of the numerous choices one can utilize as supplements, I personally would advise against feeding captive fish pinkies, just as I would advise against feeding chicken and/or beef. Your mileage may vary....

 

[RD.]

And on that subject, below is a repost of mine that I have posted many times over the years. IMO if you want to supplement your fishes diet with "meat", feed them fish.

From a previous post of mine on this subject .......


Dr. Peter Burgess MSc, Ph.D.,of the Aquarium Advisory Service in England, is not only an experienced aquarium hobbyist, but also a scientist that specializes in the health & disease in fish. He has written over 300 articles and five books on fish health and is a visiting lecturer in Aquarium Sciences and Conservation at Plymouth University, where he works with the University of Plymouth training students in scientific research. Among his other positions, Dr. Burgess is a senior consultant to the Mars FishCare business and regularly runs fish health & husbandry courses for aquarists, fish scientists and vets. He's also a regular contributor & Fish Health consultant for the Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, as well as other magazines devoted to the fish keeping hobby.


Below is an excerpt from the Practical Fishkeeping Magazine and written by Dr. Burgess, titled;


Liver Damage and Red Meats


"The routine of feeding beef heart and other red meats to Cichlids can ultimately give rise to health problems. Poultry meat is also suspect. Red meats, including lean meats such as beef heart, contain the wrong sorts of fats - these harden within the cold-blooded fish, leading to blockages and fatty deposits around the liver.


Also, the relative proportions of amino acids within the mammalian proteins are different to those required by fish. Hence, feeding red meats will cause the cichlid to excrete more nitrogenous (ammonia) wastes, thereby placing an extra burden on the biological filter."

 

[krichardson]

Can fish eat Pringles?

They can but they probably shouldn't.I once tossed some dry dog chow in for my fish just to see if they would accept it.

 

[duanes]

Back in the late 1950s when I first started keeping oscars, it was common practice to feed chicken, beef heart, or even baloney.
Back then my oscars always got HLLE and the water seemed to have a constant grease slick.
Once the science forced me to be more enlightened, my tanks gradually got less oily, and the HLLE became a non-issue.
I of course then went to fish fillets, but realization that in nature piscivore type fish don't eat just a fillets, but they do eat bones, scales, and the stomach contents of the prey they eat, things became even mo better.
Even more interesting...many of the fish we keep aren't piscivores at all, so they don't actually eat other fish very often, but instead, plants like algae, or insects, and some large mouthed fish, actually eat tiny objects,
There is a study showing stomach contents of adult dovii are not full of fish, but instead more a large percentage of insects.
A management plan for the sport fishery of Parachromis dovii (Pisces ...

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Back in the late 1950s when I first started keeping oscars, it was common practice to feed chicken, beef heart, or even baloney.
Back then my oscars always got HLLE and the water seemed to have a constant grease slick.
Once the science forced me to be more enlightened, my tanks gradually got less oily, and the HLLE became a non-issue.
I of course then went to fish fillets, but realization that in nature piscivore type fish don't eat just a fillets, but they do eat bones, scales, and the stomach contents of the prey they eat, things became even mo better.
Even more interesting...many of the fish we keep aren't piscivores at all, so they don't actually eat other fish very often, but instead, plants like algae, or insects, and some large mouthed fish, actually eat tiny objects,
There is a study showing stomach contents of adult dovii are not full of fish, but instead more a large percentage of insects.
A management plan for the sport fishery of Parachromis dovii (Pisces ...

No kidding , most sa cicklids eat high amounts of insects which is why I recommend insect based diets for many of them.

Fish seem unable to digest pork products or beef, so I avoid them.

I have also fed lean cooked chicken with supplements with good results.

One should avoid feeding freshwater fish to saltwater fish as well