Full seafood diet for Larger cichlids.. What's you're take?

[Deadeye]

I think it's mostly because the more commonly available seafood people feed their fish have high levels of thiaminase,which can cause a thiamine deficiency if fed as a staple. If pellets containing vitamin B1/vitamin supplement like vitachem is included in a fishs diet you won't have a problem.
This is what I recall from reading a few of RD. 's posts on this subject.

Of course so do minnows and goldfish, something to consider.

I think it depends on the fish. Anything can be bad in too high of amounts. Generally I would think feeding freshwater stuff to freshwater is best, and salt for saltwater.
If you have a fish that naturally migrates between fresh and salt they will probably be adapted for eating both.
At the end of the day, pellets are best for any fish that will take them as a staple, but even so make sure to add variety.
I will say that the for fish in my planted tank (specifically the puffers), brine shrimp and mysis makes up a large part of their diet with no ill effects.
And in the case of live foods…mollies are found in both anyway ?

 

[duanes]

Depends on what you offer whole fish, fillets, etc.
In nature when a predator eats a fish, or invertabrate, it gets the whole thing, .....the muscle meat, stomach contents, bones, liver, eggs, scales, .....everything,..... a complete gamut of minerals, nutrients, fiber, etc.
If you only feed fillets, that's quite lacking in comparison

 

[RD.]

In nature when a predator eats a fish, or invertabrate, it gets the whole thing, .....the muscle meat, stomach contents, bones, liver, eggs, scales, .....everything,..... a complete gamut of minerals, nutrients, fiber, etc.

Bingo, which is rarely duplicated in a glass box.

 

[RD.]

From a past discussion regarding feeding fresh/frozen .......

Viktor's astute observations are spot on. When in doubt, look at what the aquatic public zoos do when feeding frozen fish to their carnivorous species. They all supplement with vitamins - it is essential to the long term health of the fish.

I posted more on this subject in a past discussion.

Just a couple things I wanted to add. Although certain fish (and it's a very long list of fish species) such as smelt can sometimes have excessive amounts of thiaminase, the workaround to that is simple. Supplement B1 (thiamin) a few times a week. Problem solved. Boyd Vitachem is one such supplement. If one is primarily feeding frozen food from the supermarket then vitamin supplementation should already be part of the feeding regime. This is how public aquariums, zoos, etc, keep their frozen fed fish healthy long term - vitamins & trace minerals are not just a good idea, they are mandatory to anyone feeding these kinds of foods as the main portion of a fishes diet.

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. As previously mentioned 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, or supplementing via a commercial pre-soak such as Boyd Vitachem.


I posted the following years ago in another discussion, some good info for anyone feeding insects to their fish.

https://nagonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NAG-FS003-97-Insects-JONI-FEB-24-2002-MODIFIED.pdf

 

[Ashtons Fishroom]

Thanks for the posts everyone
thiaminase deficiency is common when you feed high amounts of a food that contain large quantities of thiamine's. But when i'm saying seafood mix, i mean white fleshed fish, scallops, shrimp and a few others. not giving any ingredient as spot in a Hirachey. And also adding supplements like minerals vitamin's like b1, E, and calcium, etc
Seafood high in thiamine's shouldn't be given in large amounts say like "a treat"