What’s your predatory fish’s favorite food?
- Thread starter The Masked Shadow
- Start date
The second a worm hits the water my eel catfish instantly darts for it
I would say for most predators fresh live foods are at top of the list. Followed by frozen food then pellets.
Live crustaceans especially insects such as worms and crickets are tough to beat. Although there are other options like ghost shrimp and crayfish (tails) that are equally relished IMO.
Top choices for frozen are silversides, krill, mysis, and bloodworms.
Favorite pellets seem to be NLS insectum, hikari carnisticks and massivore.
Live crustaceans especially insects such as worms and crickets are tough to beat. Although there are other options like ghost shrimp and crayfish (tails) that are equally relished IMO.
Top choices for frozen are silversides, krill, mysis, and bloodworms.
Favorite pellets seem to be NLS insectum, hikari carnisticks and massivore.
Agree on the worms. My pictus catfish and loaches go or used to go craaaaaaaazy for them.
For The Masked Shadow:
Mussels are also excellent, just don't feed too often unless you can also feed Vitamin B supplements.
Lawn grubs are nutritious, tender and tasty. Just not as easy to find as worms if your lawn doesn't have a grub infestation - if it doesn't, you may have to dig a while.
Cooked, rinsed salmon with no salt etc might be good (my loaches and even cardinal tetras like it a lot).
Frozen krill (as mentioned) is usually a big hit. Most of my fish like it a lot, especially the clown loaches.
Tubifex can be a good source of protein and fat if you can find it sanitary.
Mysis shrimp (as also mentioned) is good as roughage among other things, because of its shell.
And of course the previously mentioned bloodworms are always a good shout, if you haven't been feeding them.
Where could I find cheap ghost shrimp, or shrimp to feed? Pet smart/Petco is probably not great. Does it matter?
I’m looking for alternate options to spice up the Bichir diet. I talked a little about it on the Duckweed thread, but perhaps making gels. Agar agar is safe, but do you freeze it and it thaws in the water, or does it make it into a jell-o consistency? Perhaps this would work:
A little duckweed
Tilapia Fillets
Sinking Cichlid Gold
Worms
Bloodworms
Freshwater shrimp
Im not sure on the duckweed part, but if I were to put duckweed in the tank this could be a way to use it.
What vitamins could I add to this to make it healthy.
Hendre
A little duckweed
Tilapia Fillets
Sinking Cichlid Gold
Worms
Bloodworms
Freshwater shrimp
Im not sure on the duckweed part, but if I were to put duckweed in the tank this could be a way to use it.
What vitamins could I add to this to make it healthy.
Hendre
Live ghost shrimp. Get it half a kilo at a time.
Not just predatory fishes' favourite, everyone likes it.
Not just predatory fishes' favourite, everyone likes it.
Separate pond/ container and take them out whenever you want to (for quarantine, and they will constantly breed). However I don’t think bichirs like live ghost shrimp, I tried feeding my bichirs those before and none of them ate. I think they dislike the hard shells.
Themaskedshadow you can try feeding your bichirs Japanese herring. All bichirs love it, supposedly their favourite foods.
Imo predatory fish SHOULD be fed live feeder foods, stimulus for them. You can try feeder rosy reds (Low amount of thiminase) and they would Ofc enjoy it. Breed it in your own pond (I read your thread you have one), the issue of having to quarantine is no longer necessary
I like the rosy reds idea. Unfortunately, Japanese Herring is most likely hard to find here. I understand the Ghost Shrimp part, but my Sen is a little weird. He eats snails regularly. Not the shell, but the actual snail meat. It's really odd. I feed him well, but he is always looking for a snack, and he just sucks up the snail and spits out the shell. As for live food, I read they shouldn't be fed often, however, they eat live foods in the wild, so what is the hold back?