Beef liver as fish food

[Binge]

I always see people saying to give fish beef heart. I have been feeding my Bichirs and jack dempsey beef liver( earthworms and pollock as well) for a while now and was wondering if there is a reason not to feed them liver as I never see it suggested.

I realize in your standard grocery store they charge a lot for it but my wife works at a butcher shop (old school hanging cows and all) so I get enough to feed them for 2 weeks for $.65 and its fresh thier cows are also locally raised no hormone and no unneccesary antibiotics so its about as clean a beef as you can get. Tried chicken livers at one point since a lot of people fish with them but my fish were not impressed...

so is there some health reason I should not be useing it? They all seem to love it.

 

[Dr.B]

They are not made to digest mammals, but when they are young I feed mine beefheart because IME it increases growth, but after they get about 4"-5" I stop feeding it as much and start getting them into tilapia, and pellets

 

[baconmeupscotty]

I've heard a diet with much mammalian sources of protein causes fatty build up on the liver; like Dr B said they aren't made to digest mammal fat. Occasionally as a treat it wouldn't be bad but it shouldn't be a staple.

Fish fillets are a pretty cheap alternative. I buy whatever type is on sale; tilapia, catfish, etc. Then I dice it and store most of it in a deep freeze. Then when I break off a chunk and keep it in my regular freezer for the week. For 2-3 bucks it's enough to feed my tank for several weeks; you just have to stock up when it's on sale.

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[Binge]

Guess I will try and focus more on the pollock then ( get frozen bags of it realy cheap). dunno how my dempsey will feel about it he usually skips the meals that are not worms or liver . He is around 4 years old now and kind of set in his ways.