How many people out there feed your Cichlids feeder fish? I was thinking about setting up a tank for just feeders so I would have a good supply and be able to have healthy feeders for my fish to eat. IMO I think it is pretty cool watching them get chased around the tank. Just wanted to throw it out there to see what kind of feedback I get!!
Cichlids and Feeder fish??
- Thread starter MN Fish
- Start date
I don't use feeders. Ones from pet stores carry parasites and disease, which I'm sure you know. Ones raised at home under good care could be great food considering what fish they are. many people breed Convicts as a source of healthy feeders. I think they are a good choice if you want to raise your own feeders. When I used feeders in the past it always made my fish more aggressive. They went after any fish that was smaller than them. I wasn't able to keep any schooling or small fish with them because of this. I do occasionally feed my cichlids live worms and Ghost Shrimp but no feeder fish. The pellet and frozen food that I give them is enough to satisfy them and keep them healthy.
I've fed swordtails to larger cichlids in the past. I would recomend livebarers because they constantly reproduce. Feeders are fine IMO if the are quarentined and kept healthy. If you are starting a feeder tank then make sure that the water quality is good, and that you feed the feeders a proper diet.
Mine get live food maybe about once a month, if that often. I do not buy from stores though... usually, if someone in my club has an overpopulation of something due to excessive breeding, and they need to thin the ranks, be it shrimp, crays or fish, then they'll give up a few for super cheap or free. Other than that, most of my cichlids are on Ken's pellets.
-Rich
-Rich
yeah i dont feed other fish normally (maybe the very rare occasions of somebody getting rid of fry) i mainly just feed pellets with the occasional treat of worms or something, but feeders are fine as an occasional treat as long as they are kept healthy and are something besides gold fish which are very unhealthy, if you are setting up a specific tank for feeders then i would do live bearers like someone else stated, with cons you run the risk of a few of the "feeders" surviving and then growing to breedable size in your main tank
I breed convicts as feeders. I would never, ever buy feeders at a pet store. Also Hikari Massivore Delight pellets are the equivalent of 1.8 goldfish; or so the package says.
I don't use feeders, not worth the risk imo. Ghost Shrimp, live crayfish and worms and other insects/crustaceans are a much better choice. If a breeding pair forms between any of my fish, then the rest get to eat babies... but this doesn't happen all the time.
I've fed feeders, but I buy them, quarantine them in a healthy system and feed high quailty food for a month minimum. It got to be a pain so I setup a guppy tank at my mother in laws and have breeding cichlids at home that now serve that purpose. Feeders help a lot when you have fish that primarily feed on fish like P.bass. Its just about doing it in the safest possible manner. The big male oscar I had won't even eat live fish anymore, he prefers prepared raw or pellets and kinda seems upset if I put live fish in.