Feeding foods such as; Krill,bits of fish,brineshrimp,scuds,crickets,bits of earthworm, the odd wax worm or Phoenix worm etc, are no more easily digested or assimilated by young fish, vs a high quality pellet. In fact, unless fortified further with vitamins and trace minerals those live/dry foods would be lacking in key nutrients, one quick example, vitamin C. IMO and IME, once past the small fry stage likelihood of survival is increased when a nutritionally sound high quality commercial feed is introduced early on.
As previously stated, Overall EBJD are genetically weak fish, much like flowerhorn and other designer (inbred) fish, including some of the discus strains, and often have internal issues. Those issues are not resolved by feeding live/whole foods, in fact, some of those foods can trigger further issues via gastrointestinal upset. It's like taking a small puppy and constantly changing it's diet. Too much fiber, not enough fiber, wrong mix of amino acids, fatty acids, etc, can create additional issues. IMO sensitive fish that are known to have gastrointestinal issues should not go through a yo-yo routine of feeding, but are far better served grown out on a nutritionally sound high quality pellet.
As previously stated, Overall EBJD are genetically weak fish, much like flowerhorn and other designer (inbred) fish, including some of the discus strains, and often have internal issues. Those issues are not resolved by feeding live/whole foods, in fact, some of those foods can trigger further issues via gastrointestinal upset. It's like taking a small puppy and constantly changing it's diet. Too much fiber, not enough fiber, wrong mix of amino acids, fatty acids, etc, can create additional issues. IMO sensitive fish that are known to have gastrointestinal issues should not go through a yo-yo routine of feeding, but are far better served grown out on a nutritionally sound high quality pellet.
