How to Buff 'em Up?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
duanes said:
Since it is a FH, it means a hybrid between A trimacutus and another, maybe a Vieja? maybe Herichthys.
In nature Trimacs are predators living mostly on insects, and snails, occasional fish, but also, when the stomach contents of wild individuals were examined, plant matter.
Leaving out the feeder fish, (for obvious communicable disease prevention reasons), insects such as gut loaded meal worms, crickets, and earth worms would be good additions, but also Spirulina pellets.
And because they may be crossed with Vieja, or something else which have vegetarian tendencies, a high algae (spirulina) pellet may be even more important.
Hybrids "may" be disease prone because their digestive tracts (that evolved to need vegetable matter to clean the gut out (fibers material)), as opposed to the high protein pellets sometimes exclusively given.
Click to expand...

So simple, but it honestly never crossed my mind. Good info.
 
duanes said:
Since it is a FH, it means a hybrid between A trimacutus and another, maybe a Vieja? maybe Herichthys.
In nature Trimacs are predators living mostly on insects, and snails, occasional fish, but also, when the stomach contents of wild individuals were examined, plant matter.
Leaving out the feeder fish, (for obvious communicable disease prevention reasons), insects such as gut loaded meal worms, crickets, and earth worms would be good additions, but also Spirulina pellets.
And because they may be crossed with Vieja, or something else which have vegetarian tendencies, a high algae (spirulina) pellet may be even more important.
Hybrids "may" be disease prone because their digestive tracts (that evolved to need vegetable matter to clean the gut out (fibers material)), as opposed to the high protein pellets sometimes exclusively given.
Click to expand...

So simple, but it honestly never crossed my mind. Good info.
 
FH are hybrid crosses of many CA species, and like many line bred designer fish they are often simply genetically weak specimens. I never had any issues growing out juvie FH on NLS, even those that were raised on blood worms in Bangkok.

Do you feed just one formula, or have you tried others? If you haven't already, try feeding the UltraRed formula, I have yet to have a fish that doesn't hammer it hard. If that doesn't work, as already suggested try some other brands.
 
duanes said:
Since it is a FH, it means a hybrid between A trimacutus and another, maybe a Vieja? maybe Herichthys.
In nature Trimacs are predators living mostly on insects, and snails, occasional fish, but also, when the stomach contents of wild individuals were examined, plant matter.
Leaving out the feeder fish, (for obvious communicable disease prevention reasons), insects such as gut loaded meal worms, crickets, and earth worms would be good additions, but also Spirulina pellets.
And because they may be crossed with Vieja, or something else which have vegetarian tendencies, a high algae (spirulina) pellet may be even more important.
Hybrids "may" be disease prone because their digestive tracts (that evolved to need vegetable matter to clean the gut out (fibers material)), as opposed to the high protein pellets sometimes exclusively given.
Click to expand...
I'm actually contemplating going back to feeding insects like how I did with my first FH..
Can fish get infected from parasites/diseases in insects? This is the only thing that's been bugging me.. no pun intended lol

TheLastKon said:
Do you have a water testing kit? That’s the only way to tell for sure if your water quality is good. Otherwise its just a guessing game.

Only things I can think of to bulk up a fh is raise the temps, change food to a different pellet, put a mirror or target fish inside the tank, keep water as clean as possible (this includes water testing often to make sure it’s clean), and in my experience add some crush coral. My fh did better when I raised the kh of the water and my ph was more stable when I added the crushed coral. And all fish love stable conditions
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I do have a test kit but only uses it once in a blue moon..
The water quality here is pretty much stable all year round and same goes with the temperature (I'm living in the tropics)
I used to have crushed corals too but have since removed them cause I don't wanna mess with the pH and everything.. Just good 'ol constant water changes..

RD. said:
FH are hybrid crosses of many CA species, and like many line bred designer fish they are often simply genetically weak specimens. I never had any issues growing out juvie FH on NLS, even those that were raised on blood worms in Bangkok.

Do you feed just one formula, or have you tried others? If you haven't already, try feeding the UltraRed formula, I have yet to have a fish that doesn't hammer it hard. If that doesn't work, as already suggested try some other brands.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my current FH is on just one formula, the Thera+A for medium fish..
I thought all NLS pellets formula are pretty much the same in ingredients?
 
Do a 50% water change everyday.
Get an automatic feeder that feeds a small amount hourly.
Your FH will learn the schedule of the auto feeder in due time.
Id recommend filling it with hikari massivore. It doest have as diverse protein sources as NLS, but fish love the stuff. And will eat a ton of it.
Feed earth worms as treats.

These in my mind are ideal conditions with water changes being the most important.
 
IMO Massivore is too high protein to be used as a staple pellet for adult or even semi adult FH. One of the biggest mistakes made by FH owners is feeding high protein foods, and keeping the water at high temperatures, which simply promotes bacteria to multiply. Duck lips anyone? Feeding insects even worse, they just aren't a complete nutrient package, unless they are gut loaded first. I would not feed earthworms either - not to a FH that is already a picky eater.

No, not all NLS formulas are the same. If your fish is over a year old I would feed 3mm (Large Fish) and as suggested try the UltraRed formula.

As far as water changes, what size is your FH now, and what size is the tank? At 1+ yrs of age I can't imagine why anyone thinks a 50% daily water change would be required. Not that it would hurt, but seems extreme overkill to me. Perhaps you simply bought a dud FH, there's plenty of weak/poor specimens out there.
 
While the term insect can be a very broad one, certain species like crickets and mealworms can actually be a very good supplement for many fish. Crickets for example are high in nutrients that you won't find elsewhere, and they don't contain growth inhibitors. There's a reason why it's a staple diet for most pet lizards, and why scientists are urging the world to consider crickets as a staple food source for humans in the future. Buy them from respectable shops, or better yet cultivate your own. Gutload before feeding to maximise nutritional output. Only feed as a treat, not as a staple diet. My fish go crazy for both crickets and mealworms. It's also a good idea to decapitate the mealworms before feeding, as they have been known (albeit very rarely) to chew their way out of your pet after being swallowed rather whole.
 
I might also add that an extremely large portion of freshwater fish under say 30cm predate mainly on insects, especially when young, from temperate areas to the tropics.
 
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