How to Buff 'em Up?

[RD.]

Correct, which is why I stated .......... unless they are gut loaded first. In nature, the insects are gut loaded au natural. In captivity, not so much.


BTW - HH, I also feed NLS AlgaeMax a few times a week, just to add some additional aquatic plant matter to my fishes diet.

 

[Mighty Wizard]

To be honest gut-loading feeder bugs is a given, be they intended for reptiles or fish. That being said even starved crickets contain a considerable amount of nutrients, bugs are after all little biological machines, with all the components involved. Gut-loading just ups the nutritional value in a cheap and effective way.

For the record I never intended to dispute anything you said.

 

[duanes]

Terrestrial bugs, are not normally carriers of fish diseases.
Aquatic insects, and crustaceans can be carriers, unless you raise them yourself.
I used to raise a lot of artemia for feeding fry, and when the culture was mostly used up, toss the dregs in outdoor algae filled saltwater ponds, and containers, where after a few weeks, I'd end up with adult brine shrimp.
Some unwanted hitchers would be brine flies, and their larvae (aquatic maggots) which would some times end up hovering in the fish room (not dangerous, but annoying).
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[RD.]

To be honest gut-loading feeder bugs is a given, be they intended for reptiles or fish.

Hey it's all good. But one thing that I have learned over the years is that nothing in this hobby is a given. As an example, in SE Asia where many strains of FH originate, the fry/juvies are fed blood worms, not as a treat, but as a staple. And we are not talking frozen BW that are enriched with vitamins, such as Hikari. we're talking sketchy BW collected in ditches. The conditions that many of these FH are raised in results in the fish carrying worms (nematodes) and Hexamita (Spironucleus sp.) and every last FH purchased from that part of the world should be immediately dewormed, and treated for hex. That should also be a given, but apparently it's not.

Yes, insects contain a lot of nutrients, but they are also lacking in others. Using crickets and mealworms as an example, calcium is typically a limiting nutrient. Low dietary calcium and an incorrect calcium/phosphorus ratio can become a serious issue over time, unless one understands that these food stuffs are not a complete diet. Trust me, not everyone in fish land understands that.

 

[Mighty Wizard]

Yeah it's become apparent to me that alot of weird stuff goes on over there, especially concerning fish-keeping. I'll keep that in mind if i order fish/reptiles from asian wholesalers

 

[RD.]

Which leads me to my next question - HH have you ever dewormed this fish? If so, with what? A worms could lead to eating/growth issues as well. Just something we should rule out.

 

[H]-[H]

I like how this thread is turning out.. very informative
As for my FH, it was initially kept in a small tank for over a year until just recently I moved it to a 120g all by itself..
It's length now is around 5"
Perhaps its growth might have been stunted?
As for deworming, I was going to do that but couldn't find the right medication + I'm against the idea of adding chemicals into the tank unless necessary..
I did however do the Epsom treatment as preventative measure when I first got him..

As for the NLS pellets, there aren't many choices to choose from locally.. The fish shops here sell mostly the same formula but in different pellet sizes..
Would gut-loading superworms/mealworms with NLS pellets work the same as feeding the pellets directly? I would assume some of the nutrients might be lost along the process...

Another thing I wanna ask is regarding market prawns.. Assuming that I feed one that was infected with parasites/diseases, will it spread to the FH?

 

[Hendre]

As far as market shrimp is concerned, is it frozen or not? Freezing should kill a lot of stuff on it..

As for deworming, I'd say it could have a big benefit for a fish that's prone to worms and such just for overall health. I would possibly consider it to be safe

Just another thing that I'm wondering, how active is your FH in the 120g? If it's shy it may not be comfortable and won't eat as much? Just a thought

 

[RD.]

I'm assuming it's a male, and if so at that age it should easily be 10-12", unless it's a short body variant. Medication used for deworming fish is very safe, if used at proper levels. Epsom salt can help eradicate Spironucleus sp, but will do nothing as far as worms go. For that you need Levamisole or the likes. You can certainly gut load superworms and/or meal worms with your food, and see how that works out, but I would still deworm the fish if at all possible.

 

[H]-[H]

Just another thing that I'm wondering, how active is your FH in the 120g? If it's shy it may not be comfortable and won't eat as much? Just a thought

It's swimming around but not that active.. Not sure if it's shy or have worms..

I'm assuming it's a male, and if so at that age it should easily be 10-12", unless it's a short body variant. Medication used for deworming fish is very safe, if used at proper levels. Epsom salt can help eradicate Spironucleus sp, but will do nothing as far as worms go. For that you need Levamisole or the likes. You can certainly gut load superworms and/or meal worms with your food, and see how that works out, but I would still deworm the fish if at all possible.

It's a normal shaped FH.. I fed little in the one year period while in the small tank so that could be the main reason for its premature growth..
About this deworming med, is it safe to be administered in the main tank? Most importantly, is it safe for the BB in filters?
Where do I get one of these meds and how to use it?

Before I jump to any conclusions, how to tell if my FH even has worms?