I have used the leeches from bait stores to feed my bowfin just add to his varied diet (so far the bowfin still don't touch the goldfish). But I don't see anyone in here have used leeches to feed their fishes? What is your opinion about feeding live leeches?
I started to feed the leechs to the bowfin and it saves me lots of money instead of use minnows and earthworms which can only last my bowfin for a week. I am sick of the bowfin killing the feeder fish and not eat them and the earthworms only comes in a cup of 10 worms which can cost $4-5. I bought 1/2 pounds of leeches, it should last for 2-3 weeks for this bowfin and save lot of money.
The Leeches you buy in the store are Ribbon leeches, they dont suck blood they actually eat invertibrates like bugs and worms etc. You can feed them a varied group of foods like bugs, scuds, snails, dead insects, brine shrimp. maybe they will end up breeding for you
This is always a chance of transferring diseases and parasites when dealing with any sort of live food, no matter how small the risk is.
Won't try live leeches for a chance of them sticking onto my fishes. But you can put in the freezer to kill most parasites first before feeding them
