Powerfeeding Platydoras Armulatus?

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knifegill

knifegill

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Sep 19, 2005
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Oscar Tummy
Is there any point in powerfeeding my striped raphael? I'd like to get him to a full six inches before trying him with my Oscar. He's five inches now, in a 55g with angelfish and a baby Green sunfish to compete for food. I doubt the giant oto is a threat.
But will increased feeding do anything but bloat him? I know they are such dramatically slow growers that extra food might not make a difference, but I don't have the cash to throw down for a megalodoras uranoscopus right now, so this guy is my plan for the 125g. What would I feed him besides Massivore and bloodworms?
 
temp to 86 feeding as much as they will eat in one sitting twice a day
this is how i growout ;)
 
Green Sunfish would kill everyone at 86. I'll have to transfer the raph to a different tank for beefing him out, then. But I do wonder if it will have any impact. Have you powerfed a doradid before?
 
I have heard several people on this site use the term, "Power feeding." I assume that means just throwing more food into the tank. I'd hope the meaning is more scientific. I know that body builders use high-protein diets to pack on muscle. In body building, there is a method to the madness. Is that what is meant by "Power feeding" in the aquarium hobby? I'm not sure that power feeding works with fish. In the wild, food is not readily available for fish. They have to forage, hunt and burn energy to eat. In a tank, overfeeding can have side effects. Does it even work? Please explain. I would think that fish size will be maximized by healthy water and good diet. But I don't know if overfeeding is the answer. I would think that you would increase the potential of bloating and obesity, which will shorten life expectancy. How often do hobbyist awaken to find a fish floating belly up, no pun intended. Maybe it's from power feeding. I'm just curious as to how others feel about it. The size of your raphael is genetically coded and we can't do a lot about that. But you can make him fatter by overfeeding. My assumption is that high-quality protein will help him grow some . . . .
 
This was my main concern. Powerfeeding is typically used for young fish with high metabolisms, and is usually overdone. I don't want him getting fatty liver disease or organ compression, etc. He is past his major growing years, so I may just try target-feeding at night (at 76ºF) and see whether he grows cephalocaudally or proximodistally. If the latter occurs, I'll suspect it won't work. But I also know that many fish may have unreached potentials that may be reached if conditions are shuffled in their favor. These are the scales on which I am weighing my options.
 
I wish i could do a clinical study on power feeding. I just don't have the time. I'd take fry from the same brood and place them in several tanks and feed various diets to see if there is any substance to power feeding. Does anyone know of any clinical studies done? I'm sure fish food companies have performed clincal studies in their efforts to formulate their diets. Perhaps they need to publish this data for hobbyist to view. It's just a thought. Good luck with your raphael.
 
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