Question for those that raise their own feeders

[vaipulu]

Rah sir,

That smell its a good smell, (as bad as it may smell) when you gut pack your feeders, their stomachs have partially digested food. All that food in their stomachs is what smells, if the fish tank itself smells bad than this is not the case. The reason store bought feeders dont smell bad is, petstores rarely keep feeder fish long enough to be worth feeding, hence the skinny feeders vs. your plump feeders, Nothing is wrong with them, they are just gut packed full of the good stuff...and the good stuff doesn't smell too good. This should only been happening when your 1st cut them open.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Rah sir,

That smell its a good smell, (as bad as it may smell) when you gut pack your feeders, their stomachs have partially digested food. All that food in their stomachs is what smells, if the fish tank itself smells bad than this is not the case. The reason store bought feeders dont smell bad is, petstores rarely keep feeder fish long enough to be worth feeding, hence the skinny feeders vs. your plump feeders, Nothing is wrong with them, they are just gut packed full of the good stuff...and the good stuff doesn't smell too good. This should only been happening when your 1st cut them open.

Exactly, I think you hit the nail on the head. The other thing is as much as I make good non-live food for my Oscars and they love it, they gulp it down and want more no matter how much they get and I don't give them but 2 stuffing mouth fulls each every other day. But when I give them healthy live food whole or in parts it seems to tranquilize their begging desire and they settle down to a corner or the bottom of the tank in an almost hypnotic state as if to enjoy something truly special that requires their full attention and satisfaction, strange...

 

[pjsmetana]

I breed swordtails and never noticed any odors. I rarely feed my oscar them though.

You should try it. Swordtails are really fast, and are GREAT at swimming backwards.... gives the Oscars some fantastic exercise!

 

[cichlidfish]

But fish aren't animals they are fish, also not good to feed most fish animal protien. You will see fish food with grain products but it's mostly filler in cheaper food. Koi or goldfish maybe ok with it but I don't know much about them.

Fish aren't animals? LOL...I think you meant mamal meat, which isn't good for most fish. Gold fish or koi are bad feeders because they don't have a lot of nutritional value and a lot of fat.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

I think when it comes to cooked oat meal it quite different plus of all the grains oatmeal is quite different, it is the only grain that metabolizes into proportionally high protein and low carbohydrates. I mix it 50/50 with an assortment of dry foods which binds into the oatmeal and like I said my fish love it and have grown huge eating it with no excess waste from undigested food that I have ever noticed. Anyway it really works for me from fry to adults they are all nuts about it, always have been and never had a bloat problem which is why I used it.

That aside carp that are raised up can be very nutritious, just ask the Chinese who have been cultivating them for table food for 5000 years. Bony yes, but cultivated as high in protein and nutrition as any other fresh water fish.
Respectfully