rosy reds vs comets

[Wiggles92]

Quote:
Originally Posted by xander
i can't believe we're going over this again, or are you asking something that was not mentioned the previous debate? simply put, by gutloading your feeders you pay more for less nutrition and more risks compared to pellet feed. why not simply get the latter?

he's not asking about something that was mentioned in the previous thread, this is a different topic (still on feeding). we also went over that it was better to stick with live for now to get the fish up to size instead of messing with pellet conversion at this early stage. i definitely don't mess with pellets for very young gars (there is nothing wrong with doing so if you choose to, but unless you get quick conversion the fish may suffer in loss of growth and it can be time-consuming). better to wait until the fish is at least 6-8". a lot of the time i don't convert until the fish is 8-10".

reGARding the minnows/rosy reds...as ryan (aka wiggles) alluded to, gars do eat many cyprinid species in the wild. yes, the store-bought ones are not the same as wild fish as wild fish contain many more nutrients, etc etc, but the body shape of the rosy red (and their stupidity compared to platies and convicts) makes them a decent food for the gar as it is growing through the early stages.

the gut-loading of these fish before feeding is even better as the gar will gain from the pellets being consumed by the minnows. STICK WITH MINNOWS for now, and worry about conversion after the gar is about 8". i have done this with countless gars and have had no problems health-wise with the fish.

there are many sites and articles that TALK about thiaminase, but i am yet to see any definitive problems with gars that can be directly related back to this enzyme.

gut load the rosies and stick with those, their fusiform body type works well for the gars, and they don't have modified rays ("spines") on the dorsal and anal fin like goldfish do.

i agree on the tropicals...generally too expensive and waiting around for them to spawn may not always work out (we were going to do this with convicts for some of our lab fish and by the time the convicts spawned successfully the gars were too big to make use of the tiny fry/YOY).

good luck--
--solomon

x2

 

[goestonemoa]

you could try hand feeding dew worms
dangle it near its head ive dine this before aswell as the more tropical species of fish is a good idea
also gut loding any fish you are feeding to your gar will get extra nutrients to him

any of the feeders i feed my boys and girls have also been quarantined for atleast 2 weeks and fed high quality food not flakes

 

[xander]

I'm asking about the nutritional superiority between the comet goldfish and the rosyred minnows. Regardless of species or feeders, I will and do gutload all as well as quarantine. However, since my gar is now able t pound both, I am wondering which fish is naturally superior in nutrition. I am not inquiring about "live, prepared, or pellet," which was the last debate. I've already gotten the answers I sought, and that was to keep feeding live until my gar is 7-8 inches before experimenting or training/converting my fish into nonlive. I am now specifically inquiring about the nutritional content between these two specific feeders.

got you, apologies

 

[KillaFish]

you could try hand feeding dew worms
dangle it near its head ive dine this before aswell as the more tropical species of fish is a good idea
also gut loding any fish you are feeding to your gar will get extra nutrients to him

any of the feeders i feed my boys and girls have also been quarantined for atleast 2 weeks and fed high quality food not flakes

I started handfeeding my gar a few days ago as he was intelligent to know that I am a source of food (he came to investigate my hand and would not leave, even after being petted) during a water change. Since day one, he's had the habit of killing the feeder fish so after he had established that I am a source of food, I began handfeeding since it saves time. One, I no longer need to remove any feeders, and two, I no longer need to worry about any feeders being killed. Unfortunately, he'll only take feeders as I actually did try prawns, shrimps, etc. He just stood at the surface and ignored it.The rosy reds and comets though, he literally jumped to get it.

 

[KillaFish]

he's not asking about something that was mentioned in the previous thread, this is a different topic (still on feeding). we also went over that it was better to stick with live for now to get the fish up to size instead of messing with pellet conversion at this early stage. i definitely don't mess with pellets for very young gars (there is nothing wrong with doing so if you choose to, but unless you get quick conversion the fish may suffer in loss of growth and it can be time-consuming). better to wait until the fish is at least 6-8". a lot of the time i don't convert until the fish is 8-10".

reGARding the minnows/rosy reds...as ryan (aka wiggles) alluded to, gars do eat many cyprinid species in the wild. yes, the store-bought ones are not the same as wild fish as wild fish contain many more nutrients, etc etc, but the body shape of the rosy red (and their stupidity compared to platies and convicts) makes them a decent food for the gar as it is growing through the early stages.

the gut-loading of these fish before feeding is even better as the gar will gain from the pellets being consumed by the minnows. STICK WITH MINNOWS for now, and worry about conversion after the gar is about 8". i have done this with countless gars and have had no problems health-wise with the fish.

there are many sites and articles that TALK about thiaminase, but i am yet to see any definitive problems with gars that can be directly related back to this enzyme.

gut load the rosies and stick with those, their fusiform body type works well for the gars, and they don't have modified rays ("spines") on the dorsal and anal fin like goldfish do.

i agree on the tropicals...generally too expensive and waiting around for them to spawn may not always work out (we were going to do this with convicts for some of our lab fish and by the time the convicts spawned successfully the gars were too big to make use of the tiny fry/YOY).

good luck--
--solomon

Thanks for the advice Solomon, he is my first monster and I'd like to provide him with the best care possible. I appreciate all the help and advice. I'll stick with the gutloaded minnows and then I'll attempt to convert him onto other foods.

 

[KillaFish]

got you, apologies

No problem Xander, I appreciate the help you've given on the past threads I've created. This is my first monsterfish and the world of Gars is still new to me. I'd like to give this little monster the best care possible and I measue his length every week LOL. This little monster grows fast and hopefully he'll be as impressive as your gars.

 

[MonsterMinis]

Thanks for clearing up the question about Thiamine and Gar Sol.. I was using as they say "common sense" in what I know of both things, Gar and feeders.. But it's good to know my conclusion was accurate. And a suggestion, tip if you will. freeze dried krill is a nice treat, and will help associate with floating food when you do start to attempt to switch over.