I just got a 6" polypterus ornate that does not want to eat anything but live feeders. For the past week I've had some guppies in quarantine, and I hate having to do this. I was just wondering if there are any live feeders that are safe to just throw in without having to quarantine? I know brine shrimp are pretty safe, but I am looking for something a little bigger. How safe are Ghost Shrimp? If there is no "safe" live feeder, does anyone know anywhere in/near nyc that sells safe live feeders?
Safest Feeder
- Thread starter Nemesis
- Start date
Try chopped earthworm and/or whole live troutworms. Your poly will eat sinking food sticks and sinking salmon pellets. Just offer pellets/sticks and it'll eat when it gets hungry. I have over 30 polys and never had to "train" any of them onto prepared foods.
Nemesis529;3111546; said:
ive heard good things about white cloud minnows. however, i am not positive on this because my source was my LFS owner.. lol
earth worms are awesome they have very high protein and carry other nutrients that can be hard to find. the problem with earth worms is that they are very fatty. u also have to get them from a reliable source - areas that have not been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. and of course like feeders there's a chance they can carry internal parasites.
i have an earth worm farm in my shed, i got my starter worms from a worm breeder.
I have sinking shrimp pellets, but it hasn't ate in 5 days. How long does it usually take them to get hungry enough to eat pellets? It's also new to my tank, so it probably just has to warm up. But aside from that I have read that it is actually healthy for them to "hunt" their food(also cool to watch). I just would like to get a hold of live feeders to occasionally feed without having to worry about parasites or disease.
I've found sinking pet shop type (like Wardleys) shrimp pellets to be worthless. None of my fish touch them and they foul the tanks quickly. Try the sinking sticks from kensfish.com. All my fish 'rush the stage' to get at them.
my polys have grown nicely lately on a mix of sinking growth pellets, color bits, something else i cant think of, and the 5 stick blend all mixed together from Kensfish.com. . they all eagerly enjoy it, and the delhezi especially will gourge on it until he looks like he'll pop
as for feeders, try ghost shrimp if you can get them. ive never had an issue with them transferring disease, and since their fairly small, it keeps your polys active as can be hunting them down, and forces them to use their natural hunting instincts
as for feeders, try ghost shrimp if you can get them. ive never had an issue with them transferring disease, and since their fairly small, it keeps your polys active as can be hunting them down, and forces them to use their natural hunting instincts