ado124;2988995; said:
i think shiners would work perfect. i suppose the spikes could be a problem. anyone know??
Validity Of Non-Live/Preparred Foods
- Thread starter Scatocephalus
- Start date
i think shiners would work perfect. i suppose the spikes could be a problem. anyone know??
http://www.andersonminnows.com/
Fathead minnows are you best bet. Fast moving so your cichla will have to work for their meal...keeps them in shape
Fathead minnows are you best bet. Fast moving so your cichla will have to work for their meal...keeps them in shape
I have my chores when it comes to conditioning my feeders one thing is I like to keep them fat and plump.Anyone else condition their feeders?
I always feed live small fish to baby pbass. I have used frozen mysis shrimp and bloodworm for baby pinima when they were 1-1 1/2 inch, but normally the bass I get are big enough to eat minnows I catch in local canals. Then I switch over to feeders from LFS. Around 8in. or so ,depending on fish, I usally get them to eat tilapia,shrimp. I mostly use tilapia ,because during hurricane season in Florida I have lost power for 2 weeks and tilapia are an easy to catch food supply in my local canals.
IMO,
feeding live is much much better.
the problem is that in the wild,cichla get all their nutrients from the prey species because the prey species eat whatever and in turn sends it to the cichla right?
in captivity its very hard to replicate this because of the variety of food items they have in the wild compared to at home.
trying this would require alot of time and effort but ive seen it done.
many here in asia keep fish only on feeders for life and show amazing results.
they keep the feeders constantly filled up with various types of food.
IMO,this is better and more natural for cichla.
but really,how many of us have the time to constantly buy feeders,quarantine them,and make the effort to keep the feeders very healthy?
this is why many of us choose the "short cut" and feed prepared foods.
and this is why we always say,feed a varied diet!
btw,i think feeding baby cichla with prepared food and keeping them fat easily is done.
heres a pic of cichla fed only shrimp soaked in hikari.
feeding live is much much better.
the problem is that in the wild,cichla get all their nutrients from the prey species because the prey species eat whatever and in turn sends it to the cichla right?
in captivity its very hard to replicate this because of the variety of food items they have in the wild compared to at home.
trying this would require alot of time and effort but ive seen it done.
many here in asia keep fish only on feeders for life and show amazing results.
they keep the feeders constantly filled up with various types of food.
IMO,this is better and more natural for cichla.
but really,how many of us have the time to constantly buy feeders,quarantine them,and make the effort to keep the feeders very healthy?
this is why many of us choose the "short cut" and feed prepared foods.
and this is why we always say,feed a varied diet!
btw,i think feeding baby cichla with prepared food and keeping them fat easily is done.
heres a pic of cichla fed only shrimp soaked in hikari.
joworth;2989022; said:
A few posts back a member had a pbass with some type of sunfish lodged in it's throat due to their spikey dorsal fin. I think he had to cut the feeder up to unwedge it from the bass' throat, not something I would want to have to do.
I find this thread of particular interest as I have always been an advocate of feeding non-live/prepared foods. I have not been in this hobby near long enough to be able to judge which is better, nor do I have the resources to conduct such an experiment.
I think gutloading a quarantined feeder is a great idea, but think of this...why not just feed your Cichla what you're gutloading the feeder with? I understand Cichla can be quite stubborn when it comes to their feeding habits...I have had plenty of experience with that. IMO, I worry too much about possible infection/disease being passed on from a feeder to my prized cichla. Even quaranting doesn't always eliminate the threat of bacteria/virus unless they are quarantined for a couple of weeks.
So for now I'm going to stay on the frozen food program soaked with Vita-Chem. My Cichla are healthy, alert, fat, and overall they seem to grow quickly.
Also another subtopic would be the crucial role water changes will play in the growth of your fish...but that's a whole other barrel of monkeys!
ado124;2988995; said:
I feed my Cichla gutloaded shiners and freeze dried or frozen krill exclusively. Thats all they get. Anyone who has seen pics of my fish will agree they are fat healthy and happy. I just use the common bait shop variety. I do quarantine them for a few days and net out the obviously sick ones. The thing about Cichla is that if you are running your water temp where you should be, diseased or weak fish are a non factor. Boosten made a good point several months ago...do you think that Cichla eat only the healthiest and most pure fish in the wild? More likely the opposite.
A strict water change schedule would also be very beneficial IMO. Keeping nitrates as low as possible could be a huge factor. Low nitrates and low Ph would best duplicate their natural environment.
Venom SS;2990507; said:
SO TRUE!! I fish a lot and it's common knowledge that bass target weak fish! I've never even though about that till now!
I'll play devil's advocate for the sake of argument for a minute. We aren't necessarily dealing with wild conditions, per say. Some would argue that its our duty (as fish keepers who take these guys out of the wild and into a glass cube) to provide the best conditions possible. Feeding a less than ideal diet is poor husbandry, IMO. Saying diseased or weak fish are a non factor has be staring at my screen with a raised brow.
The True Guapote;2989940; said:
...because you lose the intrinsic nutrition found in the bones, scales, and organs of the feeders themselves. I'm not necessarily advocating live feeders (nor do I practice), but the obvious benefits are pretty concrete.
