Why won't my fish eat feeder goldfish???!
- Thread starter FOR3VER 3XILED
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well i feed my pickeral (basically a norhtern pike just smaller) crappie minnows and i have a shortnose gar and a yellowtail cuda that i feed crappie minnows too and ive fed them that for a few months now but i used to feed them platys and feeder guppies workk to but i just feed mine crappie minnows
Is your computer screen facing the tank.................maybe they've been reading the MFK posts that say how bad goldfish are as feeders?
Don't feed them for a few days/a week, and offer a nice fillet of fish (buy a pair of "grabbers") and dangle the food in front of them. This is how I get all of my picky eaters to eat dead food.
Anyway, goldfish have all kinds of parasites, infections, and contain copious amounts of yuck. Don't use goldfish, it'll lead to the untimely death of your fish, it doesn't matter "how cool" it is to watch them eat them.
Breeding molly/platys is another good alternative.
Anyway, goldfish have all kinds of parasites, infections, and contain copious amounts of yuck. Don't use goldfish, it'll lead to the untimely death of your fish, it doesn't matter "how cool" it is to watch them eat them.
Breeding molly/platys is another good alternative.
Smart fish.SCGeordie;4853248; said:
I know lots of people that use convicts. I don't know if they are much better than goldfish or not, but something to look into. I am sure someone on here knows more about the health benefits of convicts compared to goldfish or minnows.
I agree. Don't feed them for a while and put in a fillet or shrimp and if they still don't eat it wait another day and do it again. It may seem cruel and that you might think that you're gonna kill your fish but they're smart enough to eat something if they wanna live.
Very good points have been brought up... I think the most important one is that even if you could somehow guarantee that the rosy reds you are feeding are disease and parasite free, they still contain high levels of thiaminase, which cause a thiamin (vitamin B) deficiency in fish that eat them. Goldfish also contain a lot of thiaminase, so you're faced with the same problem.
Then there's the problem of potential parasites and diseases being transferred to your fish by feeders. Is it worth the stress both to you and to your fish for a few seconds of "thrill" you get by watching your fish eat live food? I hope not.
Usually fish will eat prepared foods if they've been starved for a while. You could also feed both the live and the prepared simultaneously, so that they are associated with one another. A good trick is to feed them the live food one at a time, grasping it in your hand, and then dropping it into the water when they seem interested. This way they associate your hand with imminent food, and will pounce at whatever hits the water. Eventually drop in pellets the same way, and they will also hit the pellets really fast. And even if they spit them out, at least they know it's food and will eventually give in and eat it.
Then there's the problem of potential parasites and diseases being transferred to your fish by feeders. Is it worth the stress both to you and to your fish for a few seconds of "thrill" you get by watching your fish eat live food? I hope not.
Usually fish will eat prepared foods if they've been starved for a while. You could also feed both the live and the prepared simultaneously, so that they are associated with one another. A good trick is to feed them the live food one at a time, grasping it in your hand, and then dropping it into the water when they seem interested. This way they associate your hand with imminent food, and will pounce at whatever hits the water. Eventually drop in pellets the same way, and they will also hit the pellets really fast. And even if they spit them out, at least they know it's food and will eventually give in and eat it.
