[DeepFriedIctalurus]

Recently I've seen several new members saying that they don't want to use live feeders anymore because of posts they've read on this site, and I'd just like to take a minute to point out that they are not something you necessarily need to remove from their diet. This is mainly because whole living fish are a very nutritious food item for piranhas, and are a beneficial part of a truly varied diet.

The caveat- There's a right way, and a wrong way to offer live feeder fish.


Let's start with the wrong way-

Buying stressed-out & disease-riddled feeders from the store and immediately dropping them in with your favorite fish. -This is the #1 cause of disease introduction.
Giving your fish too many feeders, especially goldfish. -This is one of the top causes of nutritional deficiencies for predatory fish in the home aquarium.
Not feeding your feeders nutritious foods before offering them to your fish.


As you may assume already, the right way is the opposite of the above.. Having a smaller tank/tub to house your feeders for "cleaning up" & gutloading them for a week or 2 before feeding to the piranhas is of utmost importance when buying pond-raised feeders from a shop. Cultivating your own feeders is of course the absolute best route, as it make disease transmission almost a non-issue, and you're already feeding them good foods to raise them in the first place. The best options for this are cichlids like convicts, jewels, small tilapia & other small mouthbrooders not from Lake Malawi (they grow too slowly), or livebearers like platies, mollies, guppies & mosquitofish. Swordtails tend to be quite good at eating their own fry, but all livebearer fry need a good amount of cover to avoid their parents (mainly the larger females).


Anyway, I hope this helps folks make an informed decision about live feeder fish...because this is one of the top reasons that people buy aquarium predators in the fist place!

[nzac]

I, for one use live feeders for my piranhas. I raise convicts, marmorkreb crayfish and red cherry shrimp for this, they also get some beef heart (just cause they appear to love it), occasionaly some blood worms, and oscar pellets and also some of my cichlid pellets. Hopefully someday I will be able to get my rhom to enjoy some of the pellets like my reds do, he mostly gets the live stuff and appears to love the beefheart, but for the most part still doesn't want anything to do with non-live food.
My south american puffers get live food... red cherry shrimp and self raised snails, and some of the smaller crays, with a bloodworm treat every few days.
even the crays get a treat of snails from time to time.

I would personally never buy feeder fish and feed them to my friends without at least a week quarentine though.(maybe the puffers with ghost shrimp when the cherry population is low, as they are see through which gives me a sense of security, false or not). My biggest fear is internal parasites, which I kept a tank treated for as a precaution when I had to use storebought feeders between stages of convicts.

from my own experience I do not think raising my own feeders is cost effective, but it is worth it to me for the piece of mind. I know what conditions they were kept in since hatching and I know what they eat.

[creech69]

Just 2 drop my 2 cents.

I believe that fedding feeders is a great snack for your P's. But like DF said, your feeders should be bought from a trusted source and even yet grow your own.

[BRUNER247]

I've found the best feeders period! Homegrown piranha. They have them by the thousands, they grow very fast, n are safe.

[DeepFriedIctalurus]

BRUNER247, on 26 July 2010 - 05:08 AM, said:

I've found the best feeders period! Homegrown piranha. They have them by the thousands, they grow very fast, n are safe.

Now that's what I call recycling!

I know some people don't have a market for their baby reds, so that is a great use for them in that situation..

[creech69]

Hmmmm interesting I have never though about that.

Do you feed the offspring to others P's or leave them in the tank with mom and dad.......