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Originally written to accompany a talk at the American
Livebearer Convention in 2009, it has been revised
with links back to supporting pages within the Select
Aquatics website.
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This
is not your father’s Live Foods Guide. The information below is
based on years of searching for easy, cheap, productive
ways to raise live foods that don’t bite, smell, fly,
get loose or spread disease (to the fish or yourself!), are
nutritious and can
be raised in large quantities. The secret is that
contrary to what most books have to say, you need to get around
the obstacles
that keep us from maintaining live foods with any
confidence. There are clean, easy ways to raise some live foods,
though
the only way to find those methods is to try them, fail
a lot, and experiment. This essay is information based strictly
from
the experience of raising each of these live foods in
my own fishroom.
Each of these foods is commonly raised by many fishkeepers, and
depending which works best for the type of fish you are keeping,
the ease of maintenance for you, or what you are
willing to do will determine which foods are best for you. I
know people that swear
by mosquito larvae, for example, but the few brief
experiences I have had with using them as food causes me to itch
from the
memory of the bites I received, not to mention the
comments from other members of my family, so, at least for me,
mosquito larvae
are no longer an option. What works for you may be
different, and there are other live foods not mentioned here (tubifex,
mysis
shrimp, etc.) that may be worth trying for you. In this
fishroom, quality, quantity, convenience and consistency have
been the the
priorities strived for.
I will cover brine
shrimp, earthworms,
blackworms,
vinegar eels and
daphnia in some depth, also
addressing white, grindal
and microworms, wingless fruit flies, parameciums,
mealworms and beefheart.
First off, you do not need to keep 10 different kinds
of live foods. Depending on the fish you keep (and I keep and
breed mostly
livebearers and barbs) 2 or 3 available live foods
serve 3 functions:
1. General supplement to the regular diet. The live
food should be high in protein and is not high in fats or
roughage. I prefer
a food that is not
implicated in the spread of disease, is readily eaten by the
fish and won’t routinely cloud or foul the water.
Mealworms, for example,
would appear to be the perfect food to raise. They are easy to
propagate, the beetles
don't fly, they are not
messy when compared to most other live foods (all you need is
wheat flour, bran and some
potato). But they are
high in fat, and not nutritious enough for most fish.
2. As a food that can live in the tank and be grazed
upon for special, weak, or sick fish, and fry of important fish
or fish that are
picky eaters.
3. As a food for small fry.
____________________________________________________
Brine Shrimp: This is the staple
live food for many fishkeepers, and many (most?) feed no other
type of live food.
Pros: The eggs (which are really cysts) are readily
available (purchase 80% hatch or above, unless you are
considering
decapsulating the eggs- a process I have never done and
will not go into here. I have purchased 65% hatch eggs that did
not hatch
at all, making for a messy experience). The frozen
adult form is also widely available, and I question those who
criticize the frozen
varieties for their nutritional value. My experience
has been that even the frozen forms are far superior than dry
food.
Each batch of Baby Brine Shrimp (hatching the cysts)
are made from scratch, then the container is cleaned and you go
to the
next batch. There is no long term maintenance of any
animals, and each batch is a fresh start. Each batch is done in
24-36 hours,
and you start over. There is no smell, and all that is
hatched is fed immediately. Lastly, the BBS hatch can be frozen
in ice cube
trays for future use with negligible loss of
nutritional value when frozen immediately.
Cons: The first thing going against brine shrimp is
expense. Purchasing frozen flats of frozen adult shrimp can
become
prohibitive when you are feeding more than a few tanks.
Cysts are affordable and run about $40 for a pound can, but
unfortunately, because most fishkeepers don’t routinely
hatch baby brine shrimp, and those who do generally buy the
pound cans, smaller amounts available at local fish
stores are often wildly overpriced at $10 or more for a 2 oz.
vial of
cysts, making it appear as if hatching your own BBS is
dramatically cost-prohibitive. It is not. When kept refrigerated
or
frozen, a pound can of brine shrimp eggs (cysts) will
last a while.
Because expense can be an issue, even when buying the
1lb. cans, many of us will hatch less than we need less often
than
we need to. Building a hatcher that will produce larger
quantities can be seen as wasteful.
The solution is to choose a feeding schedule- say you
wish to feed smaller amounts, but daily, and are keeping 3 or 4
tanks of
smaller fish. From determining what you need you can
then choose one of three hatching methods.
Hatching Methods:
1. The most common, and the one that would work given
the above situation. Make a hatcher from two 2 liter plastic
bottles
(pics on photo page- full
sequence can be seen at selectaquatics.com). With two
going, each started a day later than
the other, you will have a
daily supply hatched from one of the 2 liter bottles daily.
Hatch at 75-80 degrees with just enough
air to keep the cysts in
motion, too much air will break down the hatched BBS. Place a
light over the bottles, and they will
hatch in 24-36 hours. The
warmer they are, the quicker they will hatch. Do not hatch at
higher than 85 degrees. Some people
will set the bottles in a
container surrounded by water, which then has its own heater to
keep the water at 80 degrees. Doing
so comes down to how much
complexity you wish to deal with. Disconnect air after hatching,
let sit 5 minutes for shells to
float and shrimp to sink.
Shrimp are attracted to light, so light shining at the bottom or
one side will concentrate them for
easier siphoning, but the live
shrimp will generally all collect at the bottom anyway. You want
to keep from feeding the
shells to the fish, especially
small fry. Feed within 24 hours or freeze immediately for
feeding later.
2. This is not so common, but the ultimate no-trouble
means to hatch shrimp that does not require an air stream or
even a
closed container to hatch them
in. I have used this exclusively for years when my main concern
was simply producing enough
BBS to daily feed 2-3 groups of
new fry. Place a plastic shoebox container in a spot where it
gets direct light, no movement or
disturbance, and where you can
siphon from the top without bumping or moving it. In this
container put 4 cups of clean
aquarium water, and two
tablespoons of salt. Stir around to dissolve it. Let sit until
the water surface is still. Sprinkle BBS
cysts over surface, just enough
to cover surface, do not cause cysts to sink. (1/2 teaspoon?) In
24-36 hours, the bright red
shrimp, with no shells, will
collect along the bottom rim of the container. Gently siphon
shrimp out and feed. Clean and
reset up. If you are not
feeding much you can revisit container 12 hours later and siphon
more that had continued to
hatch- shrimp that would
normally be thrown away. Keep two going one day apart for daily
feeding. I consider this to be
the most efficient hatching
method when it comes to getting the greatest hatch from your
eggs.
3. Build your own larger hatcher. With experimentation
I have found that with 2 plant pots (where one fits within the
other),
an auto oil funnel, a 7/8”
rubber screw bumper and some rigid tubing I was able to make a
hatcher that holds about 2 gallons.
Seen on photo page.
Yes, you can raise BBS to
adulthood. I have done it, and though it was entertaining
(especially when a friend brought his
4 year old daughter over who
had “sea monkeys” (which are just brine shrimp)- each she had
lovingly named- watch me
swoop up netfuls that I fed to
the fish. Other than that, they only produce cysts in response
to environmental changes.
You take good care of them and
they reproduce sexually, not producing enough cysts to be worth
the considerable
effort and mess of having
bubbling salt water containers going. I used two 10 gallon tall
sterilite trash containers, but
would have needed 6 or 7 to
feed the 8 or 10 tanks I had going at the time, feeding 2-3 days
a week.
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Earthworms: The animal known as the
earthworm can be of many different species. The best for feeding
to tropical fish,
because they are relatively small (topping out at 4-5
inches), are the “red worms” sold at bait shops, hardware and
gardening
stores, Petsmart (The ones in Colorado sell them for
local fishermen, but you have to ask for them. I have
found that locally
grown worms will do best. Inexpensive
when bought online (about $25 per 1000- 1 lb.), they can be more
expensive locally.
Pros: Routinely cited as being one of the most
nutritional foods that you can feed aquarium fish, some feel
that fish can
actually be raised exclusively on earthworms, they are
so complete nutritionally. They can be raised in large
quantities,
(one vendor advertises they will double in number every
90 days) and do not require any care other than being fed. They
can go months without being fed if need be. They can be
fed to the fish in many different sizes, from 1/2 inch to 5
inches.
And with my means of feeding them, they can be kept
easily and relatively cleanly without any smell, at almost no
cost.
Cons: Most books on raising earthworms advocate their
use in digesting compost, advising the feeding of leftover food,
breads, etc. It is often assumed they need large
containers of soil, and because of the smell cannot be kept
indoors.
All of those are false.
To feed livebearers and smaller fish they will need to
be chopped or ground up so they can be eaten by the fish. I find
that
unpleasant, and will explain
alternatives that ease that process.
Setup: The worms will thrive and reproduce in a 5 to 10
gallon container at least 8 inches deep. The worms generally
stay
within the top 12 inches of the soil, so the soil does
not need to be any deeper. Provide moistened Canadian peat, of
about the consistency of moist cake dough. Keep
container covered, as they will sometimes climb out, with small
holes
drilled for air exchange (worms can and will
suffocate). A warmer location- such as at room temperature as
opposed to
being colder will increase their appetite and
reproduction. (I use reptile heat pads under my earthworm tubs
in the
wintertime.) Check soil monthly to see if water needs
to be added. I have found the worms do best when the soil is
not disturbed except when necessary.
Feeding: This is the aspect that made keeping
earthworms simple, easy and cheap for me. I grind up
crumble-style chicken
feed in a food processor, the sifted flour-like product
being what gets fed daily to the worms. They eat it eagerly and
it does
not mold as kitchen scraps do. There is no smell, and
chicken feed is very inexpensive. I will sprinkle it across the
top of the
soil, then feed again when it is gone. Feed aware of
the load of worms in the container. My containers are heavily
loaded,
and I feed what amounts to a 1/16th inch layer across
the entire surface and they will have cleaned it up in 12-16
hours.
There are two types of chicken feed that the earthworms
seem to do best on- Egg laying mix and the flock grow-out mix.
These are high in protein and seem to produce active,
vigorous worms that reproduce well. Smaller than 50 lb.
quantities
are often available at feed stores that will sell it by
the pound. Always call first that they will do so- many don’t.
Often,
feed sold by the pound will vary, depending on torn
bags that arrive, etc. The feed lasts about 90 days at room
temperature,
longer if refrigerated or frozen, and generally costs
under $2.00 for 5-10 lbs. A bag of 50 lbs. costs $11-$13.
Grind the food up in a food processor. Be aware that
the chicken feed contains a hard grit-like substance to aid the
chicken’s
digestion. The particles are too small to affect the
food processor in any way, but they are too large for the worms.
So after
grinding down the food to a fine powder, sift it
through a regular wire colander before putting into a final
container.
This grit will ultimately account for 1/3-1/2 the
volume of the initial mix.
Keep the final flour-like feed refrigerated, and feed
daily. At first, as the worms begin to populate the container
and all of
the food is not consumed in 24 hours, it may mold
slightly. I simply brush the old feed into the soil, and
re-feed.
Worms are easily harvested by pulling them from the
soil. I put them into a small plastic container and rinse off
any soil,
then dry them off with a paper towel. I have a cutting
board and razor and simply cut them up and feed immediately to
the fish. Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t like it either.
All that squirmin and cutting. Some people will put them, after
being
rinsed and dried, into the freezer, then thaw them and
cut them up when they are to be fed. There are also devices sold
where worms can be put into a hand held device and then
ground up manually, out of sight. Lastly, they can be put into
a food processor, ground up, and then frozen into flats
or mixed with a gel that can be frozen in flats. and most fish
over
4-5 inches will eat them
whole.
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Blackworms: Often sold at fish
stores, they can also be obtained by the pound at a number of
places that aquaculture them.
Eagerly eaten by fish, they are considered essential by
many as a conditioner for spawning and contributor to overall
robust
health.
Pros: They are eagerly eaten by the fish, and some
breeders insist that they are the best food there is for
conditioning fish.
They can be accessible if you have a business near you
that sells them, and arriving near the time of shipment
guarantees a
solid, nutritious live food. When I get them home, I
will rinse them thoroughly, feed them (see below) and carefully
with a
small net remove any flukes and other creatures that
might cause harm.
Cons: It is believed by many that they don’t reproduce,
and must be fed quickly as they can’t be fed and will only live
a short
time. Those are false. However, to keep more than a
small amount they should be refrigerated. They must be bought at
the
local fish store, and they often will come in with gill
flukes and other wildlife that may be harmful to the fish.
Depending on
when they arrived at the retailer they may be in poor
condition, particularly as they are never fed after they arrive
and are
either sold or die, to then be thrown out. Keeping the
cultures requires daily attention, as their containers, when
kept
refrigerated, will dry out quickly. Some people also
can be allergic to substances the blackworms produce, and suffer
reactions when handling them. They can be expensive,
depending on the shop where they are bought, generally running
around $4.00 an ounce.
During a period of keeping killiefish I became a
regular customer of blackworms at a local fish store. According
to a wholesale
that raises them in ponds in California, their
generation time is approximately 6 weeks, and they normally do
not need to be
kept refrigerated. A quarter pound of worms kept in a
gallon shoebox does need to be refrigerated, however, or they
will die
and foul quickly. But I have kept them going for months
in an aquarium, culturing them to feed fry or more tempermental
fish that will always respond to a high quality,
healthy live food.
To keep them going for long periods I half filled small
8-12 oz. plastic round butter containers with gravel. I placed
these in
tanks with fry or fish I wanted to have “graze” on them
24/7. Then I seed the top of the gravel in the container with a
small
dollup of worms. They will anchor into the gravel, and
will stay inside the plastic container. Obviously, I only put in
fish that
will not quickly consume the worms. On a daily basis I
will finely crush a little flake food, mix it with water and
gently spray
it over the worms in the container. The walls of the
container keeps the cloud of food over the worms. They reproduce
slowly,
but the survival of a number of finicky or vulnerable
fish has been due to their being able to graze on live food as
they chose.
With the proper choice of fish you can keep a container
going that is self sustaining in that it reproduces as quickly
as they are
eaten. I will often dedicate a 10 gallon tank to
allowing overgrazed containers to repopulate, where there are no
fish, and
rotate the containers between tanks.
Feeding: I keep larger quantities refrigerated in 1
gallon plastic shoeboxes, the worms no deeper than about 3/8th
of an inch.
Water level should be even with top of worms, so that
the top of the worms breaks the surface of the water. Each day
take
each container out, cover them in clean aquarium water,
then gently shake the container and worms to free up any
detritus
and waste material. Using aquarium water will bring
worms up to room temperature. Being careful not to lose any
worms,
pour off dirty water, and keep doing so until water is
clear (2 times usually does it). After last time, do not put
water back in
over the worms. Grind up a high protein flake food (any
commercial tropical fish food should work) to a fine powder and
sprinkle over the worms. You will see them eating up
the flake food. Sprinkle until the food is no longer being eaten
as quickly.
Then rinse them off again, pouring off any excess food.
Put water back in to barely cover them, and put back into
refrigerator.
You will notice within 2-3 days they will be much more
vigorous, wiry and healthy. When you sprinkle the food over them
they
will erupt in motion and activity.
I have not seen the potential to breed them in large
enough quantities to feed my fishroom, as it seems their
reproduction
rate would require a far larger commitment of space and
time than I am willing to devote. But you can get as much out of
the
worms you buy through feeding them regularly and taking
care of them until they are fed to your fish.
*Since this article was originally written, a blackworm
culture box has been developed and more information on this can
be
found at
Fishkeeping Tips 13 - Culturing Blackworms at
selectaquatics.com.
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Daphnia: Considered an ideal food
for tropical fish, they are fairly common in local ponds and
still bodies of water. Some
people seem to keep them without any trouble, but most
of us have experiences of crashes of the population, rarely
raising
them in large enough quantities to do what we want them
to do for our fish. Gradually many of us are getting better at
it,
with hardier strains of daphnia and better food
regimens.
Pros: They are an ideal food for fish that live in
fresh water, not bothering the fish until they are eaten. They
don’t transmit
disease, and reproduce prolifically, releasing tiny
young that are an ideal food for the smallest fry, who won’t
bother the
adult daphnia that are swimming with them. When kept
outdoors and conditions are right they will go dormant in the
winter
and come back in the spring.
Most fishkeepers formed their opinion of daphnia from
previous experience, and for most of us, it isn’t good. There
are
many ways to keep a variety of forms of daphnia, and we
expect it to thrive in a variety of settings. Here is the
combination
that has worked best for me.
Locate a strain of daphnia that is being kept by
another fishkeeper or business that has had success with that
population.
The Giant Russian Red daphnia is one of the best, and
that is what I now keep. The daphnia I keep is now in its 5th
year in
outdoor tubs.
1-3 weeks before obtaining the daphnia, set up a 100
gallon trough or tub outdoors when temperatures are warm, in
partial
sun. Fill with aquarium water, add some manure to seed
a strong green water bloom. (Poultry manure is best). When all
nice
and green, add daphnia and wait. In a week or so the
water will clear up, and the daphnia will fill the tub. Toward
the middle
of that week introduce the daphnia food/ yeast feeding
schedule (see below). Harvest with a net with large enough holes
to
catch the adults, leaving the young behind to grow out.
I do not use aeration on my outsde daphnia tubs, and
they do well. When kept indoors I always use aeration. In the
tubs I
will do approximately monthly water changes of 20-30%,
indoors I will change water more frequently. I have found that
about mid-summer I will often need to clean up the
bottom of the tubs, indoors I siphon off uneaten food daily.
Daphnia can be brought indoors to experiment with ways
they will thrive. If they die, grab more from outside. The first
few years I kept cultures going indoors over the winter
in case the culture outside did not come back, but rarely
produced
enough to feed them with any regularity.
They thrive in a partially sunny location, and I have
explored the effect of strong light when kept indoors, having
heard that
a secret to keeping them indoors was an intense enough
light. In fact, I did not find that light made much difference
and
others I have spoken to that have raised daphnia for
universities say that the quality of light is not that
important. In the
100 gallon tubs with the food and husbandry I mention
here I can feed golf ball sized lumps of solid daphnia about
every
other day.
Cons: Populations will crash, and finding a food that
doesn’t foul the water and is truly eaten by the daphnia seems
tough.
Though they can be kept in an aquarium for long periods
with some success, raising them in large enough quantities to
feed
the fish as we’d like never seems possible.
Feeding: There are 3 substances that seem to be most
commonly used by aquarists to feed daphnia. Yeast is the most
common. Some say it is not nutritionally complete, and
needs to be supplemented, if used at all. Others see it as fully
adequate. The second is green water, often cultured by
aquarists separately and fed as the sole source of food. This is
considered the ideal food, but can be very difficult to
keep going in needed quantities. The third is a soy flour,
regular
flour, and paprika mix, used by some that have had
substantial success at keeping colonies going for many years.
A poor use of the food results in overfeeding or foul
water and a crash of the daphnia. Overfeeding is likely the
greatest
source of problems when keeping daphnia. How can the
strengths of each be used to complement one another?
Additionally, the particle size is crucial to the food
being accessed and digested by the daphnia. A very fine particle
size ensures not only that the food can be accessed by
the daphnia, but more importantly that it will stay suspended
within the water column to break down and circulate
near the daphnia, keeping it consistently available.
Daphnia Food Mix:
1 part Soy Flour
1 part Regular Bleached Wheat Flour
1/3 part Paprika
Approximately 2 parts enriched vegetable (spirulina)
flake food, Finely ground to a flour consistency.
-Mix flours, paprika. Should be a light pink color. Set
aside.
Finely grind down flake food to a flour consistency (I
use a mortar and pestle)
-Slowly mix together until a consistent, decidedly
green color is achieved.
To Feed: Mix 2 tablespoons of food mix to 12 ounces of
warm water in a sealable container. Shake thoroughly.
Feed with turkey baster. It should act like ink when
squirted into the water. Refrigerate unused portion,
continuing to shake thoroughly each feeding to break
down particle size. Feed every other day, alternating with
yeast,
feeding it on alternate days. Feed an active dry yeast,
putting small amount into warm water. Wait 5 minutes
(until yeast “blooms”), stir and feed to daphnia.
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Vinegar Eels: I was not convinced
of the nutritional value of vinegar eels until I began breeding
barbs. Now the
barb fry are raised with vinegar eels as the sole live
food until they are ready for baby brine shrimp. They are eaten
eagerly and the young grow quickly. A very small
nematode, they are easily raised with almost no care required
for
months at a time.
Pros: A culture can sit undisturbed for months at a
time and be ready to be fed from. They are a perfect food for
young egg layers that have grown too large to continue
feeding on infusoria, 3 or 4 days after hatching. They can be
raised and harvested in relatively large quantities.
Cons: They are very small and generally only fed to
young fry. Because of their “odd” feeding schedule many wonder
how nutritious they could possibly be.
Setup: Cultures can be obtained from other hobbyists or
purchased at conventions, fish meetings, etc.
(or from selectaquatics.com). Fill a 2 gallon bottle ˝
full of apple cider vinegar, and ˝ water. Using distilled water
may make for a cleaner culture. Then, cut up an apple
into slices that are then put into the container, about 1/3-1/2
of the apple into that 2 gallon container. Add vinegar
eel culture. Cover lightly to allow for air exchange but
covering
surface as it will attract flies when left open. As the
container populates over a period of weeks it will become cloudy
with eels.
Harvest by filtering through a coffee filter, shaking
filter into clean water and then feeding to fish. As the apple
breaks
down, it will need to be replaced or a new culture
started which generally happens after 5-6 months. If feeding
from
the culture regularly I will add fresh apple
occasionally.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
These next live foods I have used and no longer culture:
White worms, Grindal worms, Welter
worms: These can be kept very easily and will thrive
on the ground-up
chicken feed mentioned earlier for earthworms when kept
in a moist soil medium . I found harvesting to be imprecise,
and explored a number of different ways, trying to find a
way to keep soil out of the aquarium. Eventually I would take
a patch of worms, attached to the soil, and dissolve it
into water, then siphon off the worms as they settled. It worked
well, but a fair amount of soil still was put into the
tank. Of course, I generally used the method most people do,
swiping
them off the sides of the container above the soil line
with your finger. Ultimately, I was not convinced that I could
raise
and harvest them in sufficient quantities to function
as a live food that suited my needs.
Fruit Flies: These are
great, particularly the wingless variety. Alfaro cultratus loves
them as they are very close to their
natural diet of flies and insects they catch at the
surface. When released into a tank, the “escapees” did not seem
to
live long away from their food medium. I found that
having to order food medium that did not smell and was most
convenient to use to be the issue,
particularly when many fish species paid little attention to them,
and did not
feed on them, resulting in their getting loose.
Microworms: When raising
truly small fry, such as those from most livebearers, you need
to either raise microworms,
vinegar eels or paramecium. When raising fry in larger
numbers, these smaller foods need to be as maintenance free
and convenient as possible. The dry powdered egg layer
foods can be used as a supplement, but you may find that
they can be difficult to feed- with overfeeding being
the norm, leading to cloudy water and ammonia blooms,
constant water changes, etc. Something that is the
correct particle size, will live in the water for a period of
time and
that can be provided routinely on a moment's notice is
the goal.
Microworms are probably used by hobbyists most
commonly, and can be raised easily in plastic shoebox type
containers. A variety of mediums can be used that will
work for the microworms, and most are slightly messy.
These include a water/ yeast mix, certain baby foods,
dry potato mix with water etc. The mixes will last a couple
weeks, and then need to be changed and restarted. Here,
we had issues with fruit flies and, since I used the yeast mix,
there was a smell to contend with, particularly as the
containers became older and needed to be changed. Allowing a
container to dry out will kill the worms, so when it
needs to be done you could lose the culture if it isn't done in
time.
Many breeders swear by microworms, and I have found
vinegar eels to be every bit as nutritious, easier to maintain,
and they can be left for months without harming the
culture when they are not being used, so we no longer use
microworms here. But they are an excellent food, and
definitely worth the trouble, but there are alternatives.
Paramecium:: I have seen
cultures sold at conventions, etc., and am more intrigued by the
concept of raising pure
cultures. They have a lot of interest for me, I find
the idea fascinating, but to raise them in large enough
quantities,
with the added effort they require when compared to the
alternatives, I'll pass and stick with what works.
Mealworms: Raising these
had always been more interesting than any benefit they provided
as a food source for
the fish. A covered shoebox with a 50/50 mix of bran
and flour with potatoe slices will cultivate them- the mealworms
you get in the pet store will pupate, they hatch into
flightless beetles that will lay eggs and produce more worms. I
am
told they are a good food for larger cichlids, etc.,
but are generally too fatty and messy to cut up for smaller
fish.
Perfect to raise for reptiles, etc., but for fish I
have not found them to be a food worth pursuing.
Beefheart: Some might not consider
this a live food similar to the other foods mentioned here, but
as a perfectly fresh,
live meat it can be used for aquarium fish with
excellent results- and can be used as any other live food. Long
used by
Discus and angelfish keepers, beefheart is eagerly
eaten by all fish, who will show an immediate increase in
health, and
eventual improvement in coloration, overall size and
breeding vigor. However, as a richer live food alternative, we
do not
feed beefheart more than 3x per week. Beefheart is also
very inexpensive. (About $5-$6 for a whole heart).
How to prepare beefheart to be fed to aquarium fish is
described at Fishkeeping Tips 12.
Essentially the whole or half
cut beefheart (available at many grocers, and easily
ordered through any grocery store) is trimmed of all fat and
thick
outer covering. Hard or fibrous material us carefully
cut away. The beefheart is then cut into 1" cubes, where it is
ground
to a thick paste in a food processor. Stringy or harder
pieces are removed, and the beefheart paste is then rinsed
thoroughly through a net and set aside. Once the entire
mix has been rinsed, begin again as red will continue to settle
out of the meat, which may cloud the water. Then put
pinches into ice cube trays, add water and freeze.
The beefheart is fed simply by dropping one or two of
the ice cubes into the tank.
An argument could be made that by including beefheart,
many will also grind up raw frozen shrimp, scallops and
mackeral or other inexpensive types of fish or seafood
for use in their aquarium. Cooked egg yolk is an excellent food
for small egg layer fry. I have not heard that any of
these compare to the results achieved with beefheart, but all
are
well worth trying.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Collecting Live Foods
The older texts will often refer to "going out and collecting"
live foods for your fish, and I still hear today of hobbyists
that
collect wild daphnia, bloodworms, tubifex worms,
rotifers, as well as many other types of seasonally occurring
natural live
foods. Collecting mosquito larvae, earthworms and other
types of non-aquatic foods can work very well. However, caution
must used when putting aquatic fauna from a wild pond
or local body of water directly into your tank. Many hobbyists,
such
as myself, would never consider it, from the knowledge
and experience with accidentally introduced unwanted animals,
such as dragonfly larvae, hydra, parasites, etc., or
diseases and situations that would never had occurred had I not
introduced
foreign animals from unknown water into my tanks. There
was a chicken farm near where I lived in Sacramento, that had a
runoff ditch that local fish hobbyists knew was filled
with Tubifex worms. However, the water in that runoff was so
polluted
with chemicals and organic waste that to put anything
from there into your tank was simply foolish, but many did.
Eventually, the farm restricted access to the area out
of health concerns for those doing the collecting.
There is no question that live foods produce the
biggest, healthiest fish. In my opinion, it is no longer
necessary to feed only
live foods to provide the best nutrition for your fish.
Some hobbyists take pride in using no dry foods at all. This is
a mistake.
A diet of strictly brine shrimp or blackworms (or
whatever live food is available to you) is not only not
necessary, but may harm
your fish through the lack of vegetable material and
other naturally occurring foods they also require. Dry foods
today are of
excellent quality, and a number of specialty retailers
and manufacturers now offer a wide variety of dry foods that
when used
in combination with live food are excellent.
Greg Sage
Copyright Select aquatics 2011
selectaquatics@gmail.com
selectaquatics.com
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