clinton1621

I know the general consensus is to feed primarily flakes and supplement with live/frozen food, but I actually do the opposite... I feed mainly brine shrimp and supplement with flakes (I feed both at the same time, but I give them more of the brine shrimp, and just a flake for each fish)

I have noticed doing it this way seems to give the fish better overall health, color, and growth rates versus when I was feeding the opposite way... anyone else feed this way, or see any difference with feeding methods? I dont really think this would have any negative effects either, but I could be wrong...

RandomKayos

With me it depends on the time of year, availability, and the fish. I do know that varity and live foods works best for conditioning for breeding so it would make sense that is the best method.

I would personally rank foods like this....Live is best, Frozen next and then dried, flakes and pellets are last in my line of preference. Then reality rears it's ugly head. Time, cost and availability just about reverse this for my reality. And I also consider what harm might be caused in keeping fish that are always in a ready to breed state.

So again I fall back on availability. I feed live when I can get it. frozen when I got to much live and had to do something with them, dried for general varitey and flake/pellet as the staple.

RK

clinton1621

Hmm... sounds about the same line of thought that I had, when you say flake as the staple, do you think I should be feeding more of the flakes than the brine shrimp... or am I ok with feeding how I am now? My thinking was that, like in nature where they eat primarily high protein meaty bugs, they should get primarily a high protein meat like the brine shrimp and then supplement that with flakes for algae content and vitamins.

RandomKayos

Ok, a little devils advicate because I don't know the source of your shrimp. Adult brine shrimp don't really have alot to offer on there own. I use them as a deliver system for vitamins and such because they filter feed and if the fish eat them, they eat what the shimp has eaten. Most LFS that carry live briney's do feed them some form of flake or pellet but in that case, your feeding a what amounts to tofu wrapped pellets or flakes.

Now what I do like about live briney's is the endorphins it stimulates in your fish. They tend to eat more. Eat anything else you offer at the same time as the shrimp and as such are much healthier.

My prefered live food for normal consumption is either mosquito larva or black worms. Frankly, I love black worms the most. They are now farm raised in the best of conditions and what I'm seeing most often in my LFS's are healthy and fresh.

As for nature. In the wild fish usually eat whatever they can find. In some seasons it's one thing and a week later it's another and so on. That's why I vary the diet as much as possible. And I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing now. The proof is in your fish. They are healthy and look good. What more could you ask?

RK

(yes, I know you could ask each fish to fill out a prefered menu card and submit by the end of the week but that would mean getting a squid to provide the ink and growing kelp to write on and so on and that's to much to ask.)

clinton1621

that was priceless


I guess I should have included that I use frozen brine shrimp... theres not any sources for live around here unless you want to breed your own.

Most of whats available around here would be... the usual flakes and pellets of different varietys/brands, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and frozen mysis shrimp... thats really all I've seen in my immediate area. I'll have to check into blackworms, what are they exactly?

RandomKayos

http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/black_worms.htm Gives the best long description I've found.

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Live%20F...Blackworms.htm

is another good link.

RK

PS. sorry about the google it but I couldn't help myself.

clinton1621

Lol, I guess I asked for the google thing with my sig! So they are tubifex worms... I have seen and used them before, I just never heard them called black worms lol, learn something new every day

RandomKayos

Nope, not Tubifex worms. Tubifex are essentually sewage worms and with that you get all the nasties that come with sewage.

Black Worms were orgionally found in cold, clean trout ponds and now are raised in cold clean ex trout ponds. They are fed a high protein pellet food and are specifically for fish food. No sewage allowed.

RK

Shawnie

I make my food 90% of the time but when im having a busy week, bloodworms and baby brine shrimp are the specialty here LOL (they will like it or go without ) but we all know fish, they eat just about anything

clinton1621

Well, I picked up some bloodworms today (frozen) and the fish all loved them... so now their diet is comprised of bloodworms, brine shrimp, and flakes... all fed at the same time and twice per day.

I looked into finding some black worms around here, but no luck... just the plain tubifex worms, and they were freeze dried... which I have tried before and no fish I've ever had really liked those.

What do you make your food from (and how) Shawnie?

mrsmuffin

Because of time I usually feed flakes (or pellets for the betta) in the morning, but in the evening everyone gets either frozen blood worms or frozen brine shrimp. So I guess I am 50/50.

clinton1621

Thats about what I feed really, I just do it all at once lol... about half brine shrimp/blood worms and half flakes.

I'm still interested in how Shawnie makes her food or anyone else who does =) please comment if you do this!