fish food...

[something_fishy]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum so hello hello!
I've been keeping fish for a couple of years now and like to think that i'm a relativlely good fishkeeper but obviously its always good to keep learning new stuff which is where you guys come in!
Now that i'm here i might as well ask a question then...so here goes!

i have started to feed my fish (tropical and gold) a treat of bloodworm once a week. They always eat out of my hands, especially my goldfish who are unbelievably greedy and will eat anything i give them! I have recently noticed that they aren't really liking the bloodworm and are starting to turn their noses up so is there anything else i can give then as a treat that they might like more?!

[Thunderkiss]

Don't give it to the goldfish, worms for vegitarians can be a disaster waiting for a place to happen.
As for the rest, if they start refusing regularly, don't feed them for a few days, they'll change thier mind in a hurry

[Simoriax]

i feed my fish in addition to flake. Frozen bloodworm, tubifix, spinach, dafnia and algae wafers. They don't get bored then i guess.

[something_fishy]

Originally Posted by Thunderkiss @ Sun May 15, 2005 11:25 am

Don't give it to the goldfish, worms for vegitarians can be a disaster waiting for a place to happen

Is that really true? goodness me, think of all those people who are feeding them to their poor unsuspecting goldfish. it says on the packet that they are for goldfish and tropicals!

[Thunderkiss]

Goldfish are oportunistic feeders and will eat ANYTHING you give them. However, that isn't the same thing as saying it's good for them at all.

Goldfish, being primarily vegitarians, have a very long digestive tract, as it takes considerable energy to extract nutrition from plant matter.
Conversely, carnivores have a very short digestive tract, as it takes little energy to obtain nutrients from meat.
So, when a plant eater eats meat (which they all will to some degree or another), the food is staying in thier intestines long after all nutritional value has been extracted, which can lead to impaction/constipation. Couple that with bloodworms, which have a tough outer shell, and the problem is only exacerbated.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a sure fire guarentee, it is moreover a really really good recipe for the unexpected disaster of losing a favorite fish unexpectedly.
I had an african tank with tang/malawi mix, and fed bloodworms religiously to my brichardis, and the zebras would eat them greedily, and i never lost one. However, i certainly could have, and once i learned that, i promptly separated the two lakes for more content appropriate feeding .

[something_fishy]

that makes sense, so why do fish food manufacturers advertise their products as being suitable when they're not - shameless!
from now on no more bloodworm treats for the golds, i'll have to find something else for them instead!

[Gunnie]

You can try spirulina pellets or other vegetative foods including fresh veggies. Try using a veggie clip to hold down a slice of zucchini and see if they like that. A remedy for constipation is peeled cooked peas. I'm sure your goldies would love that. Just experiment a little.

[Thunderkiss]

"that makes sense, so why do fish food manufacturers advertise their products as being suitable when they're not - shameless!"

Aye, shameless indeed. The problem is, is fish food companies have a vested interest in you buying their product. Thus you will find all sorts of attrocities printed on the label. I have found foods that state to feed up to 8 times a day !!! Now, that IS entirely feasible IF you do water changes commensurate with your feeding regimine. They DON'T tell you that however, so research will always pay off in the end; the food companies won't be there to help you on that. And that IS shameless indeed.