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Live Foods


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#1 anchar

anchar
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  • Joined: 28-January 04
  • Location: Bullcreek

Posted 13 September 2006 - 11:40 PM

Live Foods
by David Midgely

This document contains information on a variety of livefoods, including:

* Goldfish & other feederfish
* Greenwater
* Grindal worms
* Infusoria (protozoa)
* Microworms
* Mealworms
* Vinegar eels
* White worms

Guppies, goldfish and other “feederfish”

Just a few points to consider when feeding feeder fish:

» 1. Is it really necessary?

Of all the cichlids only pike cichlids really require feeders. Oscars and Large Central American cichlids certainly do not. Arrowanas, Saratogas, Cichla sp. and many other large piscivorous fish can be easily trained onto frozen fish.

» 2. Is there a risk to my fish?

In short, yes. Feeder fish are poorly cared for and carry many diseases that can easily infect larger fish. In particular worms and other internal macro-parasites are common in feeder goldfish.

To minimise the risk to your prized fish, use guppies that you have bred yourself or that come from a respectable breeder. Ponds are the best way to raise large number of guppies. In colder areas Gambusia affinis (the mosquito fish) is a good choice as it is easily bred in large numbers. G. affinis is a species exotic to Australia and can easily be collected from water bodies around built up areas. Another option is to buy a pair of convicts (A. nigrofasciatus), raise the pair a tank of their own and use their fry for feeders. This is particularly useful for training Altolamprologines onto other food types. NEVER buy goldfish that look sick or from tank that contain several dead ones.

Green Water

Green water is particularly useful for very small fry, though most cichlid fry would benefit from its feeding, most are large enough to take larger foods. Green water is simply a dense algal bloom, which consists of millions of individual algal cells.

Culturing:

Green water is simplicity in itself to culture, a small tank is placed in maximum sunlight available, several pellets of manure are added to the culture to fertilize the algal bloom. Green water may be simply siphoned from the culture tank and added to the fry tank. A cover should be used to prevent predacious beetles and dragonflies from laying eggs in the water, as the larvae may eat small fishes or fry.

Grindal Worms

Grindal worms are small annelid worms (Enchytraeus buchholtzi). It is difficult to find a source for these worms. Best chances are to be found at aquariums and local aquarium keeping societies. These worms are about 5-7 mm in length and are therefore suitable for young fishes and/or dwarf cichlids.

Culturing:

Grindal worms are easy to culture, a large box is constructed of wood or polystyrene. The culture box is filled with a mixture of 3 parts peat, 1 part aged sawdust, 1 part fine sand and a handful of shell grit. Several earthworms should also be added to keep the mixture turned. The mixture should be damp, but never sodden. Grindal worms should be fed regularly with a dry bran cereal, addition of potato slices or vegetable peelings keeps the worms happy and healthy.

Infusoria

Infusoria like green water is particularly useful for very small fry, though most cichlid fry would benefit from its feeding, most are large enough to take larger foods. “Infusoria” is actually an artifical grouping of many different single celled protozoans.

Culturing:

Infusoria may be cultured in a small heated tank filled with aged water, two or three apple/mystery snails are added to the aquarium and fed lettuce leaves. Infusoria feed off the snails waste and multiply in number. After a week or so water in the aquarium begins to turn cloudy, this cloudy liquid is large numbers of infusoria which can be fed to fry. Other methods include leaving a jar in the sun for several days, then adding a teaspoon of dried yeast or milk to get the culture to bloom. A third method involves placing fresh grass clippings in the jar with water and allowing the mixture to ferment in the sun.

Microworms

Microworms are small nematode worms (Panagrillus silusiae), and are ideal for the feeding of cichlid or other fish fry.

Culturing:

Microworms are cultured in a container such as a plastic takeaway container’ or an empty margarine tub which is filled with rolled oats which are wet. The oats can be inoculated with a small amount of microworms, such as a fingertip full from a previous thriving culture (Some people though may prefer to use a spoon as these guys can really smell ). Within two days millions of worms can be seen on the surface of the oats and climbing up the side of the container. Microworms can also be cultured in baby cereal, cooked cormeal, cooked cracked wheat or bread soaked in water or milk. Dried yeast if added to the colony extends the life of the mixture. The sides of the container may be wiped with a finger to collect the micorworms for feeding, or paddlepop sticks can be placed on top of the culture and the worms directly added from the sticks to the tank with the fry.

Meal worms

Meal worms are not really worms at all, they are small/medium arthropod grubs the larvae of a black beetle (Tenebrio sp.) It is usually easy to find a source and to culture these worms, best chances are to be found at aquariums, bird stores or clubs or reptile societies. These grubs are about 5-15 mm in length (depending on age) and are therefore suitable for larger fishes, particularly those with higher than average protein requirements. The number of mealworms fed to fishes such as the mbuna of Lake Malawi should be very limited as these fishes are predominately vegetarian by nature and too much protein will make them unheathy.

Culturing:

Meal worms are easy to culture in a large water proof container or kitchen container (30×15cm). Fill the box entirely with dry oat bran, layer the bran (like a lasagne) with a few pieces of newspaper and add several pieces of root vegetables such as potato or carrot. As the vegetables get old or eaten replace them with new vegetables. Keep the bran dry and never wet the culture, the worms (those not feed to hungry oscars or other omnivorous species) will pupuate into beetles which lay eggs on the paper and the cycle begins again. I would keep several of these cultures going at once.

I make two cultures up everytime, the second culture has about 10-15 worms and is used for solely for breeding (a “breeding colony” of meal worms that numbers 10-15 individuals normally yields hundreds of eggs and in turin new mealworms). The first culture may then be exhausted and the worms fed to fish. This way, there is never a potential decimation of the colony by overfeeding.

Vinegar eels

Vinegar Eels are small nematode worms (Turbatrix aceti), and are ideal for the feeding of cichlid fry.

Culturing:

Vinegar Eels are quite easy to culture. The are cultured in a container (glass jar) of cider vinegar, which can be bought from health food shops. Place 1 quartered apple into the container with the vinegar. To collect the eels from the culture to feed, shine a light near the edge of the surface where they will concentrate, then siphon them off through a coffee filter or a clean handkerchief and rinse to remove most of the vinegar. Vinegar eels are a similar size to microworms, though are easier to culture.

The biggest problem with vinegar eels is finding a source of the beasties, your best bet is a local university. Vinegar eels tend to swim at the surface of the aquarium. Many fry however learn to swim to the top of the tank to take this live food.

White worms

White worms are small annelid worms (Enchytraeus albidusi). Like grindal worms it is difficult to find a source for these worms. Best chances are to be found at aquariums and local aquarium keeping societies. White worms are like small earthworms and are suitable for many small fishes. In comparison to grindal worms white worm cultures are harder to manage.

Culturing:

White worms should be cultured in a large wooden box, the lid of the box should be covered in mesh to allow air to reach the culture, a large box is constructed of wood or polystyrene. The culture box is filled with a mixture of 3 parts peat, 1 part aged sawdust, 1 part fine sand and a handful of shell grit. (the grit keeps the pH up) Several earthworms should also be added to keep the mixture turned. Grindal worms are much easier to culture and generally are the better choice of the two small annelid worms in terms of yield.




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