stillnzcookie Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I have a question in the Diseases section about some panda cories with fin rot. From the information I have been able to find, one of the contributing factors could be either stale food or not enough variation in the diet. We have panda cories, harlequin rasboras and dwarf neon rainbowfish in a 60L tank, so of course, one container of food lasts forever! Currently we feed JBL Nova Tab and Nova Grano Colour Mini, with Nova Fex 1-2 times a week and TetraMin flakes occasionally. Everything I have read says that most of the nutrient value will be gone after about 6 months. They have all been open for more than 6 months, so it looks like I need to throw them all out and get new food, even though most of them are still pretty full. So I'm wondering what I should replace them with. Do I need the sinking tablets for the cories, as the Grano Colour has sinking bits anyway? Ironically, the cories eat the Grano colour before the Nova Tab (although they seem to like both), while the rainbowfish go nuts for the tabs, and try to grab them before they sink! How do I know if there is enough variation in what I'm feeding? Also, are there any human foods (eg veges) that are good to feed - I have read about peas and courgette, but I'm not sure if these should be fed often or not? So what do you feed your fish, and how often? I'm sure lots of people feed their fish the same food every day, but if there's anything I can do for my fish to make them more healthy, I'm keen to know about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I am kind of embarrased about this but I feed a different thing each day. Just about all of my tanks appreciate the variety in a rotating cycle but everyone gets a basic flake or pellet once a week. I only buy small quantities and I only feed a small amount each day. Fresh: hatched brine shrimp whiteworms mysis shrimp whiteworms microworms mosquito larve fly larvae frutifly larvae insects from the garden :oops: cucumber courgette carrot pumpkin peas Frozen: mysis shrimp brine shrimp bloodworms mosquito larve prawns Dried: hikari algae wafers & catfish wafers shrimp pellets spirulina wafers & flake colourbits tropical flake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I am the total opposite. My fish get fed once or twice a week (more if kids visit, wanting to feed the fish). I don't know how old the food is but it is pretty old :oops: They get flake and bottom feeder pellets. Occasionally I catch mozzie larvae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 *note to self... if come back as a fish, live at Jennifer's place I feed: Grindal worms Microworms Daphnia Mozzie larvae Frozen Bloodworm TetraMin flake JBL Novobits Sera GV something - can't remember and it is too dark to go and have a look... Sera Cyclops Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets JBL Novotabs Wardley Shrimp Pellets JBL Novotom for fry, mixed with crushed Sera GV?, decap brine shrimp, spirulina flake I mix it up a bit, especially for my Hillstream loaches. Feed them all morning and after 5pm when I get home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 * digs out stash of food. :lol: tetra cichlid crisps hikari cichlid gold hikari arowana pellets Nutrafin max spirulina Nutrafin max pleco logs tetra veggie flake tetra min tropical tablets tetra colour bits nutrafin max spirulina pellets nutrafin max spirulina meal tablets tetra min pro tetra marine flake tetra cichlid flake hikari bottom feeder pellets hikari pleco tablets Then there is cucumber, courgette, carrots, bloodworms, beef heart and liver tucker, discus tucker, snails, earthworms, fish eggs.... :lol: I think you may have got more specific results if you asked what you would recommend feeding your fish. I feed my fish, 6 maybe 7 times a day sometimes more... 7 days a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I am the total opposite. My fish get fed once or twice a week (more if kids visit, wanting to feed the fish). I don't know how old the food is but it is pretty old :oops: They get flake and bottom feeder pellets. Occasionally I catch mozzie larvae. Sounds about right. I feed fry twice or three times a day, other fish once or twice if they're growing. Adults get one feed when ever I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted March 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 Thanks for the replies! I think you may have got more specific results if you asked what you would recommend feeding your fish. True, but I was interested in what other people do, not necessarily just what they recommend. I'm presuming that those of you with great big lists of food also have a large number of fish and/or much bigger fish than I have, so I won't feel obliged to try to follow what you do cucumber courgette carrot pumpkin peas Are there any other veges that are good to feed? Can you just blanch veges and put them in the tank or is there a specific way of preparing them to make them safe and edible? I have fed peas several times, and I just pour boiling water over a couple of frozen peas, drain and remove the shells and put them in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I'm presuming that those of you with great big lists of food also have a large number of fish and/or much bigger fish than I have, so I won't feel obliged to try to follow what you do I have seventeen freshwater tanks, all under 64 litres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 I don't have big fish anymore. I have one ~200l tank but the others are under 60l. You can feed other veg, like cauliflower or brocolli stems, anything dense. You can blanch it very briefly to make it more edible. I just buy those metal BBQ skewers from the store and tie some string on them so I can hang them easily from outside the tank using a piece of tape (and it is easy to remove it without getting wet). You can add all sorts of veges to those skewers, not peas tho... :roll: Some veges will really soil the water so watch carefully if you are using something new so you can remove it at the first sign of water cloudiness. I don't leave any veges in for longer than 20 hours for that reason (if there is anything left). The cats all seem to like it the veg more the older it gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 IMO, its water and what goes in the water and how you treat the water that causes most diseases. food id ont believe can cause diseases. i feel sinking hikari pellets, floating cheap flowerhorn pellets from thailand, and economy aqua one pellets for my fish. arowana eats shrimp. dats and ck eats massivore and bichirs are given frozen balls of beef herat minced, whcih EVERYONE picks on when it drops to the bottom. clown loaches love them. i do however, treat my tank with a small dose of tonic salt 3 times a week as a preventative measure. also my filtration is somewhat comprehensive. water change is also very regular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 my 7 cories get shrimp pellets in the afternoon and a bit of an algae wafer in the morning they love both but when I put white worms in the tank for the other fish they are EXTREMELY interested, they snuffle and rootle around quite maniacly underneath the wormy action ... they don't get to the WWs fast enough and most of them are too big for them so soon hope to feed them grindals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 IMO, its water and what goes in the water and how you treat the water that causes most diseases. I definitely agree with that!! Most aquarium problems are water problems (poor maintenance, not understanding cycling or filtration) Followed by other management problems (not quarantining, inappropriate species for tank) I imagine the main time when food would be a problem is feeding herbivorous food to a carnivore and vice versa. my fish get ox heart as their main diet. Whiteworms and mealworms when I have functional cultures. Other critters when I find them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 I wholeheartedly agree with the water argument, but I digress.... Having studied and taught clinical and therapeutic nutrition (both animal and human), I believe that there is much we don't know about the nutrition of non-domesticated species and this often boils down to us feeding an inadequate nutritional profile to our animals. For the animal, this often results in a shorter lifespan and occasionally nutritional deficiencies that can be hard to detect. For example, take the common budgie, in captivity on an all-seed diet, these birds live around 4 years but if fed a varied diet (in an effort to simulate a nutritional profile similar to that achieved by natural variance) they can live 20 years. It is this significant difference in lifespan that has prompted greater research into avian nutrition. Now it is known that vitamin deficiencies result in poor skin health, decreased fertility, respiratory problems, reduced resistance to infection and parasites, vision problems, lack of appetite...I could go on an on but my point is, if your fish came down with any of those problems, would you associate it with nutrition? Probably not, which is exactly the reason why I try to feed as varied a diet as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 ah, very good points... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 I feel bad about Bud now as he ever only got seed. He was never interested in anything else, unless you counted what he ate off your plate :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 yeah, variety is paramount to keeping fish alive longer. That's why I've spent a fortune on all that fish food. good to feed them greens too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 Don't feel bad Caryl. You can only do as good as you can do. When you know better, you do better. Look at it this way, every day is a new opportunity to learn and improve...at least that is what I try to tell myself... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 *note to self... if come back as a fish, live at Jennifer's place Don't come back as a krib though or you may end up being live food... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 Hmmm, the circle of life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 I don't know that "life" is the right word for this :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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