James Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 last night my partner and I decided to feed her male simese fighter to my malawi cichlids and it was awesome and gresome at the same time. I was wondering if anyone else has any other favourite large live food that they feed their africans as I will definitely be exploring more in that area. Have been through nearly every kind of insect we can get our hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 Puppies, small children, kittens and.... Dude, seriously. Bettas go through enough in their lives not to be fed to cichlids. Guppies breed like rabbits and some need culling, so I can understand popping in some of those to feed your Malawis, but bettas? Expensive, beautiful, abused.... those poor fish deserve better. If you're going to feed your malawis something, feed them neon tetras or guppers. Perhaps feeder goldfish (though I haven't seen many of those around NZ). Though at the moment I have a bunch of fish that I'd love to feed to some larger ones, I'd still rather even give them away than do that. Personal opinion here, others might not have a probem with it at all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monaro1 Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 goldfish,goldfish,goldfish a good looking fish is always a good looking fish,if there is something wrong with one of my community fish,yes in it goes that is nature,the strong eat the weak,but not a healthy fish. try some tadpoles when in season,garden worms,praying mantis,if you get off on a large fish getteng hammered try GOLDFISH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted August 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 So whats the difference between a neon and a fighter, the only difference is that it's bigger and more beautiful, in your theory this is the reason why I should not feed a beta to malawis a neon still gonna have the same hardships as a beta does it still has to survive, I've got a tank full of neons just for the purpose of feeding my malawis, sure if you like betas you are gonna think thats its horrible but if someone likes neons - that a lot of people use as feeder fish their gonna think it's horrible too. Anyway I guess my point is betas have no more feelings than a neon, malawi, oscars etc there only reason for being is to breed and carry on the species not to have feelings of who they should or should not eat. But like I mentioned I've feed them just about anything I can get my hands on and my fish ain't complaining. the money thing - malawis are more expensive than a beta so they deserve better food . But it's not something I'm gona do all the time it was a experiment we all have to live and learn. I will keep on finding strange and beautiful creatures to feed my fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 "As you do" but can I ask you a question? Did the betta fight back when being attacked? Did the malawis tear it to little peices or swallow it whole? There's a bit of difference between a small fish being eaten (quick death) or a larger fish having a painful, fearful death. I can be heartless sometimes and completely emotionally unattached, but these are our pets that we've taken on with the intention of treating them as well as possible when under our care, and cruelty to them is something I just don't stand for. That's my 2 minutes anyways.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I agree with James here, there isn't much of a difference between feeding the malawis a goldfish or a betta. Same level of cruelty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I agree with the 'one bite' theory so would be disturbed by goldfish being fed to other fish as well. malawis are more expensive than a beta so they deserve better food That remark made me laugh. 'Deserve' better food?. Its like saying the rich deserve better food. They might be able to afford better but I would argue that others are equally deserving. In my opinion there is no excuse for cruelty. The malawis are already in comparatively safe conditions compared to their natural habitat - at least I assume they are in danger from bigger fish at home. They are not in natural conditions and while we should try to reproduce an environment they are comfortable in we don't have to reproduce the cruelty of nature. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Don't know how sound the 'one bite' theory is, I mean who's to say that being swallowed alive and slowly dieing in another fish's stomach acid is preferable to being torn in half and dieing comparatively quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I had wondered that too but I don't think it would be a slow death compared to the terror of being torn to bits. I'm not about to experiment to find out :lol: :lol: :lol: Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Whos to say fish experience terror? i would say burning alive in the stomach acids of a fish would hurt much more, a slow torturous death (sorry to contridict you Blue). Jude nature is not cruel, the circle of life is a nessesaty. And for this very reason is why it is called "nature", it is out of our control, and to those that would impose there will on it, would cause detremental affects to our enviroment and the way we live (society). Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 tried mealworms?? i feed deformed guppies to my fish because what else am i going to do with them?? hmm dad has mealworms in the garage for feeding to finches :lol: Jude - in lake malawi there are either crocodiles or aligators, i can't remember which. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I don't think Jude meant to say that nature was cruel, but that causing intentional unnessary suffering is. Vultures may peck Camels to death in the wild but you don't have to give your pet Vultures live Camels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Man domesticated dogs, so before they were domestic they were wild with natural instincts hunting and killing natural choosen prey. But although the dog is domestic it still has that instinct to kill a cat. It doesn't matter what we domesticate cause the instinct is still there the animal will still have the ability to do harm. When fish started being sold as pets thats when we imposed our will over the environment. But feeding a cultavated beta isn't causing any harm to the environment cause the beta never came from there cause you can't take away what was never there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Try feeding them fat free beef heart, or worms, or snails, the garden variety. There is heaps to feed them without resorting to fighters as fodder. This is the sort of things the Sigh-kia-atrist use, to say that the person so doing, is a potential murderer. mmmmmmmmm Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Yep Hummingbird, you got it. I wouldn't feed live camels to my vulture just like I wouldnt feed baby birds to my cat, or kittens to my dog. And neither of those things would be harming the environment either. And LOL Alan - I was thinking the same thing We will all have different opinions on this and I've stated mine. End of story as far as I'm concerned Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Of course not jude, because you wouldn't do it, so therefore there is no consequence or result to the enviroment. HummingBird - jude said this "cruelty of nature". secondly there is no unnessacary cruelty in nature, this is what i am trying to portray, every action of the untammed, is the neccasity in a chain of events to keep regulation in the wild. Thirdly vultures by nature, pick on the dead, almost dead, or sick, so it comes to me as a surprise that they kill perfectly healthy camels (will look into this further). Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Yes, I realise that Shae. The key word being 'unnecessary'. And it isn't necessary to reproduce that cruelty with our pets. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 nature is not cruel secondly there is no unnessacary cruelty in nature... So in your first post in this topic you deny there being any cruelty in nature, then you take an about face and admit that there's cruelty in nature. Whether or not this cruelty is a 'nessesaty', as you put it, is irrelevant. Necessary cruelty is still cruelty. Re the Camels - If you want to get pedantic, I used the word may, so it was a hypothetical statement and I never said the hypothetical camels were "perfectly healthy". Also the 'untammed'(sic) animals aren't working together to create and regulate an ecosystem, they're out there to eat anything they can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 the reason i have chosen the word "unnessary" is because of your previous post .........."causing intentional unnessary suffering is" If you think that untammed animals are simply out there to eat everything they can, your looking at nature far to simply. If anything humans do this, animals eat what they must to live, or eat in excess to hibernate. Very few "bing eat" like humanity does, look at obesety in our population. Each animal, plant, tree and insect has its own roll in the eternaly circuling existence we call nature. Therefore they all have there own part in regulating the ecosystem. e.g. dirt, worm, bird, cat, dirt. and within that you can add, fruit, trees, plants, small insects, feterlisation etc etc. there is a purpose to each animal, insect, plant and humans life. that's it, plain and simple. Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 You are getting off topic again guys. The original question asked about people's "favourite large live food that they feed their africans". If you wish to discuss nature and cruelty etc, please start a separate thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I'll thank you not to speak of Bing crosby in that fashion. But seriously, animals do binge eat. Empty an entire container of food into one of your tanks, see if it gets eaten or if the fish simply say "No thanks, I'm full, I'm not going to eat any more". It's just horrible reading your posts though, seriously, if you're going to try and wield words like "therefore" at least learn to spell. "Each animal, plant, tree and insect has its own roll" - that one really cracked me up. IN CLOSING I USED TO FEED MY AFRICAN JEWEL CICHLIDS CRICKETS, SPIDERS AND YOUNG GUPPIES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 Did you buy and breed the crickets or catch them from outside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 They were freeze dried, got them from http://hippo.co.nz my Oscars used to love them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 But seriously, animals do binge eat. Empty an entire container of food into one of your tanks, see if it gets eaten or if the fish simply say "No thanks, I'm full, I'm not going to eat any more". I have done this by mistake, and my fish ate what they usually did and left most of the rest of the food to the gravel. as far as my posts go, I've obviously proved my point if all you can do is pick apart my spelling, of which everyone knows i struggle. Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misnoma Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 as far as my posts go, I've obviously proved my point if all you can do is pick apart my spelling, of which everyone knows i struggle. Shae Actually I think he was just hassling you spelling as an extra bonus.. spelling badly will never prove your point. Edit: try writing your replies in a word processor, then pasting in here.. suddenly spelling = easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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