Best food / diet for predatory fish?

[shern]

Was curious and wanted to know what other fishkeepers thought about this. I remember seeing some discussion but was interested to know what may be the best food or diet a fish could receive. I keep eels and datnoids in my tank and their diets consist of massive, floating pellets (all sourced from Hikari) along with market shrimp, live ghost shrimp, and tilapia. I also add in occasional vitamin supplements like thiamine to counteract the effects thiaminase but was curious to know if there are any better pellets or food sources I could be providing my fish with.

 

[Midwater]

IMO the best diet for predators, is their natural diet. For many fish, including dats, this is river fish and shrimp.

Tilapia is readily available, and low in thiaminase.

 

[shern]

should i swap out my shrimp for tilapia? saves me on the thiamine supplements

 

[Midwater]

should i swap out my shrimp for tilapia? saves me on the thiamine supplements

With tilapia, I don not think you need supplements.

I would not swap one sole type of food for another. I think you need a variety of live food. Tilapia, and other types of river fish, and some freshwater shrimp too.

Be careful about parasites. It treat live fish with Levamisole for twenty four hours before feeding.

 

[Hao]

With tilapia, I don not think you need supplements.

I would not swap one sole type of food for another. I think you need a variety of live food. Tilapia, and other types of river fish, and some freshwater shrimp too.

Be careful about parasites. It treat live fish with Levamisole for twenty four hours before feeding.

I think shern is talking about swapping frozen market shrimp for frozen tilapia fillet. (since he mentioned vitamin supplement)

 

[Midwater]

I think shern is talking about swapping frozen market shrimp for frozen tilapia fillet. (since he mentioned vitamin supplement)

Yes. Well then, feed both.

 

[RD.]

If you are feeding commercial foods (pellets) along with fresh/frozen, no need to supplement vitamins to offset potential thiaminase issues.
The B1 content in the vitamin premix would resolve any potential issues, in the vast majority of dry fish foods.
Nutrient wise, I would also not compare a farmed market tilapia purchased in Cali, with a wild specimen.

 

[shern]

If you are feeding commercial foods (pellets) along with fresh/frozen, no need to supplement vitamins to offset potential thiaminase issues.
The B1 content in the vitamin premix would resolve any potential issues, in the vast majority of dry fish foods.
Nutrient wise, I would also not compare a farmed market tilapia purchased in Cali, with a wild specimen.

the main problem and why i add the supplements currently is for my tiger morays, i have yet to ween them off market shrimp but i do know that many tiger morays keepers only feed shrimp. i’ve been sneaking pieces of pellets into the shrimp i feed the eels but i still dip the shrimp in supplements as a all shrimp diet would be far too much thiaminase

 

[shern]

With tilapia, I don not think you need supplements.

I would not swap one sole type of food for another. I think you need a variety of live food. Tilapia, and other types of river fish, and some freshwater shrimp too.

Be careful about parasites. It treat live fish with Levamisole for twenty four hours before feeding.

the variety does sound particularly nice, my fish diet is heavily shrimp and pellet favored but i could incorporate more tilapia

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

If you are going to feed pellets (which I do for my cichlids and goldies), then feed something better than Hikari. It's garbage. Northfin and NLS are two very good brands with lots of different formulas.