Feeding your fish dogg food ?

[RD.]

There could possibly be longterm effects, but there are no clinical studies to support the idea that pet foods can't be fed to fish.

Actually, yes, there are.

One of the main problems with dog food is it is generally far too high in lipid content to be fed to fish on a regular basis. See post #45 in the following link for a clinical study on fatty deposition in fish.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=414620&page=5

Fish hatcheries & farms use low quality food as their main goal is quick growth, not longevity. High protein/high fat foods will definitely produce results, but those short term results affect the long term health of warm water tropical fish.

 

[pi-eyed]

Beef and chicken (which are fine for dogs) contain fats that can't be digested by most fish and end up accumulating in their liver, causing death. I don't know what goes into dog food but I'm sure some of them contain a lot of ground beef, chicken, bacon and artificial flavors.

So what's the difference in feeding beefheart??

----Chris

 

[RD.]

So what's the difference in feeding beefheart??

If trimmed properly less overall fat than what's typically found in dog food, but overall still a poor choice of food for fish, unless growth is your only concern.

 

[pi-eyed]

If trimmed properly less overall fat than what's typically found in dog food, but overall still a poor choice of food for fish, unless growth is your only concern.

I was just curious. I feed my fish the occasional helping of beefheart(fresh from the butcher) about once a month. My GG gets about 3-4 kibbles of dog food once a month.

-----Chris

 

[5280critters]

My pacu love a kibble every now and then maybe once a month. I have had them for ten years so far and doing great. My dogs on the other hand. I have to keep the fish food up in a cabinet to keep the dogs from eating all. They learned how to get into my fish tank stand and cleaned me out of $80.00 in fish food LOL.

 

[Aquamojo]

I'm sorry....this is one of those posts I didn't even bother to read through. Bottom line is that feeding dog food to your fish...fish that you work hard to maintain and care for is just plain stupid....as a "treat", as a staple or even for kicks and giggles. With all the excellent choices available there is NO reason.

Sorry for the rant. It's one of those topics that personally just screams stupid.

Now...on the flip side I have fed de-boned FISH fillets to my dogs.

 

[RD.]

LOL, well said Mo.

I was attempting to be diplomatic, but you pretty much summed up my sentiments on the subject.

 

[piggy67]

Everybody's a freakin expert on fish husbandry.....Not ALL tropical fish are the same with the same feeding habits...Some species CAN handle a higher lipid content with no issues..Do some research on the feeding habits of different fish species..You guys are generalizing..There is a huge difference between omnivores/carnivores and herbivores, with very different feeding habits and nutritional needs. Dog Food is for dogs and not ment as a staple for fish,however as a treat for SOME fish species it is fine IF fed only occasionally as a treat.

 

[RD.]

See the link in post #21. That study was performed by some of the leading experts in fish nutrition & disease. Can a carnivore safely assimilate & utilize higher protein & lipid levels compared to fish classified as an omnivore or herbivore, yes, but even carnivores will suffer fat deposition when fed diets in high crude fat content on a regular basis.

As far as a once a month, or an occasional treat - why even bother? It's not like there's going to be any type of nutritional gain when feeding a food stuff such as dog food, once a month, or even once a week?
Using that type of logic feeding hot dogs once a month would be ok.

With SOME fish species doing so could potentially cause gastrointestinal issues, even if only fed occasionally, so if for no other reason than that I would recommend not feeding dog food to any fish, even occasionally.

But hey, what do I know ........

 

[Calihawk]

If you're looking for CHEAP way to save money on food, I go to the local fish hatchery and they have vending machines for .25 cents for handful of pellets. They are very high in fat though because they are used for growing trout.