Live Fish As Food - Nutritional Value & Concerns

[Oddball]

Welcome to MFK!!!

I'd think feeding your mantis FW fish species will have lower fats/oils than feeding it any SW fish.
However, if you don't offer supplemental trace elements/vitamins, the mantis may be missing out on essential and SW-specific amino acids with an all-FW diet. You might want to lay in a supply of frozen silversides to accomplish this without having to buy liquid additives.


BTW, love the avatar. Is that an Oxyeleotris marmorata?

 

[utom]

Wow, your good oddball! Yes it is, my monster fish, Oxyeleotris marmorata! Thats a whole other issue tho...dont want to stray off topic!

Thanks a ton for the input, one more for ya, would frozen prawn provide similiar sw-specific nutrients/acids to silversides?

 

[Oddball]

Some prawn is fine. Especially for the calcium benefit. But, your mantis shrimp may benefit from a better source of omega-3 that's found in the white flesh of ocean fish. (I'm not that familiar with the physiology of mantis shrimp).

 

[utom]

Hey oddball thanks again for your help.

The shrimp isnt very interested in the silversides, the first one, he ate the eyeballs and stomach and left the rest. It rejected them everytime since but once. Any other thoughts or other good sources of omega-3? Maybe a Damsel here and there?

 

[numbers]

During my Alligator gar owning days, I could go down to the nearest inlet and catch brackish killies during low tide. That would be the gar's dinner. I kept about 50 Killies in a feeder tank and would feed him weekly, or just enough to not spoil the tankwater. In fact, the killies would stay alive for a long while in the tank and you'd hear them splashing about all of the time. Had one for about 6 months. Grew to the size of a young adult pike.

Anyone gravely disagree with this method of feeding since they are coming from the wild?

 

[608004]

What else can you feed predatory marine fish, like sharks?

 

[Nabbig2]

Feeder fish should most definetly not be the main diet of a carnivore, but I think feeding them live feeders less often is a great idea.

 

[TheBloodyIrish]

I know a lot of people use feeders, however for the people that are having a hard time converting their fish... how come using the powerhead(s) to stimulate a live prey would not work? A lot of people in the UK used this method.

 

[Oddball]

I know a lot of people use feeders, however for the people that are having a hard time converting their fish... how come using the powerhead(s) to simulate a live prey would not work? A lot of people in the UK used this method.

Alot of people use that method on this side of the pond, too. It's just not widespread info nowadays. The trade mags used to feature articles on this method on at least an annual basis. But, I haven't seen such an article in quite some time. Probably because there are plenty of floating FD and stick/pellet foods now that trailing dental floss/thread leads from powerheads is no longer needed. And, lately, powerheads in large fish/predatory fish tanks is pretty much the norm now.

 

[BallzDeepInU]

Sorry but i didnt read the whole thread, but was this info based on the consumer buying the feeders from LFS and right as he gets home drops them into the predators tank for feed?

when i get feeders i usualy "gut load" them as u would with feeder crickets, would that change the "nutritional value"?

i also keep them in a tank with high current water flow