Feeder goldfish

[dcel22]

I just bought a 15 cent goldfish from meijer and my Humu Humu absolutely tore it apart. Does anyone see anything wrong with feeding my Humu feeder fish like this? Does anyone else do this?
Thanks,
Joe

 

[1man]

I'm sure others will agree that freshwater fish are not a good source of food for your trigger. In fact, they will actually be harmful to his health in the long run. Other types of meaty substances naturally found in the ocean are a better alternative.

 

[pufferman]

You should not feed your humu live feeder goldfish for the reasons specified in the previous post. Since triggers readily accept non-live food, there is simply no point of doing it. If you must feed him live feeder, then get some chromis/neon goby....etc, which will be quite costly in the long run. Feeding live food to your trigger makes him more aggressive, as well. Unless you're trying to bring out his aggressive nature, then stay away from live feeders.

 

[dcel22]

Why would it be harmful?
I just like feeding him the feeder fish because it is a lot more fun to watch him eat them than non-live food...call me sick

 

[1man]

A pretty good article on the subject over at -- in the Fish Only & Aggressive Tank forum. It's the sticky "Feeding Large Predators/Please Read." Should you have any questions after you read the article, then feel free to ask.

 

[bang guy]

Basically freshwater fish do not have the fats required for a healthy SW fish and have other fats that must be processed by the fish's liver and will eventually cause liver failure.

 

[dcel22]

A once a week snack wouldn't be too bad do you think?

 

[pufferman]

Omega-3 Fatty Acid......to be exact....Of course freshwater fishes do have it in a low amount, but saltwater fishes are high in certain types of omega-3 fatty acid that are beneficial for the health of the fishes. I wouldn't go into the details but you get the idea. Also, freshwater fishes have metabolic by-products that do not exist in marine fishes. If it's going to be an "once a week" thing, then why not get some saltwater feeder? A couple of small chromises a week shouldn't cost you a fortune. I know live feeder goldfish sounds like a very affordable option, but there is no reason to risk the health of your Humu.

 

[squidd]

Goldfish produce a chemical called Thiamasi that prevents the liver from breaking up the fatty acids...
They build up and the fish dies from fatty liver disease...
Not so much because you gave them the "wrong" fats (you did)
But Goldfish in particular because they "impead" the fat processing...
It's kind of like...cheseburgers will clog your arteries...
But cheseburgers with cyanide (goldfish) will kill you...:yes:

 

[bang guy]

Squidd - What do you think about feeding SWF a brackish water fish like a Molly that has been raised in full strength saltwater?

 

[liontamer]

Yo, triggers arnet big fish eaters anyway. They are more crustaceans (hence the "beak") Heres a nifty little trick though. Go down to a beach or somewere near you, and grab some fiddler crabs from under rocks. Either that, or catch some freshwater crawfish. Freshwater crustaceans still contain the same amount of nutrients as saltwater ones do. If u thought is was fun watching it tear apart a goldfish, wait till u see it nail a live fiddler crab. You could probably also buy like cocktail shrimp (with the shell still on, uncooked) at the store and feed it one of those once a week. This is more natural for them, cuz they are more adept to eating crustaceans in the wild, with the occasional fishes. Im not saying that they DONT eat other fish, they just more likely nail shrimps and attack bivalves. And just cuz Im on a role here, the beaks are extended like that to grab shrimp in small spaces (kinda like a longnose hawk) and the "triggers" are for wedging themselves in between rocks to hide from other predators, which is also why they are so flat. So, if u see em hiding, they are just acting normally. Sorry, u didnt need that part, but I felt like saying it. SOO, if yer near the water, go grab some live crabs (smaller depending on the size of the trigger) and drop one in, grab some opocorn and soda, and enjoy!!!:hilarious

 

[cincyreefer]

If you want to feed it something live then feed it a crayfish.

 

[kev]

Bang Guy brings up a VERY good question. I started out by going to a LFS and purchasing a few black mollies that were living in FW. I acclimated them to SW in about 2 hours and they thrived in the SW picking at the algae and eating nothing but flakes made for marine fish. About a month later, the female gave birth to only 5 fry which all survived and grew up in full strength SW, eating nothing but "ocean based" foods. Roughly a month later, she gave birth again to about 35 fry in full strength SW. Right now I'm in the process of raising them up for snacks for my baby Panther Grouper. And yes, I know that Panther Groupers grow at an amazing rate(which mine already has.) He will be going to a friends 125 when he gets to big. Anyways it would be really informative if someone knew something about this cheap, and possibly healthy diet for SW predatory fish. :thinking:

 

[squidd]

What do you think about feeding SWF a brackish water fish like a Molly that has been raised in full strength saltwater?
Starting from the "outside"...Working in...
Whether your Molly is housed in freshwater, brackish or fully converted to salt...it's the same fish...It has the same physical makeup, physiology, and nutritional content (as far as "stored" fats, acids, vitamins, and proteins)
Converting it (or raising them) in salt does not wash out or "convert" their inner physiology...
HOWEVER...Keeping the the Molly's for a period of time, to convert or breed and raise, has it's own positives in that you can eliminate alot of the internal(and external) parasites and diseases that "fresh" caught (or bought) can carry and infect your tank with..
It also gives you a chance to "gut load" the feeders with vitamin enriched foods that will carry "into" your SW "eater"...
It won't change he basic makeup of the Molly though, because they will only absorb what they were "designed" to absorb...
Are they better for your aggressive than Goldfish...??
I would say yes, most definetly...
Are there "better" feeders than Mollys..??
Also, yes definetly...:yes:
Would I recomend using Mollys as Feeders for your aggressive...??
NO...:nope:

 

[squidd]

I see there is another thread floating around about the nutritional Value of SW Mollys...
If you would Like I could reference the Nutritional Value charts
Showing relative Fat,Saturated Fat, Protein, Lipid, Vitamin,and available Energy between Freshwater-Brackish-Marine Fish and Marine and Fresh Water Crustations...??
Basically Goldfish have 20x the saturated Fat of Marine and Molly's (brackish) have 6X the fat...
Hence my statement Molly's are better than Goldfish, But there are MUCH better/healthier feeders...

 

[bang guy]

Thank you, that quantifies things pretty well.

 

[harlequin]

Everything here is very correct except on thing. Black mollies are brackish water fish not freshwater although thats where you usually see them in the pet stores. On a daily basis they will go from salt to fresh and vice versa. Because they are brackish, they are not as bad to feed to saltwater fish as say feeder guppies and goldfish. But overall you are much better feeding them crusties in the first place.

 

[bang guy]

That's exactly what Squidd said. I don't see where you differ from his opinion.

 

[pufferman]

I'm confused as to why everyone is arguing whether or not brackish Molly is a healthier option than Goldfish. The solution is really simple. Either give your fish saltwater feeder or do not rely on them at all if the cost is a concern for you. I think the reason for feeding your fish live food comes more from a selfish motive than any real benefit to your fish. Just my two cents.

 

[harlequin]

Thats true, good point heheh. Guess we were skipping the overlying problem that it doesnt need live food, lol. Go buy a bag of shrimp at your grocery store, it should last you a long time.