feeding salmon

[mary]

Is salmon alright to chop and use as marine fish food? I never see it on the list of fresh seafoods and wondered if there is a reason? Too high a mercury count? Thanks for any comments.

 

[ophiura]

What are you trying to feed? I used to feed salmon a lot but to larger fish mostly...it is very oily, and pretty expensive, which is why it is probably not typically fed.

 

[mary]

Ophiura, Hadn't considered the oil aspect. If it is not eaten who would want that in the tank for long. I just wanted to add more variety to their diet of chopped shrimp, and haddock, frozen brine and flake. Just cut off a little to freeze for them when I buy it for us. I figure the fresher,the better. The inhabitants are a pair of Clarkii and rather lovely but common fishes, a yellow tail Damsel, 4 chromis, even the Blenny eats anything I put in there, and a very active, lovely coral colored wrasse, lastly a psych. mandarin. Have found larger tanks for my very large fish, and have decided to keep fewer fish, smaller species. Have five peppermints and a cleaner shrimp. On another forum I am dealing with a phosphate and nitrate problem and it has been pointed out that I may be feeding too much. Suppliments for corals are DT's, marine snow and cyclopses, [spelled wrong], and that needs to be cut back also, to fewer times weekly. So to add variety for the fish, wanted to add salmon. Maybe the oil is one reason it is not mentioned . You have a point. On the other hand a little might be very good, I just don't know.:happyfish

 

[ophiura]

I wouldn't even try it if you don't have a skimmer. But if you do, and it runs well, then I don't really see the harm. Effectively you would probably only be feeding the equivalent of perhaps a finger tip size piece (and not the thumb ) chopped up. Fishes stomachs are roughly the size of their eyes. So they actually don't need much food at all...and most, if given LR, don't need to be fed every day.

 

[mary]

Thanks! I do have a skimmer, and lots of live rock. Your advice on the amount , and size of fishes stomachs is very interesting. How do fish get fat?! I have heard people on forums discuss how fat their fish are. Maybe it's just a "phrase". I need to cut up much less other fresh foods also then. Food for thought! Oh, I am glad you mentioned skimmer. Now and then instead of the gunk in the barrel it drips into, I get white foam that literally fills the container up as you can hear air bubbles as it goes over the edge of the collection container. It is quite large, the skimmer, and sits in the sump. Any ideas as to why it is white foam?

 

[ophiura]

Often you will find that this different "behavior" in your skimmer is correlated with a recent feeding or addition of something. It sometimes "goes nuts" and foams like this, then settles back down into a normal pattern. Fish get fat like people do - they don't necessarly know that they won't be fed and since the food is there, well they just cram it in. It is like an all you can eat buffet - we don't need that second plate but we go get it anyway because its there. Many reef fish graze throughout the day, so they get into a pattern of grazing and then get a heavy feeding at night. It may seem strange but they may also not travel as far (get as much exercise) as in the wild. So they pack on some ounces.

 

[bang guy]

I use minced Salmon to get my fish into breeding condition.

 

[mary]

Thanks Ophiura, and Bang Guy, Guess I will feed a very little salmon now and then just to add a little something new to their diet. But will feed less. When the size amount was mentioned, I cringed. I have beeen cutting up larger pieces than that so the shrimp can partake of it. Even hand feed the shrimp at times. In two days with one feeding and adding less supplements there is already a change in red aglea. Less! Hopefully the corals will continue to thrive on less. May even try to feed phyto-or DT's every three days to the sun coral. A little experimentation on a short term basis can't hurt.

 

[ophiura]

I'll tell you what...there were times when the fish I cared for ate better than I did, and it was sometimes difficult to avoid tasting. We would get beautiful salmon, tuna, shrimp, squid, mahi, pollock and cut that all up in different sizes and then, with that sushi nori....man it was tough. Definitely no problem with such diversity - just watch the quantity (which, BTW, is probably the most common mistake so don't feel bad)