best feeder fish?

[penguinpimp1990]

What is the best feeder fish for butterfly fish, oscars, african knife, and pictus catfish? I was reccomended feeder guppies but Ill leave it to the experts

 

[Dwarfs]

Not one of those fish need guppies, or any type of live fish.

ABF will gladly eat crickets and other floating insects, if you're lucky they will eat freeze dried krill.
Oscars will eat most foods, frozen, dry, as long as it is something filling and packed with nutrients.
Knives will eat pellets and frozen food IME.
Pictus will eat just about anything that is meaty and fits in their mouth.

feeding guppies to your fish is a risk to their lives, as most feeder guppies are choc full of all srts of diseases and illnesses
I'm sure there are plenty of people who would recommend frozen/dry food over live fish

 

[penguinpimp1990]

Are there any live fish that will be safe for feeding if I quarintine them?

 

[Dwarfs]

Are there any live fish that will be safe for feeding if I quarintine them?

I am currently trying to get a colony of guppies going for my leaf fish (needs live food) We bought about 25, and now we have 1 adult and a dozen or so fry left. So yes, you can start a colony of them, but it is hard to get them to survive

I would only recommend guppies as a treat, because your fish may get hooked on them if they get guppies too often

 

[sylvia]

Whenever possible, it is best to substitute feeder fish for other live foods like worms and shrimp or frozen foods where possible. The reason is that usualy feeder fish are unecessary and they often carry disease. If you must use feeders, breed your own or be prepaired to quarantine them for about a month before feeding. If you are quarantining, obviously it's better to go for small, peaceful tropical fish like guppies or platies as you can keep more in a small-ish tank (as opposed to goldfish for example). Similarly, if you are breeding them, guppies are the way to go - put a trio in a 10-20 gallon and wait a couple of months and you'll have an inexpensive and healthy supply of fry for ever.

 

[sylvia]

You beat me to it dwarfs

 

[fufanu360]

i like feeding crickets and worms best... ive never fed live fish

 

[Mr Miagi]

My eels LOVE worms. But yeah, most of these guys are right, feding your fish on feeders isnt all neccessary. But they do like them. I would think setting up a breeding group of say 3 small tanks would help you breed and grow your own feeding stock. That way u know they are healthy aswell.

 

[freddyk]

When I had my Jaguar I bred mollies to use as feeders for him, this way he got a treat that was fun for both of us and I could be sure they were good.

I think it's a little misleading to say they're chalk full of diseases at the store. More likely then not feeding feeders from the store will not do any harm, but there is always the risk because of the conditions feeders tend to be kept in.

Of course, you can always go gourmet and feed them danios or fancy guppies, heh heh