Does Anyone Breed Any Fish For Their Cichlids To Eat?

[Unseen]

me and a friend use to have community tanks of live bearers. we would have a mix of guppies, platies, swordtails and mollies which looked so pretty. now he has 4 juvenile oscars and i have 4 juvenile firemouths, jack dempsies and convicts. i also plan to add either one or two oscars. as thy grow older i plan to give them feeder fishes. what type of fish would you recommend breeding? i am thinking of guppies as they breed fast, but then i may regret it as they are so pretty.

does anyone else do this already? what advice do you have.

ps i don't think it's cruel. it's probably very good for my cichlids satisfaction.

 

[england]

yes people do breed guppys and convicts to feed other fish the fry but firstly how big is your tank with all those fish.
i wouldnt make it there only food they also need a good quality cichlid food/deshelled peas/

is your tank 36inchs by 12inchs ?
if yes then thats not big enough even for one oscar sorry

 

[Gatorbait]

I used to give some of my fish convicts because there were so many of them but I don't have cichlids anymore. Unless you gutload, feeding fish only isn't as healthy as a more varied diet.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Yeah, Oscars by themselves need a tank of atleast 75g. Anyways I read an article once on feeder goldfish and something called red river minnos ( I think that was the name)? In the article is stated that these aren't good for fish because they lack diffrent types of nutrients the fishes need. Instead of feeding those they said it's much better to feed live bearer fry as for some reason they have more nutrients.

 

[I2ed3ye]

I've probably read the same article. I think it was about how most livebearers usually have a high vegetation matter diet. Through the mollie, or what-have-you, the algae/plant's sustenance are supposed to get to your Oscar. But I think the main reason you should shy away from $0.12 feeders such as rosies and goldfish are the conditions they're in. Very easy to introduce disease and parasites to your tank. Pretty much rolling the dice everytime you toss them in to your beloved, little beastie.

Guppies are one of the most popular because they breed so easily and fast. An awesome operation requires very little expense and attention. Four 10g tanks (you could go smaller, like Kritter Keepers to save space, but 10g are already so cheap and have a slightly better reusuability); one for the breeding pair, another for the birthing and two more to seperate males and females before they mature. The two gender tanks aren't truley neccessary for feeders but it helps when raising multiple generations and not waking up to an out-of-hand problem. And then some simple sponge filters and maybe live plants like duckweed, java moss, or hornwort.

A good many quality breeders cull their deformed and unwanted fry by feeding them to piscivores. You really could use anything you wanted to breed. From halfbeaks to White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I'd recommend something you enjoy breeding and looking at as opposed to an insignificant morsel. Stays in more of the hobby mindset as opposed to another chore around the house after awhile.

 

[Tolak]

I don't intentionally breed angels to feed to my oscar, but he does get the culls.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

I'd reccomend varying the died with both rosy reds, small goldfish, feeder guppies, and whatever fry you may have. Also try flake and other foods like beefheart. Make sure the feeder fish have been fed a nice veggie and beta-carotene diet which will help get your predators all the nutrients they need to be healthy and look healthy.

 

[parker313]

I'm considering rounding out my tank with some guppies - pretty colors and the fry will make nice feeders for my angels, rams and BGK.

 

[darkwolf29a]

Well, depending on how big your angels are, the guppies will become a snack, quickly. LOL

I have an Oscar in a 55 gallon, a good size tank for just one fish. I'd do 75 if I had a breeding pair.

Currently, I'm setting up a guppy breeding facility. I say that because it takes 3 tanks, really. 1 fry tank, about 10 gallons, and 2 sex only tanks, about 5 gallons each.

I'm also trying to talk my girlfriend into a ghost shrimp tank.

Osacars will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. I got mine on Saturday and he has all but cleaned out my ghost shrimp and I have only 1 guppy left. If it lives to see the weekend, it just might survive. LOL

Everyone I talk to, and read, says 55 is fine for one Oscar. Once you get into multiples that equation adds 20 gallon for the next one. But, if you are going to breed them, you'll need 4, to ensure that you get a pair of them. But, you also have to be prepared to get rid of the ones that aren't paired, since Osacrs are very territorial and won't hesitate to attack another.

In short, I am getting into breeding shrimp, as food, and guppies. With the guppies, the culls will become snacks.

 

[parker313]

Personally, mine aren't big yet, sold by the LFS as "medium" size, with one a little smaller. One of the guppies popped out a fry in the bag on the way home and my littlest angel here at the house snatched him up as soon as he was released!

 

[poopsydrew]

Didnt read every thread so sorry if this has been said....I breed platys and use about half of them as feeders and sell the other half to my lfs. Its great because free fish food for me and the income I make off them helps too.

Drew