Feeder Convicts

[flyboy367]

i keep hearing how easy convicts breed. well i cant even get snails to breed lol so ill put that to the test. i have turtles and soon more predatory fish. instead of running to the store twice a week for feeders i may just setup a small tank with a mating pair or 2. any info on doing this for feeders would be great thatnks

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Very long time ago, I bred Blue Acara exclusively to feed to my Oscars. The value of fish as a conditioning food is however over rated..... and thus not really worth the effort.

 

[bitteraspects]

convicts will breed in a zip top bag if you let them. lol
you will need a minimum 20g tank for a breeding pair of convicts. you will also need a separate tank for the fry. when the fry are free swimmin, you can siphon them out into the other tank (doesn't even necessarily need to be an actual aquarium, a plastic storage bin will work as long as it is filtered). then you feed and raise the fry until they are large enough to use as feeders.

 

[mjzuverink]

this works, like bitter aspects said you will need two more tanks or containers to breed and raise the fry. I do this is honduran red points which are very similar to convicts but a bit more appealing in my opinion. doing this is much healthier for the fish eating feeders, as they are much cleaner than feeders from a store which are usually comet goldfish, these are fatty and not nutritionally healthy for most predator fish. one thing you will prob notice is that convict fry can better hold their own. now they arent going to cause any harm to your fish eating them, but your fish may just have to put some more effort towards catching them if they are used to comet feeders. but good luck, it is a good choice, cheaper and better for your fish.

 

[bitteraspects]

it does reduce the risk of disease, but is by no means "better for your fish". feeders provide little to no nutrition to your fiss. but if you are going to use live feeders, breeding your own is the best way to go.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Ok, that statement makes no sense. If a fish eats another fish, it's going to provide nutrition. That's why they make fish food out of other fish.

 

[loraxchick]

the OP says they are feeding them to their turtle, not other fish.

i use "Feeder guppies" for my turtle..she loves them and god knows im in no short supply for fry and yes, it is much better to raise your own feeders for turtles as the ones bought at the store are generally not too well looked after and often carry all sorts of nasties. also they probably dont receive a very good diet being feeders. by raising your own you know youre giving the "eater" healthy, well-fed stock.
what sort of turtle do you have?
cheers