Feeding My Ctenopomas

[GetItSahn]

Just wondering about feeding habits, I bought frozen bloodworms to feed 2-3 times a week (i read it's bad for digestion if fed daily). Is it safe to feed live fish as a main diet? The fish would be guppies from my own personal tanks
 
They don't seem to be interested in flakes so if not the live fish or bloodworms then what would be anyone's suggestion?

 

[sawickib]

Live fish that are gut loaded are good, but i would try your best to get it on market shrimp or prawns, as well as brine shrimp, mealworms or even massivore pellets would be really good. 
 
They probably wont eat flakes at anytime in there life so i would give up on those. 
 
My nandus nebulous, (still young) have been trained to eat frozen shrimp, so if yours is young theres a good chance you can get it to eat alternative diets, your best chance is when its young though.

 

[GetItSahn]

Live fish that are gut loaded are good, but i would try your best to get it on market shrimp or prawns, as well as brine shrimp, mealworms or even massivore pellets would be really good. 
 
They probably wont eat flakes at anytime in there life so i would give up on those. 
 
My nandus nebulous, (still young) have been trained to eat frozen shrimp, so if yours is young theres a good chance you can get it to eat alternative diets, your best chance is when its young though.

 

Live fish that are gut loaded are good, but i would try your best to get it on market shrimp or prawns, as well as brine shrimp, mealworms or even massivore pellets would be really good. 
 
They probably wont eat flakes at anytime in there life so i would give up on those. 
 
My nandus nebulous, (still young) have been trained to eat frozen shrimp, so if yours is young theres a good chance you can get it to eat alternative diets, your best chance is when its young though.

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, when you say brine shrimp or prawns do you mean frozen or freeze dried? or will either work?
and as far as mealworms, i could try that since i have lizards but i feel my fish are to small to eat anymore than a very tiny piece of one

 

[sawickib]

I prefer all frozen, i dont think free dried sinks very well, at least my krill never did so i dont use that anymore. So yea market shrimp/prawns or brine shrimp are good alternatives. 
 

 

 

[Byron]

I agree on the frozen foods.  Livebearer fry are better than some fish (there is a B-vitamin deficiency in some fish that is dangerous, but livebearer fry apparently do not have this problem) but I too would say try to get the fish feeding on frozen foods if you can as there will be more basic nutrition.
 
And on the bloodworms, once or at most twice a week is all you should feed worms.  They contain high fat, and I believe there is also a protein issue (too much long-term).
 
Byron.

 

[GetItSahn]

I agree on the frozen foods.  Livebearer fry are better than some fish (there is a B-vitamin deficiency in some fish that is dangerous, but livebearer fry apparently do not have this problem) but I too would say try to get the fish feeding on frozen foods if you can as there will be more basic nutrition.
 
And on the bloodworms, once or at most twice a week is all you should feed worms.  They contain high fat, and I believe there is also a protein issue (too much long-term).
 
Byron.

alright, looks like bloodworms and fry will be a snack every once in a while and i'll feed brine/mysis shrimp as the main diet

 

[Hunterprey]

Im lucky my Ctenopoma eat flakes, even grab them from the surface. Very informative responses here since I myself am looking for an alternative diet. I'd try the Hikari Massivore pellet, I like feeding my fish with those. Thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread