They Sure Do Love Em!

[markandhisfish]

bought 2 tubs of mealworms when i got cheech and chong . 1 of which i fed as mealworms , the other i waited and let them turn into the mealworm beetles. im getting a good collection of the beetles hhatching out now so i dropped a few in a min ago. and wow!!! ive seen fish hit food hard before but this was on another level.. youd think i hadnt fed them for a week!!!! must be cos its closely mimicking their natural diet i guess.

i started doing something the other day as well that i may well come to regret. if they are at the other end of the tank and dont notice me opening the lid for feeding ( very rare!) i just splash my finger in the water and they come racing over to be fed. cute when they are small but once big i think i may come to regret it

 

[kizno1]

Sounds like there doing great.
Watch out feeding them to many mealworms because there very fatty to doubt giving them loads will do them any good. If you have a few small tubs you could breed your own. If you buy 2-3 tubs of them and stick them in a 30l storage tub with tesco value cereal at the bottom they will breed in it and you just remove them as you need them.

 

[Verminator89]

Never thought of doing this. My mums always got mealworms knocking around as shes a nature nut and always feeding the birds in her garden. Might have to pinch a few and see how Turk (my oscar) gets on with them.


I know what you mean about wiggling your finger in, mine comes racing up and chomps the end of my finger, with amazing force for such a small fish!

 

[markandhisfish]

Sounds like there doing great.
Watch out feeding them to many mealworms because there very fatty to doubt giving them loads will do them any good. If you have a few small tubs you could breed your own. If you buy 2-3 tubs of them and stick them in a 30l storage tub with tesco value cereal at the bottom they will breed in it and you just remove them as you need them.

they dont get them all the time , every other day as a treat il chuck a few in . i looked into the nutritional value of mealworms , they are an excellent scource of protein , containing typicly 25% protein and 12% fat

Never thought of doing this. My mums always got mealworms knocking around as shes a nature nut and always feeding the birds in her garden. Might have to pinch a few and see how Turk (my oscar) gets on with them.


I know what you mean about wiggling your finger in, mine comes racing up and chomps the end of my finger, with amazing force for such a small fish!

exactly lol just imagine when its a 12 inch 2 or 3 lb fish

 

[kizno1]

Sounds like there doing great.
Watch out feeding them to many mealworms because there very fatty to doubt giving them loads will do them any good. If you have a few small tubs you could breed your own. If you buy 2-3 tubs of them and stick them in a 30l storage tub with tesco value cereal at the bottom they will breed in it and you just remove them as you need them.

they dont get them all the time , every other day as a treat il chuck a few in . i looked into the nutritional value of mealworms , they are an excellent scource of protein , containing typicly 25% protein and 12% fat

It depends what they have been feed. It might be worth gutloading them with veg before you feed them to the oscars. Im looking into getting a Fire skink and from what ive read unless gut loaded they contain very little protein and are very fatty.

 

[markandhisfish]

im feeding them vegetable peelings atm. may try soaking some hikari pellets and see if they eat that

 

[Verminator89]

Different methods of cultivating healthy and nutritional mealworms. You gotta love this kind of conversation, not what you'd "typically" expect on the forum

Gutloading them sounds like a good idea thought. Stick some cuccumber in there hahaa

 

[markandhisfish]

if i remember rightly you can give em pretty much any kitchen / vegetable scrap , oatmeal etc

 

[star4]

i just splash my finger in the water and they come racing over to be fed. cute when they are small but once big i think i may come to regret it

Oh you will, Chops is faster than me now, I cant stick my finger in the tank unless there is food on the end of it, I get the full brunt of a disgusted oscar.

 

[markandhisfish]

yep , the sensible part of me says i should stop doing it while i still can , but the big kid part of me loves to show people how i can "call" my fish

 

[star4]

I know what you mean there, I so love "calling" Jethro my big plec, but he only comes when he feels like it.

 

[markandhisfish]

well today it seems they have changed their minds and that now the pellets are better!! contrary little gits

 

[Verminator89]

Try feeder shrimp (river shrimp). Bought 15 today for £1 to act as a distractor whilst my new archer fish got used to his new tank. Turk (my oscar) went on a rampage for them. It was crazy to watch! Certainly worth a try

 

[markandhisfish]

yeah i think theyre big enough for some river shrimp now . my lfs sells them for 50p a bag . think i may go get them some tomorrow .