What non-living foods

[Andie]

I've begun to make a list of foods to stock up on to condition Fiyero and Nessarose, and since this spawn will take place in a University dorm room I am hoping to avoid live foods. ) Yes, if absolutely necessary we do have a kitchenette with a fridge, but to keep things smoothed over with my roommate, I'd rather she not have to find a culture of something wiggly nestled next to her morning milk, y'know?

So I was hoping to get some suggestions of foods that would condition a breeding pair, if not as well as live foods, at least tolerably well. So far I'm planning on using hardboiled egg yolk and freeze-dried bloodworms, but if anybody can think of anything else that is inanimate and similarly high in protein and/or nutrition, I would welcome the input.

 

[redbetta]

OMG you can do that in your dorm? We're only allowed 10 g of water. You guys don't have a limit?

 

[riogal_11]

I've been thinking about breeding too Andie. Also in a dorm room. Our rules state "smal tropical" fish.... but it doesn't say how many. but I already have 21 in here, so I don't wanna push it hehe..... Don't know about an answer to your question though... goodluck

 

[redbetta]

WHOA 21, people think I'm nuts cause I'm gunna have 8. You don't have water limits? How big is your room? Where do you put them? I'm amazed.

 

[riogal_11]

No water limits in our rule books that I can find. I have 2 ten gallons, 2 five gallons, 1 2.5 gallon. 8 one gallons....
Amazingly my room doesn't look cluttered at all..... I have one stand that holds 8, one on my desk, one on the opposite desk, one on a tv stand and one on my dresser. and hopefully room for 2 more since I have on coming from supersixone and wuv....... Sorry for being off topic, but maybe we will bump your topic for an answer~

 

[Viet]

hmm........ I usualy use First Bite (Hikary) for the first month then Daphnia (Hikari again...ofcourse) untill they reach 1.5 inch.

But there r a twist to it..... i can only rear about ..... 70 or lower babies.

So if you do not want a Huge spawn, then just use them, they work really great.

 

[Andie]

Nope, I don't want a huge spawn at all. When I spawn them I will have a private room . . . the concept of the dorms is sort of a two-bedroom hotel suite. We'll have a shared kitchenette/eating area, as well as a shared shower and toilet/vanity areas, but our own rooms, which is where I will be cramming in the beebees

No, we haven't got a gallon or tank limit, although I chose not to bring my cichlids with me simply because the room I'm in right now is much too small to find a place to put them; next semester, when I'm in the new residence building, I'll have more space to play around with.

Viet, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into those. I've actually already checked out a few nonliving options for the fry, but right now I'm more anxious to find out what will most benefit the parents prior to spawning. I want 'em as healthy as I can get them without grossing out my roomie

 

[redbetta]

Lucky you guys, I dunno why we have the 10 g limit, it's not like I'm using the city water!

 

[Synirr]

Frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp would be really good

 

[Kiarra]

I agree. Go with the frozens as much as possible. You DO have a freezer, right? Not just fridge?

You can also raise the fry on frozen BBS or frozen rotifers, and then frozen daphnia. My last two spawns, I used frozen rotifers exclusively for the first week, then added frozen BBS and used both for the next week, then used just the frozen BBS until about a month old, when I started weaning them onto frozen daphnia. When they got big enough, it was on to frozen bloodworms. Out of those spawns, I had 4 out of 6 that hatched (their father was a nitwit) survive to adulthood (the other two died about the time they were supposed to develop labyrinths) in one and 2 out of 2 that hatched (their father was an even bigger nitwit) survive to jarring. I still have one of the latter spawn...the other one died choking on a bloodworm a couple weeks after jarring.

 

[Andie]

Just a fridge, I'm afraid- no freezer It'll be one of those little minifridges- the students in the new residence are required to purchase a meal plan, so I guess the thinking was they wouldn't need too much in the way of kitchen accessories.

I may, however, be able to turn the fridge temps down low enough to keep something frozen, provided that milk and such can be placed far enough away from it to keep it from freezing, too . . . most minifridges have a little frosty compartment for frozen goods anyway, so maybe I could keep the food in there.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Tetra Delica. Its pretty much sachets of bloodworm, brine shrimp or daphnia in geatin in easy to use sachets. For fry, powdered baby food, liquifry, crushed flakes.... Mebbe ask about fry foods in the livebearer section, they have enough babies

 

[BigC]

I dont know if you can get a brand of granular food by the name of Promin where you are. (If not do a Google for granular fish food) The UK link is below. It comes in different grades and is high in Protein. I have used this type of food myself alongside the usual flake, but if you really want to condition you fish properly then livefoods are the most natural and best.
http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z373215.asp
Regards
BigC

 

[Andie]

Well I can't really get any of this where I am Even if I were doing live food I'd have to send away for cultures, so as long as whoever/whatever you recommend can be shipped to Eastern Canada, I'm all for it

I'll definitely look into all of those recommendations; I want to give the parents every possible edge I can that won't put me at odds with my roommate; my RLA, after all, will look at how I get along with her more closely than she will at how well I'm feeding my fish. Silly RLA

 

[dwarfgourami]

I'd second the TetraDelica if you can get that or anything similar where you are. Handy little sachets of jellied bloodworm, daphnia or brine shrimp, no smell and no need to keep refrigerated- your roommate need never know about it. It certainly got my cories going!