Feeder Fish Died fast

[Jose]

I went to fish ranch in houston yesturday to get some feeder fish, since fish gallery didn't have any. I got 20 rosy reds and 20 ghost shrimp. When I got home in 20 minutes, all the rosy reds and half the ghost shrimp were dead. What could have happened? Overcrowded? They put them in little bags and packed them tight with air. It was only $2 but by the time I got home my only other option was petsmart because nothing is by me.

[OrandaMan]

Maybe there was something wrong with the air they put in? Those air tanks are heavily regulated, but that doesn't mean they're always perfect. Anyway, I figure it wouldn't hurt to call them and tell them what happened.

[specialone0812]

bring a bucket with air pump and buy a whole bunch of feeders.

[MerrittA]

Any feeder animal will be unhealthy and highly stressed. Just purchasing them probably put them over the edge causing a large die off in your purchase. I would definitely call them and try to either get my money back or store credit.

[Jose]

I didn't even want to feed my fish the ghost shrimp that were still alive. I won't call them because its only $2 and i'll waste about $7 going over there which I probably never go there again.

[Mzungu]

Sorry about that. Try getting your fish to eat pellets, so you won't have to risk feeders. :)

[Complexity]

Please do call them. If not for you, do it so they will be notified so they can prevent it from happening to the next person. There may be a problem they aren't aware of.

[Complexity]

Sorry about that. Try getting your fish to eat pellets, so you won't have to risk feeders. :)

Or raise your own feeders. This is when guppies can come in handy.

[Jose]

Pellets?!?!? Well I never tried anything else for my leaf fish but they say thats all they eat is live food. I only have 1 fish tank which is the tv tank so I can't raise my own feeders. I would always go to city pets to get feeder guppies but the last 3 or 4 times I went they didn't have any.

[Complexity]

It wouldn't take much to set up your own feeder tank. A 10g with plants would do it. You wouldn't need anything fancy. The plants would be there just to provide hiding places for the fry and to help keep the water parameters in check. You'd probably save money in the long run and guard against the risk of disease at the same time.

[Mzungu]

Pellets?!?!? Well I never tried anything else for my leaf fish but they say thats all they eat is live food. I only have 1 fish tank which is the tv tank so I can't raise my own feeders. I would always go to city pets to get feeder guppies but the last 3 or 4 times I went they didn't have any.

I just get so worried when people say they buy feeders. There is such a risk involved, because usually the feeders that are bought come from really crowded and unhealthy conditions and are often carrying some sort of disease, parasite, etc. If feeders are absolutely necessary, it's better if they are quarantined and then fed only when absolutely sure they are healthy.

I'm sure I've heard of leaf fish eating dry and/or frozen food. But if you've had yours eating feeders for a while, they're probably spoiled. :) :)

Have you called Fish Ranch about your incident?

[OrandaMan]

Complexity: Not that I have reason for feeder fish at the moment, but I'm intrigued by the idea of a ten gallon guppy breeding tank for if I ever need it. How many guppy trios do you think should be kept in there? Would two males and four females be too much?

[Mzungu]

Depending on how often you fish out feeders, you could probably do even more females if you wanted. Just throw some fast growing plants in there, like java moss, hornwort, and/or anacharis, and they'll multiply like crazy. Keep up with the water changes, too, and you'll have a healthy feeder factory. :)

[nacra99]

I doubt you'll get a refund for your feeders, but you can try and ask anyway.

[Complexity]

Depending on how often you fish out feeders, you could probably do even more females if you wanted. Just throw some fast growing plants in there, like java moss, hornwort, and/or anacharis, and they'll multiply like crazy. Keep up with the water changes, too, and you'll have a healthy feeder factory. :)

+1

You don't need many males as they are driven to fertilize the females. Once females have been fertilized, they remain fertilized for future fry for 6 months or longer (I swear some of my females remained fertilized for over a year).

I'd grab 5-10 very pregnant females to start off. Maybe 1-2 males. It will take time for the fry to grow to feeder size, but when they do finally grow, you'll have more feeders than you'll know what to do with. Guppies are also called 'Millions Fish' for a reason.

The only thing to watch out for is to keep up with water changes. You'll have an extremely crowded tank. Between plants, water changes, and a good filter that contains bacteria, you should be able to keep them healthy. Once you get a healthy stock going, do not add any new fish without Q/T first or you could introduce a disease that would wipe them out quickly given their crowded conditions.

If you could make room for a 20Long, you'd have an even better feeder tank. The longer (not taller) the tank, the better. If you went with a small canister filter, you could add to the bacteria count considerably.