anyone feed their fish mammalian meat?

[cu0ngsayz]

sounds like a whole lot of fun to watch and feed that tank eat!!!!!!!!

[eklikewhoa]

Thanks for the the reply oldsgirl!

I was just curious cause I ran across some articles about it and wanted to see what the folks here had to say.

I've done the dog food thing and believe it or not it bulks a fish up quick!
tilapia, shrimp, scallops, mussel, clams, silversides, etc. I have used and has always worked out great, even caught those gecko looking things as well as the anoles from outside to feed fish but the mice/pinky thing was something I never really thought of.

I wouldn't feed a big mice with claws and teeth, read a lot about hard foods being a problem on fishes intestines so having something alive trying to make it's way out isn't what I want. I was referring more to the pinkies and to be more specific the frozen ones. Petsmart/Petco sells them in snack packs.

On the box it says lab raised in a controlled environment and fed nutritional stuff to gut load or whatever.

[Oldsgirl]

When I had the 3 big pacus and the rtc/tsn, they were really like bottomless pits. I always heard it was great to feed them massivore, so I ordered a bag (guess I didn't look at the size, and assumed for $15 or so it would be a decent amount). they ate it all at once. Even the biggest cichlid pellets were so tiny for them, and the pacus LOVED shrimp pellets, but I'd have to feed so many- I wish someone made giant ones! I have big dogs (Mastiff & Labs) and the fish had no problem eating the dog's food (Iams). They really seemed to like it and it was so much more affordable than just sticking to fish food. Granted, I'm sure nutritionally it wasn't ideal, but they were all huge, fat, great color ad seemed to do well on it.

[eklikewhoa]

yeah it works!
Seen quite a few people raise some giants on strictly dog food and these were really old fish too so I question those who would say it isn't healthy.

As for the Massivore, that stuff is stupid expensive!

[Oldsgirl]

The pacus also really liked algae wafers. The pet store used to have a pretty good sized bag that was cheap, so that worked for a while. I still haven't gotten my big tank back up and running (Still can't get the filters working for some reason!!) but when I do I would like to again just have a few large fish. I really wish someone would make really large sized pellets and food for the bigger fish. When I did my internship at Moody Gardens Aquarium while I was in college I don't remember them having anything like that, so I assume it isn't an option (granted, they were salt water fish, but I think it's still pretty similar).

While I would feed the fish worms I'd find outside on the concrete after rain, I wouldn't think feeding lizards is a good idea- again, they have claws, and it seems like it would be either risky with regard to the fish being hurt, or torturous to the lizard. Also, I think the muscle mass to bones/skin ratio wou;d make them a poor choice for the fish to eat.

[eklikewhoa]

They make the giant NewLifeSpectrum and that stuff is like a big punch in a small package. Its 10mm pellets and have read that people with large fish use that alongside stuff like market prawns and tilapia.

[mnemenoi]

I have fed my ornate bichir extra live fuzzies before and he loved them. They were still alive when it ate them, but it had no issue with eating dead items as well. It was only occasional and was just due to getting an extra feeder my inverts/snakes refused to eat.

[moganman]

When I had jack dempseys as a kid, I fed them flies, roaches, lizards, geckos, and even small frogs. I didn't know better but they never died

[Totenkampf]

well speaking of only mammilian meat, some like mice can be fatty. some like rabbits can be an incomplete protein. i know they feed rabbits to aros on MFK but i have read survivalist stories about people starving to death up north with rabbit in their stomachs. red meat might be a challenge to digest if you dont possess the enzymes for it, im not sure fish do since its not something that would normally be in their food chain. so does lean mammalian meat have a place in a varied diet? I am sure it could be just fine if not the stable. IMO, variety is key here.

[Totenkampf]

When I had jack dempseys as a kid, I fed them flies, roaches, lizards, geckos, and even small frogs. I didn't know better but they never died

all of the above would be things that would probably end up in their food chain. many fish will take small prey coming to the water to drink. the above was probably a very good varied diet although frogs arent always so good due to high likelyhood of parasites.

[eklikewhoa]

I ran across an article stating that the red meat blood is what causes the problems since the fish can break it down.

[wesleydnunder]

People have been feeding beef heart to discus for decades. As long as that's not the only food they get it's generally ok.

Mark

[Totenkampf]

beef heart is probably one of the best choices....very lean and iron rich

[eklikewhoa]

People have been feeding beef heart to discus for decades. As long as that's not the only food they get it's generally ok.

Mark

That's why I started this post, so many contradicting info on the web when it comes to this hobby. I think some come up with this stuff just cause they are scared to try.

[DTony]

People have been feeding beef heart to discus for decades. As long as that's not the only food they get it's generally ok.

Mark

This is true for breeders. They do this because beef heart does promote rapid growth, is it healthy? Absolutely not. Feeding beef heart to young Discus is done so they can be moved out to market ASAP. Fish are not meant to break down the fatty acids found in flesh from pork, beef, poultry etc. Many Discus keepers now a days however, are moving away from feeding BH. I can't seem to find the article at the moment, but feeding fish mammalian meat over extended periods of time does lead to fatty deposits around the liver and major organs, leading to a premature death.


Dr. Peter Burgess MSc, Ph.D.,of the Aquarium Advisory Service in England, an experienced hobbyist and a scientist that specializes in fish health and disease also speaks against it. He's written over 500 articles and 5 books over fish health. Below is an excerpt from a Practical Fishkeeping Magazine and written by Dr. Burgess himself.


Liver Damage and Red Meats


"The routine of feeding beef heart and other red meats to Cichlids can ultimately give rise to health problems. Poultry meat is also suspect. Red meats, including lean meats such as beef heart, contain the wrong sorts of fats - these harden within the cold-blooded fish, leading to blockages and fatty deposits around the liver.

Also, the relative proportions of amino acids within the mammalian proteins are different to those required by fish. Hence, feeding red meats will cause the cichlid to excrete more nitrogenous (ammonia) wastes, thereby placing an extra burden on the biological filter."


Hope this helps clear some confusion.