anyone feed their fish mammalian meat?

[Airjammer]

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 him.


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.

Well researched... Thanks!

[Sea-agg09]

The protein/muscle associated with hearts is very different than the muscle tissue that moves our limbs. Feeding mice is a source of parasites, and is unhealthy for fish. I would assume the fat level in mice and such would be really high compared to other foods, which would cause problems.

[eklikewhoa]

There was something about the type of meat between the beef heart and the rest of the body.

The fat argument is a good one and when dealing with long term effects it's a good one. There are a lot of foods that contribute to fat problems.

The mice I'm referring to is lab raised and then frozen mice or pinkies so there are less chances of parasites in comparison to all the live food that's readily available or used as feeders.

[allysangels]

ive fed big fish all kinds of stuff, pinkie mice are fun! if they are alive it makes sense to stun/knock them out first to protect your fish. rodents have sharp teeth and can cause damage to any predator. but i routinely feed my oscars and bichir critters from the backyard, frogs, geckos, earthworms. and frozen beefheart is a favorite. i think the key, as always, is moderation. too much of any one thing can be bad. a good pellet (i love hikari, i usually mix several brands/types together in a ziplock bag) is the foundation for their diet, and i think of everything else as "treats".

[eklikewhoa]

I bought a 6pk box of the frozen pinkies to try and see how my brother's fish would do with them and not many bothered.... some of his fish will take down a semi-small silver dollar so they are more than capable but didn't bother with the pinky.

[wesleydnunder]

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.

Well said, Tony. It would be great if we could duplicate the protein-rich vegetable matter that discus feed on in the wild, along with the insect larvae and other aquatic critters and detritus that make up their diet in the wild. Some of us grew up reading from Berndt Degan, Eduard Schmidt-Focke, Jack Wattley and others. No doubt many of their methods fail in the light of today's science.

Mark