Jack Dempsy food question

YZFR1rider

YZFR1rider

Large Fish
#1
Dec 11, 2002
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46
Flint, Michigan
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#1
Ok I have a huge Jack Dempsy and I have had him for about a month. He was given to me when I purchased the tank and he has to be about 8 months old or more not to sure. Well the previous owner said all he fed him were feeder fish. Now my question is I have fed him feeder fish numerous times and he will eat and eat and eat he just has to catch them lol but for the past week I have not put any feeder fish in there I have only been feeding him the cichlid pellets which he seems to like very much but now will this effect his health not feeding him any feeders or will the cichlid pellets give him all the nutrition he needs? He does occationally snag some of the other food I put in for the other fish. Any info would be appreciated.

Matt
 

SoulFish

SoulFish

Superstar Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
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Florida
www.rainbowaquatics.com
#2
feeder fish give alot less nutrients then the pellets do, fish are mostly water, just feed pellets, should presoak them in a cup first until they swell up, feeder fish can often have diseases which are given to the fish you are feeding them to
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
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NY USA
#3
Aye, as Soulfish said. Pellets are a complete nutrition.

Although feeder fish do have a psycological benefit to carnivors who are very intelligent (as a JD is) and need the mental work out of hunting now and again.

If you have a quarintine tank, get yourself a small amount of feeders for it. Don't get the largest feeder you think your fish will eat, but the next size down. Treat the feeders as you would any other fish about to be placed into the main tank. Feed them, make sure they are disease free, fatten them up, then offer them as an =occassional= treat. A once a month treat should allow four weeks in quarintine in which case any disease the feeders will have should manifest themselves by that time. Also, the nutrition that the carnivore derives from its meal is in the gut, so making sure your feeders are fed makes them more nutritous then starved feeders right from the LFS.
~~Colesea
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
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NY USA
#5
Arrowanas love crickets too. Depending upon the size of your arrowana, you can get half a dozen crickets, gut load them for 48hrs, then feed the critter. African butterfly fish and archers are also big cricket fans.
~~Colesea
 

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