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Is it necessary to buy special food for fish ?

eminor

eminor

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Hello, i'm new in fish keeping, i always focused on plants, fish can be cool too. I have britlenoze pleco and corie's, the one that kind of clean the soil. I have a lot of mosquitoe larvae for free and to be honest i don't really want to buy special food, does mosquitoe larvae is enough to feed them ? thx
 
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@eminor I think nothing can beat live food or for example plants collected somewhere when it comes to feeding carnivores, omnivores or herbivores. Special food for fish is in most cases just highly processed food similar to processed foods we eat or feed other animals with.
live larvae, worms etc = fresh beef steak while special dry food = plant based beef steak rubbish
 
Is this the usual mosquito larvae that hangs around at the surface? If so I think your corydoras will struggle to catch many and your bristlenose probably won’t be able to catch any at all.

Live food is definitely better than dry food though.

Cheers
 
Hi all,
eminor said:
I have britlenoze pleco and corie's, the one that kind of clean the soil. I have a lot of mosquitoe larvae for free and to be honest i don't really want to buy special food, does mosquitoe larvae is enough to feed them ?
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You will need to feed your fish some other foods.

Your Bristlenose (Ancistrus sp.) will appreciate some vegetables and algal wafers and your Corydoras some granules and live food. Corydoras really like <"Grindal Worms"> and you could feed them and "Fluval Bugbites" as a staple.

Edit: I agree with @Conort2 , neither are fish that are really going to eat Mosquito larvae (although <"Tetras etc love them">), though the Corydoras will eat Blood-worms (Chironomid larvae).

I buy very little food (I feed a <"lot of live food">), but <"I keep a good range"> of dried food, so that the fish have some variety.

cheers Darrel
 
My cories used to go crazy for live daphnia because it had the habit of congregating in one bottom corner where the sun was. It was the same with baby brine shrimp for pygmy cories but I found cories in general prefer worm shaped food.

I only grow cucumbers for my fish, and to give to friends, as I don't like the taste of them myself. Courgette though is better as it holds up longer in the water and causes less pollution. I always let a few grow into marrows so I can get some nice big slices.
 
Live food is ideal - just be really careful with the source so you don't drag in pathogens or parasites. Frozen food is an excellent supplement as well - again, while less of an issue, make sure the source is reputable . For vegetarians I would recommend scalded kale or lettuce, peeled cucumbers or zucchini and algae wafters. Make sure you remove any uneaten food before it rots - use a feeding dish if possible when feeding fresh vegetables. Last but not least, for dry food I recommend Fluval Bug Bites.


Cheers,
Michael
 
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I used to leave them in boiling water for 5 mins, but now I tend not to bother. It softens in the water. Shrimps also love it. My pleco is fussy and ignores cucumber. He might just be waiting for home grown Mort cucumber though.
 
Research the fish for their dietary needs and try to vary it a little. There are some good quality dried foods available these days flake,,pellets, also frozen food but live food is besides nutrient quality leads to natural behaviours from the fish
 
Thanks guys, i tried Zucchinni, my Bristlenoze pleco don't even eat it, even in the night. Maybe i have a weird one

Btw, how long can i let it in the tank before it decay ? thx
 
eminor said:
Thanks guys, i tried Zucchinni, my Bristlenoze pleco don't even eat it, even in the night. Maybe i have a weird one

Btw, how long can i let it in the tank before it decay ? thx
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It can take a while for them to take to a new food. My plecos favourite are mushrooms, however they’re very buoyant so make sure you have something heavy enough to weigh them down.

I’d only leave zucchini in for around 12 hours otherwise it starts to break down.

Cheers
 
I use a cocktail stick and attach the pepper or courgette to the sand. It can take a while for them to recognise it.
 
I suspect him to have enough algae to eat, i don't know his age but seems really young and don't need too much food ? hope it's not a pleco that get crazy big
 

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That looks like a young ancistris. They don't get more than about 4-5".


One of the joys of having a dozen 8-12" clown loaches was adding half a cucumber and watching it be demolished in an hour or so. I cut the end off a decent size marrow that I weighed with a rock and saw them hollow out a nice lair once. The ancistris barely got a look in before it was gone.

Now the heard is dwindled I just cut a section off, stick a fork in it and throw it in. I then scoop out the floating skin the next morning.
 
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