Thoughts on Feeder Guppies?

[tbrown]

So I'm not looking for a debate on the moral or ethical aspects of this, just curious on people's experiences or thoughts on why it may or may not work.

We feed our corals silversides, clams, oysters, etc. Would feeding them guppies work?

I can see several reasons this is a good idea, for example it's super cheap and easy and they breed fast.

My main concern is that they're freshwater though.

I know people that raise snowflake eels and groupers often feed them goldfish...

 

[KrisReef]

No or Yes what?
I heard that the lipid content in fresh water fish (including goldfish) wasn't the same as marine fish. Supposedly that had a negative impact upon the livers of Lionfish on a diet of cheap feeders. The Lionfish would answer "Yes Please!"

Some marine food fish from the market are probably less expensive than feeders but will the corals and fish eat it? We had BBQ salmon for dinner and my tank got treats from the chunks that stuck to the skin. They always eat that voraciously. I would think mackeral and other inexpensive fish could be used, but I would probably cook them first to reduce hopefully eliminate the transmission of paracytes and disease.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I can tell you my sw fish like them yes lol.
D

 

[damsels are not mean]

Whenever this comes up the conclusion is often that freshwater fish are not the right nutritional profile for marine fish and vice versa. Not sure how much this matters for corals, though.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

My tank get fed fw ghost shrimp and guppies maybe 2-3 times every yr.
Fish love the live foods. My hawkish. Squirrelfish. My trigger I used to have.
Mostly my preds. Lol.
I like the more aggressive fish.
D

 

[kingjoe]

So I'm not looking for a debate on the moral or ethical aspects of this, just curious on people's experiences or thoughts on why it may or may not work.

We feed our corals silversides, clams, oysters, etc. Would feeding them guppies work?

I can see several reasons this is a good idea, for example it's super cheap and easy and they breed fast.

My main concern is that they're freshwater though.

I know people that raise snowflake eels and groupers often feed them goldfish...

I think that the primary issue with feeder guppies (and goldfish) is poor quality. They are malnourished and stressed in over-crowded tanks. Really not much more than snot with a backbone. And, in freshwater to freshwater feeding, disease and parasite transmission can be a problem. The thing to do here is raise your own. You can maintain high water quality, keep them healthy, and give them a good diet, loading their food with lipids, vitamins, etc.
It is likely that one of the issues with feeder fish is over-feeding. People love to watch their lionfish gulp down goldfish after goldfish until the lionfish dies with a bunch of goldfish skulls impacted in its intestinal tract. Or, they enjoy watching their charges chase guppies and platies around all day, and so just keep tossing nutritionally poor feeders into the tank. Alas, I was young once.
That being said, my, umm... gut feeling is that marine animals, in most cases, should receive foods of marine origin; my tangs get nori, not romaine. PE Mysis and a few other food items notwithstanding, I'd stick with things that come from the ocean.

 

[tbrown]

I think that the primary issue with feeder guppies (and goldfish) is poor quality. They are malnourished and stressed in over-crowded tanks. Really not much more than snot with a backbone. And, in freshwater to freshwater feeding, disease and parasite transmission can be a problem. The thing to do here is raise your own. You can maintain high water quality, keep them healthy, and give them a good diet, loading their food with lipids, vitamins, etc.
It is likely that one of the issues with feeder fish is over-feeding. People love to watch their lionfish gulp down goldfish after goldfish until the lionfish dies with a bunch of goldfish skulls impacted in its intestinal tract. Or, they enjoy watching their charges chase guppies and platies around all day, and so just keep tossing nutritionally poor feeders into the tank. Alas, I was young once.
That being said, my, umm... gut feeling is that marine animals, in most cases, should receive foods of marine origin; my tangs get nori, not romaine. PE Mysis and a few other food items notwithstanding, I'd stick with things that come from the ocean.

I was planning on raising own in planted tanks. I agree that the ones that you get from the store are garbage usually. I would be using them as an additional feed, not a primary feed source.

 

[kingjoe]

I was planning on raising own in planted tanks. I agree that the ones that you get from the store are garbage usually. I would be using them as an additional feed, not a primary feed source.

Probably worth a try, then. They'll be healthy and high in nutritional value.