# Are Minnows okay? like from a local bait shop?



## shocker45 (Jun 23, 2005)

would it be okay to buy a bunch of live minnows and just keep em in a feeder tank for 3-4 weeks make sure they are okay, then feed them.

i have like 70 guppies, but they are so damn small. i dont feel like waiting, atleast minnows have abit of meat on them.

itd be nice to have a cheap fish like the comet, but not have it stunt the growth of my p's.


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## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

dont see a problem if you quartine them..but with 70 guppies allready in there isnt it over crowded has it is?


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## shocker45 (Jun 23, 2005)

yea, im gunna grow these guys out. then next time im going to get minnows, guppies are so damn small.

there is nothing bad in minnows for p's?


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## PuffPiff (May 23, 2005)

there is a good article on the chemical that stunts the growthi if you just do a search


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## ICrazyChrisI (May 10, 2005)

Minnows = no. Mollies and neons are good.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

ICrazyChrisI said:


> Minnows = no. Mollies and neons are good.
> [snapback]1139512[/snapback]​


Well, even if certain feeders do contain Thiaminase (the Vitamin B1-destroying and thus growth-inhibiting enzyme that worries many), you can still feed them, but only as a treat (so no more than once or twice per month), and also only if the fish are fed a diverse diet, so they get their Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) from other food sources.
Thiaminase becomes a problem when fish only eat foods that contain amounts of it - then a Vitamin B1 deficiency might become an acute problem. But if fed a diverse diet, occasionally feeding some food items that do contain Thiaminase won't pose problems.

btw: Minnows, like other Cyprind (Carp-like) fish (and that group includes some of the most commonly used feeders, like Goldfish and Rosy Reds), do contain Thiaminase.


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

Judazz is correct. Thiaminase becomes a problem when fish that contain it are a diet staple. Used as a "treat" they should do no harm.

With all the other alternatives though, why not just choose something else?


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## shocker45 (Jun 23, 2005)

mollies seem alright, i just want a decent sized feeder that is okay once a week or something.

guppies is the best thing i could come up wth. but there so damn small and take forever to grow.

i read that mollies grow between 2-4 inches. that would be a good size. are they expensive?


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

Mollies are inexpensive and VERY EASY to breed.


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## shocker45 (Jun 23, 2005)

do they breed as much as convicts, cuz i really dont want to deal with that many. just the odd guy. i basically just want a larger feeder fish


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

I'm not sure about your local bait shop, but the fish mine carries are NASTY. They are filthy, and most of them have ick outbreaks amongst themselves. After seeing it, I would never buy any fish to use as feeders from a bait shop. Like I said, it depends on how your bait store is. Even if the minnows do have ick, you can still purchase them, and quarantine them. Ick is pretty easy to get rid of with the right medications.
~Taylor~


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

taylorhedrich said:


> Ick is pretty easy to get rid of with the right medications.
> [snapback]1141144[/snapback]​


You meant salt and raised temperatures right Taylor...


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## Susp3nc3 (Jan 27, 2005)

aren't most "minnows" for bait shops sardines or anchovies...AKA saltwater fish? lol


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

doctorvtec said:


> taylorhedrich said:
> 
> 
> > Ick is pretty easy to get rid of with the right medications.
> ...


That would probably be a more natural alternative. Why couldn't you use meds on them too? I wouldn't use them on piranha, but why not the minnows?
~Taylor~


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

taylorhedrich said:


> doctorvtec said:
> 
> 
> > taylorhedrich said:
> ...


I guess I am kinda old school even if I'm not.:laugh:

To me, any chemical (minus dechlorinator) is a last resort. If I can get the same results naturally, I am going to go that route. Especially in a fish that my piranha is going to eventually consume. For any disease, I will only use chemicals as a last ditch effort. Antiobiotics are a different subject with me as well.

I got some BOMB ass stuff that treats ich that is my last resort. I had a betta with a BAD case of ich, that salt and a raised temperature wasn't clearing up. I found this stuff, spoke in detail with the people that make it, and tried it. It's downstairs, I can't remember the name, but it's ALL NATURAL with like cayenne pepper and stuff. It worked, and if I ever have an ICH problem again, and salt don't fix it up, I will use it.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

Susp3nc3 said:


> aren't most "minnows" for bait shops sardines or anchovies...AKA saltwater fish? lol
> [snapback]1141276[/snapback]​


I don't think so, maybe if you are on the coast. All the bait shops around me have freshwater minnows. They have different names for them (usually what purpose they serve when used for fishing), and they usually aren't labled what kind of fish they are, because they themselves probably have no clue. Again, this all depends on the particular bait shop, and bait shops near the ocean just may have some saltwater minnows.
~Taylor~


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