# Feeder goldfish vs. minnows from fishing stores?



## holmes14 (Apr 15, 2007)

I know i know life feeders are a bad thing to feed my p's and i give them a pretty varied diet (nightcrawlers, beaf heart, shrimp) but i also like to give them live feeder fish once in a while... i keep them in a tank for a week or 2 to help get rid of any ones that might be sick already. But my question is which would be better out of the 2, the feeder goldfish from a pet store or small silver kinda minnows from a fishing supply store? The goldfish are 30 cents a piece and the minnows are 60cents for a dozen!


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## Rice & Beanz (Oct 30, 2006)

They are the same thing. They both contain crap that you shouldnt give to your piranhas either way!


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## CichlidAddict (Jul 1, 2005)

Rice & Beanz said:


> They are the same thing. They both contain crap that you shouldnt give to your piranhas either way!


I disagree. Occasional live feedings don't hurt a thing as long as the feeders are disease-free.
As to whether goldfish or bait minnows are less disease-prone, I don't know. I would guess the bait minnows are safer. I personally have used them many times and never had a problem.


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## skubasteve! (Feb 14, 2007)

It depends on the bait store, I would personally rather feed my P's goldies from petsmart rather than the minnows I saw at the local bait shop. There were disgusting looking....


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## holmes14 (Apr 15, 2007)

thanks, i didnt make this thread to get bashed for feeding my p's live fish. I did it to get opinions on the 2... i got some rosie red feaders from the local pet stop and there were some silver ones in there that have a stripe that goes down the side of them, The minnows i got from the local fishing place are silver with that stripe down the side also except bigger. I think for 60 cents a dozen compare to 30 cents a goldfish ill go with the minows and just keep then in a tank for a week or 2 and get rid of any ones that look sickly.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

holmes4 said:


> thanks, i didnt make this thread to get bashed for feeding my p's live fish. I did it to get opinions on the 2... i got some rosie red feaders from the local pet stop and there were some silver ones in there that have a stripe that goes down the side of them, The minnows i got from the local fishing place are silver with that stripe down the side also except bigger. I think for 60 cents a dozen compare to 30 cents a goldfish ill go with the minows and just keep then in a tank for a week or 2 and get rid of any ones that look sickly.


personally, I would go with the goldfish. my bait store minnows are really cramped into tanks. more than petsmarts feeders. anyway, I think if you quarantine them long enough you should be OK.


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

baitstore minnows are discusting. Your better off with goldfish if you have to use one of the 2. The ones I got from the baitstore had multiple diseases including a big tapeworm in one of them.

tapeworm= http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=137983

I dont think Im even gonna use them for fishing anymore because I dont know what I'm infecting my fishing holes with.


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Nobody's bashing you for feeding live fishes...it's more for feeding Cyprinids, which have thiaminase (a growth inhibitor) going against them. You're probably better off with LFS goldies than bait shop minnows, as has been said by those before me, but I might suggest looking into feeder guppies or raising your own feeder cons if this is to be a once-in-a-while sort of thing.


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## holmes14 (Apr 15, 2007)

yeah i might try rasiing my own cons or something of the sort... but for now i think ill just keep them in a tank a little longer then usual, and they are pretty much just a snack i mostly feed them shrimp and night crawlers, and a few times a month some frozen beafheart.


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## Guest (May 3, 2007)

The goldfish and 'rosies' you get at the petstore and the fathead minnows you buy at the bait store may well come from the same fish farms.

Push comes to shove, I would guess the pet store would keep their feeders under better conditions than the tackle shop, -but I have seen some feeder tanks full of sick feeders and rotting caracasses at some pet stores.

You will have to examine the aquariums and make the decision on an individual basis.


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## Noel2896 (Aug 30, 2006)

I've fed mine the rosies as a treat once a month or so - I'd say the minnows from a baitshop might be a bit better and more natural - alotta the baitshops where I'm from catch their own minnows in nets to sell - tough call neithers good as a regular food source though


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## joefish219 (Feb 8, 2005)

i would go with the minnows instead of goldfish. i do like the idea of keeping them in a seperate tank and monitor their condition. i once put a dozen of goldfish a little 10 gal to monitor and ick devolped and all goldfish were infected. i was glad i did not dump those into my tank


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## holmes14 (Apr 15, 2007)

yeah the bait store is a newer place and i think they keep there minnows in better conditions, although i do seem to have a couple more dying then the goldfish but i think thats cause there used to colder water, either way ill get rid of the ones that dye and the strong hearty ones will eventually get fed to my p's. Thanks- Holmes

And at the bait shop there was 3 kindsa minnows these were the smallest ones and the next ones up were fatheads i didnt see what these ones were called... they could be just smaller fatheads


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