# feeders



## hungryboi (Jun 6, 2003)

I'm just wondering how dirty are feeders? Does feeding rhoms feeders make the water more dirty than just some meat? and are petsmart or petco feeders clean(no virus or parasites).


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## Makoa84 (Aug 27, 2003)

they don't cause as much mess as a beef heart or any other raw meet. and what you u should do is have a take where u can put ur feeders and keep them there for a while so you can check for diseases that they may have. petco and petsmart do have clean feeder though. and don't give them feeders that often maybe once a week.


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## vinnycaz (Jul 22, 2003)

y only once a week


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## mtx1 (May 21, 2003)

because they need variety and just one things not good for em


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

i never buy feeders from petco or petsmart. too dirty (around here), and there are cheaper sources.


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## hungryboi (Jun 6, 2003)

i c i c thanx


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Feeders are dirty little things. Inbreeding of many generations can cause less immunity to dieseases leaving them very easily to catch ich and other fatal doeases for your piranha. They are also kept in very bad condition. About one 100g tank can hold up to 1000g feeders. Thats how bd they are. They are also fed crap food making the fish with virtually no nutrients. High ammonia and nitrite are in the water too.

Feeding your piranha prepared food is wayyyy better. it does not cloud the water if you feed them moderatly


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

I have NEVER heard of 1!!!! situation where someone's piranha died or even got sick from eating feeders. Not on this p-fury and not anywhere else. Plus since i have had my piranha's i have just tossed feeders in directly from the store and nothing has ever happened to them, besides them getting full bellies. Piranhas are hardy fish. Where i like to get my feeders is at a bait shop. Here you can get a dozen large minnows (witch are about twice the size and have twice the speed of goldfish) for $1.50. Plus a dozen of them means about 40 or so. The guy just scoops up a net full and tosses them in a bucket.


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Just because they have full stomach doesnt mean they are healthy or have nutrience. I dont know if you have seen breeding feeder tanks or not but is not a good sight. I personally have encountered many ich problems and once a parasite problem with feeders. I only feed feeders to my fish to see for entertainment. Lastly, goldfish feeders at least that i know about come from a few large suppliers. If you didnt know, probally the feeders you guys are getting to feed your fish a couple states away are using is the same batch of the ones i am using


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Well let me tell ya 3 times i had to remove ich from my tank from feeders. Not fun. I don't use them anymore. I get 10 pounds of catfish fillets for the price of 60 feeders, That only last a day


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

pamonster said:


> I have NEVER heard of 1!!!! situation where someone's piranha died or even got sick from eating feeders. Not on this p-fury and not anywhere else. Plus since i have had my piranha's i have just tossed feeders in directly from the store and nothing has ever happened to them, besides them getting full bellies. Piranhas are hardy fish. Where i like to get my feeders is at a bait shop. Here you can get a dozen large minnows (witch are about twice the size and have twice the speed of goldfish) for $1.50. Plus a dozen of them means about 40 or so. The guy just scoops up a net full and tosses them in a bucket.


 Just because you haven't experienced it nor read about it does NOT mean it has not happened to many hobbyists. Feeders are transported and stored in containers that are overstocked, low in dissolved oxygen and high in ammonia/nitrite. These conditions combined wth stress is a great breeding ground for disease to spread. I have seen feeders come in with ich, lymphocystis, bacterial and fungal infections, fish lice, anchorworms, and fin rot. If you have ever worked at a LFS (and I have), you will see that many of them die daily and sometimes, the whole shipment dies (especially in hot weather).

If you've been feeding feeders for a while (without quarantining them) and not had any problems, than you are lucky&#8230; but you are playing Russian roulette with them. Sooner or later, you will encounter a problem with feeders that look healthy but are not. This also holds true for new fish that you receive and add to your main tank without quarantining them.

Finally, if piranha are such hardy fish that are impervious to parasites and disease, we wouldn't have a Disease Treatment Forum. 
:







:


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## NERVOUS (Aug 20, 2003)

Is there any chance that a sticky thread can be created on how to properly quarantine feeder fish... How to setup a quarantine tank? What kind of chemical(s) to use in a quarantine tank? How long to quarantine for prior to feeding? How to identify potential disease(s) and/or parasite(s)? Etc.

I for one would be extremely interested in a how-to on this topic...


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2003)

Makoa84 said:


> they don't cause as much mess as a beef heart or any other raw meet. and what you u should do is have a take where u can put ur feeders and keep them there for a while so you can check for diseases that they may have. petco and petsmart do have clean feeder though. and don't give them feeders that often maybe once a week.
> 
> :rock:


 you won't see any mess with the beef heart if you won't feed them too much.


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## v4p0r (Aug 14, 2003)

Ive been breeding convicts and other small cichlids as feeders for years I lost a whole tank of caribe to some sort of infection from feeder ans convicts breed easily i would highly recommend just starting a tank of them in place of buying feeders i also supplement my p's diet with chicken, Beef heart, and crickets to give them a varied diet


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