# Feeders as main diet



## MZ2215 (Nov 30, 2003)

I can't seem to tell wether it's a good idea or not to make my 5 2" rbp's main diet rosies. I usually feed them 6-8 feeders a day and sometimes switch it up with brine shrimp. THey seem to be alright and I always quarantine the feeders.

So what are your oppinions of mainly feeding feeders?


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## blueprint (Jan 3, 2004)

some people may oppose but i've noticed tremendous improvement with my P's ever since i switched my P's diet to Primarily Feeders and Shrimp.

just my opinion though.


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## boxer (Sep 11, 2003)

People who oppose are either ignorant or brilliant, its the reason why they would choose to or not to have their main diet as feeders. People who say feeding feeders is wrong because of feeling pity for the goldfish don't realize its part of nature and is happening every second in nature! quarantined feeders are great since you have taken care of them and i would recommend that over any other foods besides pellets because a lot of things has chemicals etc. i mainly feed feeders because of the article which tells that Pianhas eat 98% fish as their main diet and I prefer live ones rather than dead. well feeding 6-8 rosies a day = becomes costly. $.50 a day x 30days = $6 than you have to upgrade to bigger size or more a day. I forgot the formula for exponential growth but it's like f(x)=P(1+r)^t.

from my experience, i went from $2 feeders a week to $3 feeders 1-2 a week.


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## Killer (Oct 28, 2003)

The only problem I see with feeding piranhas as feeders is the risk for disease. If you quarantine your feeders for several weeks, I don't see a problem with this practice. I don't agree its part of nature purely because goldfish aren't a part of a piranhas natural diet, but live animals/fish are a part of it. I believe they get good nutrition from eating feeders, but I also feel they need other types of food in their diet. Feeders are mainly proteins and fat, but there is a lot to be said for vegetable matter in a fish's diet. I think feeders with a regimen of other vegetable type foods and varying sources of protein is a good diet. To have a healthy fish, they need whole nutrition, from several food groups the same as humans. In conclusion, I think that feeders are a good source of nutrition, but there is also a need for vegetable matter in any type of fish's diet. If you don't mind purchasing feeders on a regular basis and you are quaranting them for a proper period of time, I don't see where there is a problem of it. Your piranhas may become "hooked" on feeders, where they may not want to eat other types of food if you should change your mind in the future, but that is your choice to make. Personally I prefer to use a regiment of fortified beefheart and krill. There is no risk of disease being introduced because the food is frozen, and the fortified beefheart gives them all the nutrition that they need.


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## outlook8 (Jun 30, 2003)

i pretty much only feed my P's feeders, occasionally some beefheart or some shrimp...i do this because i have had prblems getting them to eat anything that is not alive...the only problem i see with the feeders is the risk of disease, but that can be greatly eliminated by quaranteening them for a week or two prior to feeding them to the P's...also, make sure to "gutload" the feeders while they are being quaranteened so that they will provide more nutrients to the P's...the only thing i have noticed from a mainly feeder diet is that my P's arent growing very fast which is fine for me right now b/c i don't have the space/money to upgrade tanks currently...also, i like the thrill of the chase when i drop one in the tank, haha...

chris


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## AzNP (May 21, 2003)

well feeders can be good to watch but it is w/o question that it carries many disease. so if u quarantine them and do a good job i dont c it as neccessarily bad.

now bad can ALSO mean cost efficient $$$$$$$$$$ in that case its bad

also health wise it is best if u feed yur Ps a variety of food so feeders ONLY might not be the best for the Ps


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

of all my piranha's I have one large rhombeus that wont eat regular foods, so I have to buy feeders for it. but its a real pain going out to buy feeders, sometimes the store is sold out, its not really a money issue, because its only 1 piranha im feeding, but when I was feeding all the rest feeders it got very expencive.


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## boxer (Sep 11, 2003)

Killer said:


> The only problem I see with feeding piranhas as feeders is the risk for disease. If you quarantine your feeders for several weeks, I don't see a problem with this practice. I don't agree its part of nature purely because goldfish aren't a part of a piranhas natural diet, but live animals/fish are a part of it. I believe they get good nutrition from eating feeders, but I also feel they need other types of food in their diet. Feeders are mainly proteins and fat, but there is a lot to be said for vegetable matter in a fish's diet. I think feeders with a regimen of other vegetable type foods and varying sources of protein is a good diet. To have a healthy fish, they need whole nutrition, from several food groups the same as humans. In conclusion, I think that feeders are a good source of nutrition, but there is also a need for vegetable matter in any type of fish's diet. If you don't mind purchasing feeders on a regular basis and you are quaranting them for a proper period of time, I don't see where there is a problem of it. Your piranhas may become "hooked" on feeders, where they may not want to eat other types of food if you should change your mind in the future, but that is your choice to make. Personally I prefer to use a regiment of fortified beefheart and krill. There is no risk of disease being introduced because the food is frozen, and the fortified beefheart gives them all the nutrition that they need.


 great pointing out the mixed diet but i wonder why you are feeding your piranhas beefheart? that is a very high source of fat that fish can't take. it should be fed once in a long while or as a last resort. i know goldfish aren't in the amazon but i do mean other fish. and by the way, HOLY sh*t I LOVE UR ICON


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

Feeders stimulate natural responses in a piranha but the nutrional value is quite low. In addition to the serious risk of bacteris, fungus, and parasite infection with gold fish and the vitamin B blockers, gold fish are extremely fatty. Due to this, excess fat builds up on the liver and this definitely limits the life of a p. I think it i better to feed your p's a variety of fish filets and raw shrimp.


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## khuzhong (Apr 11, 2003)

up to you.. feeders.. cost money and you gotta make sure they are disease free.. quarantine them for a couple days... I use feeders like once or twice a month.. most of the time.. my p's are on floating sticks, smelt, or shrimp... 
you might try other foods.. saves a little bit of money.. and they wont rely on live foods all the time..


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## Xtremek43 (Dec 5, 2003)

first few days i fed my P's Feeders just for some fun, but now im doing a Shrimp and Smelt Diet at a 2:1 ratio. I want their color to be


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## vlahos (Sep 7, 2003)

feeders are a good choice but not as a daily diet. I feed my rhom feeders 1-2x/week. the rest of the time i feed him shrimp that's loaded with pellets. if you do decide to feed him feeders regularly, try to quarantine them for a couple of weeks before you give them to him. lower the risk of disease.
the best is a various diet though, primarily of fish...herring, shrimp, smelt would be a good choice


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Feeder fish is not a good diet for piranhas - especially not goldfish which lack nutrients needed and can cause stunted growth & other health problems if used as the only source of food.

what is much better is a varied diet containing beefheart, smelt, shrimp, cichlid foosh (hakiri has a great floating balls one) and other meat/fish so long as it does not contain addictives or preservatives.

Oh and also I believe it to be cruel to use feeders that are too large for them to die in one bite


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## drewbee (Aug 27, 2003)

I have heard many people say it is a bad Idea. I had mine on a feeder only diet for about 4 months with no problems.... I guess it is just personal opinion and experience.....


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## ANDY375HH (Jul 22, 2003)

I feed all my priranhas a mixture of feeders(that have been quarantined in a 10 gallon tank) earthworms,beefheart,shrimp,catfish fillets,and salmon fillets. I have very good luck with a varied diet for them I have never had any problems with my fish not eating.


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## Chad_linden (Dec 3, 2003)

Unprocessed meat is a cheap way too. I am a hunter, and I have a freezer full of elk, deer, antelope, pheasant... These are good because they don't have any processed chemicals in them. I like to heat them in the microwave for a minute to reduce the risk of any bacteria or germs. But for the most part it's safe. Rememeber, in the wild piranhas are scavengers mostly, so their immune systems are built to withstand rotten meat. (it's a delicasy to them) I would advise strongly against anything that comes from the store, E.g. oscar meyer hot dogs, and the type of processed meat.


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## Young Gotti (Jan 29, 2003)

I have never fed my P's Live food for risk of Disease. I'd rather feed them smelt a lot cheaper and no risk of disease. Feeder's are sh*t and they can get expensive. feeder's have next to none nutritional value, unless u gut load them full of nutritional foods first.


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## iNfecTion (Aug 18, 2003)

You can feed them feeders but some carry diesese so be careful. Id mix there diet with shrimp and bloodworms. Some may even take pellets. just buy your feeders from a reliable store


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

The varied the diet the better...you should use "clean" feeders + shrimp, fishfillet, earthworms, beefheart...







...!


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## You (Sep 22, 2003)

feeders for the main diet is not very healthy try shrimp or krill or pellets


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## piranhachick (Dec 1, 2003)

I feed my piranhas and my snakeheads feeder goldfish. I keep their tanks stocked with them. They're very healthy and have great colors. For a treat I give them earthworms or frozen brine shrimp. I haven't had any problems with my babies at all. They're doing great! I don't see much of a reason to quit feeding them live goldfish, other than they go through 20 dozen every two weeks!


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

GOLDFISH SUCK AS FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## LaZy (Jun 17, 2003)

i dont think feeders as a main diet is gonna be to nice man
feeders tend to have alot of diease's and if you keep feeding your P's feeders there not gonna tend to be living to long
the best diets are Beef Heart,shrimp,krill,meat,


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## andymel (Oct 27, 2003)

Feeders work as a main diet and you should quarintine them to reduce risk of introducing diseses to your p's. A variety in their diet is better though so you should try krill, shrimp, beefheart every once in a while.


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## mrt-bone (Jan 10, 2004)

I have 5 P's and they love the feeders....they have doubled in size in 3 weeks...and they get along well....beefheart and shrimp brine too...I heard they will kill each other...
if I feed them well will they co-exist....black rhoms..


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## thorsky (Dec 4, 2003)

Yep, disease is a concern. But other than that I think feeders are a great PART of a good piranha diet. In nature they eat anything they can find that isn't nailed down. As the Discovery channel so eloquently displayed, they eat fish, frogs, bugs, fruits & nuts, steer, Capybara's, chunks of cow's noses (while the cow drinks), an occasional piece of human, etc...etc... The list goes on! Feeders are great as the P's can eat not only muscle tissue, but organs, bones and scales. And after all, you are what you eat! There natural diet consists primarily of fish with a variety of other stuff thrown in, so why deviate from that?

Just my .02


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