Need to fatten fish up

[jmowbray]

After a LONG battle of some flesh eating bacteria and intestinal worms I think I have finally got my chromis life back on track. Though the issue is now it is very skinny with a slightly sunken belly. I feed on an autofeeder cyclops 3 times a day (as that's the only dry food they eat). When I get home at 6 I feed either PE mysis or fresh scallops soaked in selcon. Then they get another small feeding or cyclops at 9pm before bed. What else can I do to make them gain weight? I do feed BBS but it's a supper pain to keep hatching them every 3 days. I have tried to take newly hatched BS and freeze them in cubes and feed that but they wont eat it. They like to hunt.

[Dmorty217]

out could try adding vitachem and amino acids to the foods along with selcon. The bigger the variety you can get the fish eating the better

[jmowbray]

Anyone else have any sugestions??

[Hal]

Live blackworms. My chromis, and every other fish, gobble them up. You can order them online if your LFS doesn't carry them. I've never had a fish able to resist them.

[Dmorty217]

I would caution you that live foods are working in reverse as far as getting fish to eat prepared foods go. Also black worms aren't very nutritional

[Hal]

I would caution you that live foods are working in reverse as far as getting fish to eat prepared foods go. Also black worms aren't very nutritional
I think you might have some bad info on blackworms. They are great for fish.

[acrohead500ppm]

After a LONG battle of some flesh eating bacteria and intestinal worms I think I have finally got my chromis life back on track. Though the issue is now it is very skinny with a slightly sunken belly. I feed on an autofeeder cyclops 3 times a day (as that's the only dry food they eat). When I get home at 6 I feed either PE mysis or fresh scallops soaked in selcon. Then they get another small feeding or cyclops at 9pm before bed. What else can I do to make them gain weight? I do feed BBS but it's a supper pain to keep hatching them every 3 days. I have tried to take newly hatched BS and freeze them in cubes and feed that but they wont eat it. They like to hunt.

The amount of selcon actually getting "soaked up" by frozen foods is probably minuscule. It was really intended for use with freeze dried foods/ pellets.

I take ORA glo pellets, cyclops flake and OSI spirulina flake and soak in Selecon to basically make a thick mush, I then take rinsed mysis, Ovamar eggs, and fresh shucked whole oysters and blend them with the selcon/food mush in a blender, using the 30 seconds pulse, 30 seconds ice bath routine.

Then I freeze it all in a gallon zip lock lying between two old textbooks, comes out nice and flat.

[SDguy]

I also only use selcon/vita-chem with pellets. IMO it's a much better way to get the liquid into the food than just soaking frozen in it.

I also find pellets (they make some really small ones for small fish) are a great way to get skinny fish fattened up. Assuming they'll eat pellets, of course :)

Blackworms are very nutritious, but a bit fatty, so for healthy, fish with normal appetites, I personally would only offer them here and there, not as a staple.

My fish also really enjoy LRS Fish Frenzy, as a nice frozen mixture, along with PE Mysis as well.

[laga77]

I would caution you that live foods are working in reverse as far as getting fish to eat prepared foods go. Also black worms aren't very nutritional

You could not be more wrong. Bloodworms are not nutritious. Live black worms and live white worms are the best food you can feed.

[Dmorty217]

You could not be more wrong. Bloodworms are not nutritious. Live black worms and live white worms are the best food you can feed.

Feeding a fish nothing but black worms couldn't be healthy long term for any marine fish. My info is good. Also feeding live foods to a fish hat you want to eat prepared foods is working in reverse. Desperate times call for desperate measures I understand

[laga77]

Never said feed them nothing but black worms. You said black worms are not nutritious which is false. Please explain how it is working backwards when feeding live foods whether it is worms or clams has been shown to be a very successful way to maintain fish over time. What do you consider prepared foods?

[SDguy]

Never said feed them nothing but black worms. You said black worms are not nutritious which is false. Please explain how it is working backwards when feeding live foods whether it is worms or clams has been shown to be a very successful way to maintain fish over time. What do you consider prepared foods?

I think he just meant that generally, feeding live foods to a finicky fish may keep the fish from moving on to prepared/frozen/dry foods. Correct me if I am wrong though :)

[Dmorty217]

I think he just meant that generally, feeding live foods to a finicky fish may keep the fish from moving on to prepared/frozen/dry foods. Correct me if I am wrong though :)

Thank you Peter. :beer:

[laga77]

Why would you even want to feed a fish dry food?

[SDguy]

Why would you even want to feed a fish dry food?

Because I think it is a part of a varied diet, especially handy for when I don't have the time to prepare and feed a variety of frozen foods.

And as I already stated:

I also only use selcon/vita-chem with pellets. IMO it's a much better way to get the liquid into the food than just soaking frozen in it.

I also find pellets (they make some really small ones for small fish) are a great way to get skinny fish fattened up. Assuming they'll eat pellets, of course :)

[acrohead500ppm]

Why would you even want to feed a fish dry food?

Quality dry foods are much more concentrated in nutrients than frozen foods. Awesome for the fish, but not so much for your phos and nitrate levels.

[nelsonkearstin]

After a LONG battle of some flesh eating bacteria and intestinal worms I think I have finally got my chromis life back on track. Though the issue is now it is very skinny with a slightly sunken belly. I feed on an autofeeder cyclops 3 times a day (as that's the only dry food they eat). When I get home at 6 I feed either PE mysis or fresh scallops soaked in selcon. Then they get another small feeding or cyclops at 9pm before bed. What else can I do to make them gain weight? I do feed BBS but it's a supper pain to keep hatching them every 3 days. I have tried to take newly hatched BS and freeze them in cubes and feed that but they wont eat it. They like to hunt.
Can't say this is great advice seems how idk the chemistry or what not but, I've fed mine fully cooked frozen flounder. I cut it up really really fine. My fish are pretty fat. It's just a matter of getting pieces small enough then getting chromis to eat. I soak mine in garlic to get them more attracted to it. Lil goes a long way!! My smaller fish only eat like 2 lil chucks. I'd feed once a day.

[nivram]

I've had good luck fattening fish up with live black worms. The fish go nuts for them once they've had a taste.

[acrohead500ppm]

Can't say this is great advice seems how idk the chemistry or what not but, I've fed mine fully cooked frozen flounder. I cut it up really really fine. My fish are pretty fat. It's just a matter of getting pieces small enough then getting chromis to eat. I soak mine in garlic to get them more attracted to it. Lil goes a long way!! My smaller fish only eat like 2 lil chucks. I'd feed once a day.

Like as in the fully cooked frozen fillets in a bag ? or frozen raw/ you cooked them?

If its the latter you are fine just stay away from seasonings and stuff. However, if its precooked frozen fillets you are buying DO NOT feed this your fish/reef as its going to be loaded with preservatives and junk.

[nelsonkearstin]

Like as in the fully cooked frozen fillets in a bag ? or frozen raw/ you cooked them?

If its the latter you are fine just stay away from seasonings and stuff. However, if its precooked frozen fillets you are buying DO NOT feed this your fish/reef as its going to be loaded with preservatives and junk.
Hmmmmm yaa cooked, frozen in a bag... now I'd like to look more into these preservitives your speaking of... never really thought of that. Figured it be fine. (That's why I'm here!) My fresh caught fish I'd freeze and try to use, they're not fans of...

[acrohead500ppm]

Hmmmmm yaa cooked, frozen in a bag... now I'd like to look more into these preservitives your speaking of... never really thought of that. Figured it be fine. (That's why I'm here!) My fresh caught fish I'd freeze and try to use, they're not fans of...


Yeah, I would stay away.


Uncooked is probably okay, but still can contain things like sodium tripolyphosphate.

[nelsonkearstin]

Yeah, I would stay away.


Uncooked is probably okay, but still can contain things like sodium tripolyphosphate.
I've actually just emailed the company to see what kinds of chemicals they use and what not particularly in preservation. We'll see what they say. by no means, Im not, not trusting your opinion. For my own curiosity and learning experience I want to know more about it. What if they were to say "we don't use preservitives" realistically is that possible?

[nelsonkearstin]

It does say that many vessels catch then, immediately processed and freeze on the boat. As long as temps are consistent during transit... processed?... wouldn't they're be some kind of preservitives in anything frozen? Even brine?

[acrohead500ppm]

OH ! I mistook you. I thought you were buying pre cooked frozen fillets and using it to feed, which would be a very bad idea

If its freshly frozen/ raw. you are fine, just give it a little rinse.

[nelsonkearstin]

OH ! I mistook you. I thought you were buying pre cooked frozen fillets and using it to feed, which would be a very bad idea

If its freshly frozen/ raw. you are fine, just give it a little rinse.
Omg I'm sorry I have given mixed info. U were right i did say fully cooked (that's the pack we eat!) What I feed my fish is this,
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/04/04/182dc1866f512bd7ab3594180b431cde.jpg
And now that I'm looking at the front of the bag, it states no additives or preservitives. Jeeze well anyway,
This is what I feed my fish every once in awhile!! Haha I feel better now... and if your fish don't eat it then, you can have a good dinner...AFTER COOKING Haha

[acrohead500ppm]

Yeah, you are good.

Still rinse really well though as tripolyphosphate is a chemical some companies use to rinse away any fishy smells left from processing/gutting/cleaning right before they freeze the meat.

Not a big deal, just rinse well.

[Dmorty217]

Raw seafood for fish, never cooked. Any sort of wild caught white fish or non fatty red fish (white is best) is good for fish along with shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, oysters, nori, spirulina, selcon ect...

[acrohead500ppm]

Waiting for PaulB to chime in about clams

[Dmorty217]

Waiting for PaulB to chime in about clams

I love Pauls comments, he is a old school Reefer

[Paul B]

Feeding a fish nothing but black worms couldn't be healthy long term for any marine fish. My info is good.

Dam :headwally: I wish I knew that 50 years ago when I started to feed my fish blackworms. Now all of them are spawning, including the 24 year olds. So I got these fish fry all over the place and the stinking fish just don't die. I practically have to have a 1957 Oldsmobile run them over, then put it in reverse and run them over again to kill them. Even my mandarins are spawning every few weeks and I just hate to see her that pregnant. And oh so I wish I had to quarantine everything. I just throw fish in there and wish just once they would get ich, flukes, flounders or velvet. I bought all these medications in the 70s and I never get a chance to use them. My hospital tank is a planter for petunia's and my quarantine tank is a front right fender from a school bus. :lol:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg.html)

[acrohead500ppm]

I love Pauls comments, he is a old school Reefer Ditto, love his humor and outlook on things.

Dam :headwally: I wish I knew that 50 years ago when I started to feed my fish blackworms. Now all of them are spawning, including the 24 year olds. So I got these fish fry all over the place and the stinking fish just don't die. I practically have to have a 1957 Oldsmobile run them over, then put it in reverse and run them over again to kill them. Even my mandarins are spawning every few weeks and I just hate to see her that pregnant. And oh so I wish I had to quarantine everything. I just throw fish in there and wish just once they would get ich, flukes, flounders or velvet. I bought all these medications in the 70s and I never get a chance to use them. My hospital tank is a planter for petunia's and my quarantine tank is a front right fender from a school bus. :lol:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg.html)

There he is! with a mandarin that is constantly preggers.

Doing something right, lol

[Dmorty217]

Dam :headwally: I wish I knew that 50 years ago when I started to feed my fish blackworms. Now all of them are spawning, including the 24 year olds. So I got these fish fry all over the place and the stinking fish just don't die. I practically have to have a 1957 Oldsmobile run them over, then put it in reverse and run them over again to kill them. Even my mandarins are spawning every few weeks and I just hate to see her that pregnant. And oh so I wish I had to quarantine everything. I just throw fish in there and wish just once they would get ich, flukes, flounders or velvet. I bought all these medications in the 70s and I never get a chance to use them. My hospital tank is a planter for petunia's and my quarantine tank is a front right fender from a school bus. :lol:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2014-08-17182316_zps5ee06f48.jpg.html)

But for the record you feed things in addition to black worms??

[Paul B]

But for the record you feed things in addition to black worms??

For the record, I do. (I was just busting your chops) Mostly clams. But they get live worms every day. I could feed nothing but worms but I would need a million of them.