Tesselata
 

I have a 33" Tesselata that is doing well being fed frozen silversides twice per week. Prior to feeding I soak the feed in Zoecon and garlic extreme. I was considering introducing live feeder minnows sold at a bait and tackle shop. However I am concerned about possibly introducing parasites from the feeder fish and risking that the Eel would stop accepting frozen foods. What do you think?

If he's already eating frozen, I don't see the benefit of going back to live food. You are probably already feeding him more nutritious food and keeping with frozen will be easier to get a varied diet. I don't know if you have any other fish, but if you do, teaching him to hunt live fish probably isn't a good idea either.

I thought but was unsure if the live food was more nutritious as several reputable companies claim that to be true but, they never discuss adding supplements to frozen such as garlic and Zoecon. No other fish are with the Eel so probably the only benefit would be the coolness factor. Thanks for your feedback. I will keep with frozen.

I believe long term garlic will also harm the eel. Usually garlic is used with lack of appetite, not for every meal.

Unless the eel is Italian.

When I fed my eels frozen silversides or minnows, I would pack it's mouth with a high quality pellet food before feeding it to the eels. Going back to live food makes no sense.

Nope. From Sri Lanka. South of India

Interesting. Thanks.

haha!

frozen foods don't lose nutrients.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-styl...ticle-1.174469

frozen vegetables typically have more nutrients than fresh because they are frozen quickly, while the vegetables you get in stores are already decaying. In just 2 weeks from being freshly harvested green beans lose 45% of their nutrients.

now live vs frozen is going to have slightly more.. but not enough for it to really matter imo.

Over the years we've had several reptiles that would just not breed on a frozen->thawed diet. Fed live and boomchicawow next breeding attempt was successful.

A tank is fairly unstimulating as it is and I beleive eels mucous membranes have evolved to protect them from a diet of less than stellar prey. I'm sure there are internal parasites to be concerned with but my snowflake never caught anything from the hundereds of chromis and damsels he ate over the years. Feeding him live fish never made him look at the bigeye squirrel or triggers any differently but then a snowflake ain't no G. fav..

I'd do it and put the youtube link here.

Also agree on no garlic and packing frozen with pellets is an awesome idea.

I think chromis and damsels are much different than minnows if you are going to live feed. Those would be better nutritionally, but also significantly more expensive.

add more saltwater fish to his diet. octopus squid sardines etc theyn eat pretty much any meat,
i do not believe a steady diet of silversides is healthy in the long run