Feeder Fish

[Perky]

I thought I would put this here because this is where feeder fish are usually mentioned. I asked at my LFS what was the best feeder fish, and it was lucky I was talking to a person who I know, because he said they where illegal in the UK and if a shop sells feeder fish they can be closed down. Is this true?

 

[ryan]

Yes I believe so, any shop selling fish labled or intended for fishy comsuption can be closed down.

 

[CFC]

Yes the feeding of live vertabrates to predatory animals is illegal in the UK and if you are caught doing so you can face a fine and/or a prison sentance and may be banned from keeping animals.

Good fish shops will refuse to sell fish to anyone they believe is buying fish purely to feed them to larger fish.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

That stinks for you guys.

You could breed guppies for that purpose, unless you're afraid you might get caught.

 

[lupita]

Im new but here in chicago they allowed feeder fish for a good price.

 

[rsz]

Good fish shops will refuse to sell fish to anyone they believe is buying fish purely to feed them to larger fish.

How would they be able to tell if you just went into the lfs and bought a couple of guppies for your '10 gallon'? Not that I'm planning to or anything , just wondered!!

 

[CFC]

Well obviously they dont but a customer who comes in and buys 30 guppies every week is either stark raving mad, a terrible fish keeper or using them as feeders, or a combination of all 3

That stinks for you guys.

What makes you say that? Feeders are not needed for 99% of predatory fish and are actually a very poor source of nutrition with the added risk of introducing disease into your tank. I keep and have kept many species of predatory fish and have only come across 3 species that demanded live fish to be fed.

 

[Opcn]

They say they are poor nutrition but if you gut load them and put them in the predators get great exercise. You could get about 50 guppies and keep them in a 100 gallon and they will breed fast enought for you. What does the UK have against the natural order of things anyways?

Opcn

 

[CFC]

What is natural about placing a healthy fish into a enviroment where it will be eaten and has no means of escape?

A fish tank is a closed enviroment where we as the keepers dictate what happens, i personally take no pleasure in watching a terrified fish meet its maker by being eaten by a larger fish.

 

[Opcn]

It's just that in nature fish naturaly eat E/O and If your tank is set up to be anything like the wild it will have some hiding places and tanks with predators should never be hevily stocked so the feeders should have room to run.

Opcn

 

[ste2k3]

I agree with CFC, you just can't get a tank big enough to replicate nature unless you have an indoor pond. in nature fish do eat each other but could swill say 5 meters to get a way they would be lucky to get 1.5m away in the aquarium. also, there is a lot of roots, fallen trees etc in there natural enviroment not to mention plant cover. with a lot of large fish, it is just not practical to have that much decor in the tank as it will restrict the swimming space of the prediter not to mention the possability of injury.

ste

 

[david27]

The UK and the US seem to have very different opinions on the ethics of feeder fish, but beside the ethics of live food they are a poor form of food. So why take the risk of introducing diesease when you can control food quality much more effectively with dead food.

David

 

[staredecisis]

I think I should move to the UK, they sound awesome!

I also heard in the UK, the way the US treats their bettas on the sale racks would be illegal (especially petco's half size cups, 1 inch tall )

 

[Opcn]

The dixy cup Betta's should be illegal here too! As far as the fish goes there death is allot more fun than the death of the fish I catch and eat I simply cant kill them that quickly with out a 50 pound rock.

Opcn

 

[Aulonochromis]

That's a strange law. What about feeder mice? Do they sell live lobsters at the supermarket.

All ethics aside, there's dead fish in regular flake food too.