Feeding A Young Bgk

[Attilauk]

i picked up a beautiful little 4" long BGK on the weekend, he is a little on the slim side so im trying to feed him up with live bloodworm although this can be difficult as the Tiger Barbs are greedy little buggers, i've found squirting the bloodworm out of a pippette in front of him means he gobbles them up before the Tiger Barbs find them.

i've seen the feeding section on the profile page but i was just wondering if there was anything in particular that i should be feeding him at this age to help with growth and development? i would like to give him a bit of variety too.

 

[nmonks]

These fish are generalists in the wild, taking a wide variety of insect larvae alongside crustaceans and the occasional small fish. For a juvenile, a diet based on frozen bloodworms, tubifex, mosquito larvae, and glassworms would be just about perfect. Live daphnia and brine shrimps add a bit of fibre to the mix, and should be used once in a while.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Attilauk]

thats brilliant, thank you very much Neale

 

[Attilauk]

wow they learn fast don't they, he has been in my tank for less than a week and has already learnt to take food from my hands!

i try to feed him with a pippette but i also like to put some bloodworm around the base of the plants and bogwood as a treat for my khuli loaches every now and then. last night the BGK saw what i was doing, swam straight up to me and took the bloodworm straight from my hands he seems to be a very inteligent fish

 

[nmonks]

Sounds like you and your knifefish are getting alone well! Glad things have worked out well. Hand-feeding fish a great habit to get into; you can check on the health of your fish while making sure its getting enough to eat. It's probably good for the fish as well, encouraging its behaviour to adapt to captivity.

Cheers, Neale