FEEDING RAW MEAT

[supershaji]

i read somewhere that cichlids fancy a bit of raw meat every once in a while, am i right? i have tried feeding them chicken mince and they totally fight for it! all except the silver dollars & plecos even the tiny tiger barbs love it, altho they seldom get their hands on any over the big bully parrots, convicts & morphs.

enlighten me.

thanx in advance

Shaji
India

 

[semper fi]

i moved this to new world, since you mentioned convicts. it's not a good idea to feed aquarium fish animal meat as it contains fat. the digestive system of a fish is much different than that of humans and animals. fat is not as easily broken down.

 

[juanveldez]

I wouldn't feed meat as semper said might be better to give them a bit of minced fish. but I wouldn't do that often, unless your fish are piscivores I would go with a good balanced cichlid pellet.

 

[supershaji]

oh poo poo, i thot they liked it as they'r all fighting to get a bite!

so, what do make good and healthy treats for my fishies mentioned below?

 

[juanveldez]

krill and bloodworms are some faves amungst my fish, they also like the little bit of beef heart but that is only once in a great while and only to my preditory cichlids.

 

[fufanu360]

crickets and nightcrawlers

 

[mwm]

Feeders

 

[Pearlie]

Hrm...I think there are two other problems with feeding raw meat. One is bacteria from improper handling (at the meat packing plant, grocery store, etc). Depending on the animal, these could be harmful to not only your fish, but also you as well. For that matter, not just bacteria but parasites as well.

The second problem isn't necessarily inherent with raw meat. If pesticides are used on plants used to feed animals, the plants will take up the chemicals, remain in the animal, and then be passed onto any that feed upon that animal. I would recommend buying meat from organic-raised animals if you intend to feed minced raw meat. It'll be a bit spendier, but much better!

 

[joshua]

If u really insist, here's something you may wanna consider - cowheart.

Remove the veins and visible fat, grind it, maybe you wanna mix it with some stuff like spirulina. freeze it in slabs in plastic bags, when it hardens, cut it up and store in a tupperware.