Is it healthy for aquarium fish to eat bugs???

[Betta Lover]

I know this is kind of gross, but every so often, I will feed my aquarium fish, crickets, and other bugs, from under rocks, and things, from my back yard, is this healthy for them, they seem to love them .

Thank you in advance,
Betta Lover

 

[heresmike]

I have read where this is OK. My angelfish book recommends feeding live worms from the backyard. Yecchh!

In the wild, I'm sure fish eat bugs. My only concern would be that some bugs might be carrying some nasty diseases.

 

[Betta Lover]

Wow, really well I guess I will only feed bugs every once in a while, I guess that would be okay, thank you for the good info .

 

[drobbins27]

Do your fish really like that? Im looking for more foods which I can add to my fishies diet, maybe Ill try that out. Thanks

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Learn about the specific fish you are keeping, some fish don't have anything like insects in their diet, while other fish live almost entirely on them. In general they'd make a good treat for most fish.

 

[jams.alaskan]

Only thing to watch out for in some areas is pesticides. You could introduce them into your tank if you are not carefull. All depends where you are from. Some places spray heavily to control populations, others do not. Just my two cents. I'd use bugs year round but where I'm from I might be lucky to get 3 months of collection time.

ALASKA

 

[Betta Lover]

Yes, they love their bugs, but I agree with what addict said, because I feed the bugs to my bettas, and my bettas love them .

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Normally, top feeders eat bugs. Bugs from outside might not be the best insects to feed fish, though.
Angels, hatchets, and bettas definitely eat bugs.

You could also try vestigial winged fruitflies. Just raise your own colony and you'll never have to go out looking for them.

 

[Opcn]

Alaska I have spent many a month up there (fairbanks) in your part of the state and I know that you have mosquitoes longer than that If seen them grow fur coats and overwinter .

Pesticides are a seriouse matter so I would recomend growing your own food. i have flightless fruit flys going now (they have wings they are just too stupid to use them) and you could easily start some crickets with a ten gallon tank and a screen top. Throw in some egg cartons (the papery kind not styrofoam ) because it suposedly stimulates breeding and toss in some soft vegitative matter (organicaly grown) and you will be set.

Opcn

 

[jams.alaskan]

Oh God OPCN,
Don't remind me!!! With the return of sunlight comes the constant buZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

ALASKA

 

[Olive]

Oh God OPCN,
Don't remind me!!! With the return of sunlight comes the constant buZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

ALASKA

I had patients that visited up your way a few years back and they came back with deer in headlights look..........."mosquitos the size of small children" the squeeled.......they even took a picture of one resting on their arms...........yikes it's like a horror movie!!!!


As mentioned before, please be careful of pesticides. Even if YOU aren't using them the government probably does to control the population. The wind can even carry it from one of your neighbor's houses..........just breed your own inside if it is a labor of love for you to give them such nice little treats. Remember that bugs have made it this far despite our use of chemicals, have built up resistance to them and are used to a certain amount of chemicals on them and can live almost normally with exposure. Your fishies have not.....

 

[lucky62]

My fish eat bugs , if you feed glass worms or blood worms your feeding insect larvea . Meal worms are a treat for my Jewel [also my puffers when I had them ] cichlids also green peas[not a bug] and earth worms [kind of like a bug, right ]. They mosquitoes , small crickets . A varied diet for omnivourous fish should include the ocasional "bug" I tried to feed them a slug once[ I was very young then ] , I'll try any thing once . Anyway the slug.........................REJECTED . I think they have alkalyn slim that makes them taste ...........yucky to fish . Does any one know if any food manufacturers put out anything freeze dried.....other then blood worms , and other of the more comman bug like foods .?



'

 

[Gill]

I Am feeding my Fish Spider Egg, All that i can Find under rocks in the garden.

ABF loved fat females Bursting with eggs. As they are emerging to lay the eggs.

Make sure that you remove the eyes and Pincers before giving to the fish 1st.

 

[Olive]

Make sure that you remove the eyes and Pincers before giving to the fish 1st.

I'm outta here.............

 

[drobbins27]

Do barbs eat insects? We got a pesky ant problem