Prepared Fry Foods; Gp/nobs/atison's, Etc.

[Andie]

Since I have a roommate to contend with, I've been looking into different prepared foods for my next spawn; I'm already trying to be super-sensitive about storing my frozen bloodworms and daphnia in the freezer, without having to worry about microworm cultures wriggling all over the counter!

I've been looking at the Golden Pearls food as well as Atison's fry food and similar products. I was wondering if anybody could tell me of their experiences with these or foods like them, and whether you found it really did benefit your fry or not. If anybody knows of any risks/drawbacks to these, I'd really appreciate hearing about them too. Thanks so much!

 

[fawnmodel]

Haven't used them, but have heard great things about Attisons. Also, you can get frozen BBS (sally's) from nearly any LFS and a teeny pack will last forever. Just break off chunks and add a little tank water, before dripping around in the fry tank.

But definitely use another food along with BBS.

 

[Andie]

I wish I could buy frozen BBS here, but you wouldn't believe what an ordeal it is just to get Daphnia- I have to go off-island for it. BBS is pretty much outof the question! I've heard from a few people who use prepared foods with success, but they're usually also selling it(!) so I'm always eager to hear from somebody who ISN'T going to gain from an endorsement

 

[otherworldone]

Personally, I don't use prepared fry foods at all. So, I can't really say how well they do.

One caveat, however; prepared foods such as powders, flakes, etc. DO decay faster in the water and usually tend to contribute to cloudiness, excessive ammonia and bacterial growth.

If you have to use these, just make sure you keep the tank extra clean. Snails are also quite handy here as they will clean up most left over foods.

Are you left with no other options? Not even vinegar eels?

 

[Andie]

I think in a situation with a roommate it's crucial to be especially sensitive, so no, wiggling growing things of all sorts are, unfortunately, pretty much out

I understand prepared foods tend to decay faster; I was also looking at egg yolk, but even when it's not decaying it makes a pertty gruesome mess in the tank, so I was leaning more toward prepared. With regards to leftover food, I was considering dwarf cories to help with tank cleanup, but I'm particularly fanatical about water changes anyway, so either way I'm not terribly concerned in that respect

 

[OohFeeshy]

I wouldn't say live BBS would be too much of a gross out thing, you could always say they're you're pet sea monkeys, which they are, cept you wouldn't go feeding your sea monkeys to baby fish

 

[Andie]

It's funny that you'd say that just now, actually, because I was just up at the pet store earlier today to ask about buying bbs eggs The lady there said they aren't as popular as they used to be, so they don't carry them in store anymore. They'll have to order them in for me, but at least this won't be as bad as eels or microworms, and it shouldn't give off much of an aroma, either.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

I've been looking at the Golden Pearls food as well as Atison's fry food and similar products. I was wondering if anybody could tell me of their experiences with these or foods like them, and whether you found it really did benefit your fry or not. If anybody knows of any risks/drawbacks to these, I'd really appreciate hearing about them too. Thanks so much!

I'm using Atison's Betta Starter for my first spawn, along with microworms. The fry seem to like Atison's and a tiny tiny bit goes a long way. The instructions say that the scoop in the container holds enough to feed 300+ fry. I use a tiny fraction of that. For the first few days I never actually saw the fry eating, but now that they're 20 days old I've watched them eat both, atison's, and microworms. I just fed them bbs for the first time tonight. I used the SF Bay square box shrimp hatchery.

 

[Synirr]

I wouldn't even try spawning without using live foods. In my experience that's just asking for disaster. I've heard of people having success with prepared foods, but I've never seen any of my fry take them, even those specifically made for betta fry, before the 3rd week at least. I'm also convinced that feeding decapsulated brine eggs without hatching them first is what caused my last spawn to have some missing ventrals. Prepared foods sink and begin decaying immediately after they enter the tank, which causes a bacterial buildup on the bottom of the tank that then attacks the developing ventrals of fry resting on the bottom. I've actually cleaned my tanks less often with my current spawn due to final exams and such, and don't have a single missing ventral... this time all I've used is BBS, grindal worms, and frozen.

Personally, I'd tell your roommate to shove it. I'd use BBS until the 4th week, and have a grindal worm culture hidden away in a cabinet somewhere for use later. Grindals are a renewable FREE source of fry food, so why not? As long as your roommate doesn't look in the box what would it matter?

 

[liz2]

My local lfs has live bloodworms and daphnia they used the have the shrimpy things but people didnt buy them because they look too cute. I have just given my bettas frozen mosquita larvae ..they love those.

 

[splashluff]

The only prepared food I used with young fry is First Bites, to ease the transition between live foods and some dried/frozen foods. They seemed to really like First Bites, but this was around the 4th week, mind you. After the 6th week, they got Atison's Betta Pro (which is great!!!) and occasional flakes and Bettabites for variety. But, they still mostly eat grindals and frozen BW/BS/Daphnia.

 

[Bettaman]

Well yes i am now selling it but its only just become available here in the uk..and its new here i was skeptical and still not 100% but at least 95% sure, but i have tried the fry food and they do eat it but its for fry from day 3 now I'm sure if it didn't work Mr Atison would not put his name to it, their is a spoon inside and one of them is for 300 fry so if you have not had a spawn that size and use it there will be food over and will look as if they are not eating it, Betta Starter the food distributes itself extremely well over the whole tank: first it will spread out evenly over the whole surface and than start to sink very slowly so that the food will be present in the whole water column. This is something you can not get with live food of course, live food will swim wherever it likes, by definition I should say. This makes that with the Starter, the fry will get a more equal chance to get to the food, which results in more consistent and homogeneous growth, which in turn prevents cannibalism. If the food is within striking distance of the fry, they will take it for sure. This is one of the reasons why the survival rate will be higher than with live food.
Hope this answers the question. the fish believe it or not do seem to be growing faster than them being fed on microworms, but more testing will be done,do try it but one thing don't mix it with live food as this will confuse the fry, i like it but will still go to live food at 3 weeks to a month of age as this product is for up to then.



And i feed the pro for conditioning the adults and they love it will have to see what the spawns are like, but again no waste and fish seem to love it...

 

[Andie]

Thanks so much to everybody who's responded; I especially appreciate hearing from people who have actually tried the product and can give me an idea of what to expect. Bettaman, I'm so pleased it's working out for you; I'll definitely give it some thought.

Synirr, the chief problem with a grindal worm culture is, simply, the acquisition of grindal worms, which we don't have here I'd be prowling about on aquabid to see if I could get a starter culture, except of course I'd have to go south of the border to find one which means that by the time the little critters actually got through customs I've no doubt they'd have frozen stiff