Senegal Birchirs

[nath1]

hello guys,

just after some ideas for senegal food!
my two are about 6 " still young, and feed from the hand. At the moment they eat cocktail prawns, chiclid pellets and bloodworm if they get lucky enough to beat the tin foil barbs (which isn't very often).
any other ideas would be great. can the be fed process meats like ham or liver sausage or will it have too much salt or sugar in it?
thanx in advance,
nath1

 

[nmonks]

It's not a good idea to feed mammal or bird meat to fish, regardless of salt or sugar content (neither of which is terribly harmful to fish). The problems are said to be down to the fats in warm blooded animals, and questions over whether fish can properly digest (or even safely eliminate) such fats.

In the case of Senegal bichirs, their natural diet consists of invertebrates as well as frogs and fishes. Mussels are the ideal food for most predatory fish, being not only rich in protein and oils but also brim full of algae that the mussels have eaten, yielding vitamins and minerals, an often overlooked aspect of their diet. Augment them with prawns, squid, lancefish, bloodworms and earthworms and you can't go wrong.

Cheers, Neale

 

[nath1]

It's not a good idea to feed mammal or bird meat to fish, regardless of salt or sugar content (neither of which is terribly harmful to fish). The problems are said to be down to the fats in warm blooded animals, and questions over whether fish can properly digest (or even safely eliminate) such fats.

In the case of Senegal bichirs, their natural diet consists of invertebrates as well as frogs and fishes. Mussels are the ideal food for most predatory fish, being not only rich in protein and oils but also brim full of algae that the mussels have eaten, yielding vitamins and minerals, an often overlooked aspect of their diet. Augment them with prawns, squid, lancefish, bloodworms and earthworms and you can't go wrong.

Cheers, Neale

thanx,
another question!
can i feed them earthworms straight from the woods out the back of my house or do i have to buy steralized worms from a pet shop??? Also i have heard that beefheart is good or is this as you mentioned before 'mammal meat'

nath1

 

[nmonks]

Earthworms are safe from anywhere you are 100% sure hasn't been sprayed with insecticide. If you have an "organic" garden (like mine) you're all set. Most fish ADORE earthworms, and because they contain soil and decaying plant matter, they're rich in minerals and vitamins.

Beef heart -- being cardiac muscle -- doesn't contain any fat. That's why it is safe to use. Whether your fish will eat the stuff or not is another question: my fish never seem to care for it.

Cheers, Neale

 

[nath1]

thankyou for your advice!!!
nath1