What To Feed And Ornate Bichir ?

[Kizz]

Well i bought one of these last week which was sold to me as a rope fish ..Alas they were wrong . I've been feeding frozen bloodworm to him as i know he is carnivirous but i'm stumped on what else i know they need a varied diet . Can anyone give me some pointers on what to feed them and also where to get it ? He's a great lil chap wish i got one sooner !!

 

[nmonks]

Earthworms are the most nutritious foods for these fish. Cheap and easy to get hold of, but obviously don't collect from anywhere pesticide sprays have been used.

As with all carnivores, limit the use of foods rich in thiaminase (prawns, mussels, squid). Once or twice a week is fine. Otherwise concentrate on foods without thiaminase, such as tilapia fillet, coley fillet, and cockles.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Kizz]

Thanks for the neale . I'll wait til it rain's and go get some worms for him . I take it the cockles i can just buy from the fish Monger? Was thinking about feeder fish too is there any that are any form of nutrition ? got a 17Gal sitting empty was thinking of guppy's but remember reading there not that good for fish to eat lol

Thanks Again

 

[nmonks]

No need for feeders. Home-bred, gut-loaded livebearers are nutritious, but there's always the risk of introducing parasites, and sometimes feeders make carnivorous fish more aggressive. Cockles are indeed those from the grocery store -- but not the pickled ones!

Cheers, Neale

 

[Kizz]

Thanks Again Neale one last question ...What is beefheart ? lol

 

[nmonks]

Beefheart is grated cow hearts. Normally mammal and bird meats are NOT safe to give to fish because the oils congeal at the lower body temperatures of fish. In warm blooded animals these oils are liquids. Anyway, congealed fats cause blockages. This harms fish. Because beefheart is cardiac muscle, and cardiac muscle doesn't contain fats, unlike skeletal muscle, beefheart is safe to use. In the past it was a popular food for fish because of its low cost. It isn't terribly nutritious, so has largely fallen out of favour, but some old school aquarists still use it. While fine as a treat, it shouldn't be used as a staple. It lacks fibre and isn't particularly rich in essential vitamins. Whole animals such as krill and earthworms are much better.

Cheers, Neale

 

[dave_oddballs]

you won't need to feed it keeping it with black skirt tetras and white widows!
all my bichirs eat lance fish, cockles and prawns aswel as the odd sinking pellet.
oh by the way it is illegal in the uk to feed live vertebrates to other vertebrates, i.e. its illegal to feed feeder fish in the uk.

 

[Kizz]

Yeah the boy at the shop said that he's only a wee dude just now about 3 Inch or so great to watch him feed i'm assuming that they have really poor eyesight he bangs into other fish alot ! lol . I'll bear the feeder fish dave didn't really want to have to feed it live fish but sometimes needs must lol . I'll get some cockle and prawn tomorrow see how he likes that.

Thanks Again

 

[nmonks]

I'm not sure this is actually the case. It *is* illegal to cause animals to fight, so I suppose a legal case could be brought against someone who feeds a goldfish to an oscar, by saying they were causing the two fish to fight. But that hasn't been done yet, and the relevant animal welfare act doesn't mention the use of feeder fish at all.

Having said this, as is hopefully well known, I am completely against the use of feeder fish except under very specific circumstances. Where predators are being kept that eat other foods happily enough, as with bichirs, there's no reason to use feeders, and I find it ethically and morally difficult to condone. Equally, the whole use of store-bought feeders like goldfish and minnows is unsupportable, since they are known full well to be nutritionally bad (fat, thiaminase) and carry a very high risk of introducing parasites. But from a scientific point of view, home-reared, gut-loaded killifish and livebearer feeders are safe. For those advanced fishkeepers keeping those very few species that eat nothing but live fish, breeding such feeders at home may be the only safe and economic option.

Cheers, Neale

oh by the way it is illegal in the uk to feed live vertebrates to other vertebrates, i.e. its illegal to feed feeder fish in the uk.

 

[dave_oddballs]

the law does actually state it is against the law in the united kingdom to use live vertebrates as food for other animals.
and the ornate bichir is the biggest of the upper jaw species and have been reported to reach 2 foot in length, so whether it is a docile fish or not they are predatory fish and will eat something it will fit in its mouth if and when it 'bumps into it'.
all that said they are fascinating fish to keep given the correct amount of space, food and tank mates.

 

[nmonks]

Really? Do you have a link to this? Wasn't my understanding of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at all, but I'm no lawyer!

Cheers, Neale

the law does actually state it is against the law in the united kingdom to use live vertebrates as food for other animals.

 

[always4lora]

Get it on Massivore Pellets if you're in the UK, pm me if you want a link to somewhere selling them cheap. Each pellet has far more protien than your standard feeder fish. You'll notice massive growth rate. Mine's doubled in size since i've had it. Although the pellets look a good size bichir's do chew there food to a sizable meals. If you get worried soak them in water which well make them softer.

My ornate mainly has pellets but will take blood worm as a treat, lance fish and prawns. They're awsome eater's , you should google Bichir deathroll which shows how they can tear of food etc.

If fed correctly it should be arund 10-12 inch a year and be pretty fat looking, by this point your smaller fish will be no more.