Catch my own fish food

yakfishin · 12/15/2006, 11:00 AM

I have a yellowtailed moray currently in quarantine and a lionfish which will be a future addition to my 215G tank. I go saltwater fishing quite often, and have the ability to catch my own minnows (mullet, silversides, and bullheads and the occasional shrimp)
and such for feeding. I can vacuum package a few to freeze in seperate packages and have a good supply of free fish food. Does anyone see any potential problems of doing this? The only thing I can think of is if the fish I catch are more subject to pollutants or diseases, but then- how do I know that the fish from the pet store or suppermarket come from any cleaner of an enviroment? But let me know your thoughts and if you have ever heard that this is not a good thing to do.

Shagsbeard · 12/15/2006, 11:04 AM

Can't imagine that it would be a bad idea to feed your fish food from the ocean, though I wouldn't use "life" from the hudson river or anything overly nasty. Getting your fish's approval on a food is the hardest part... they might not go for it.

yakfishin · 12/15/2006, 11:25 AM

Well, I got the goldentail Tues., and last night I dangled half a mullet in front of him on an acyrlic rod and it took him awhile but he eventually ate it. I then offered him the other half and he took it without hesitating. The mullet is one I had frozen this fall- along with a few others, in preperation for the day that I had these fish. But it just occured to me last night that perhaps there might be something wrong with feeding them with fish I netted from the surf. Not sure if any coastline along the US is exactly pristine- but where I fish off NC is not dirty.

papagimp · 12/15/2006, 11:35 AM

If I were going to attempt something like this, I think I'd need a holding tank of sorts to actually QT the feeder fish. Possibly two holding tanks. QT new guys, and keep others in a "grow out" of sorts. You could make sure they were healthy and disease free prior to them being eaten by your fish. In the ocean such parasites or infections may not be as bad due to the abundant food sources for these particular fish and cleaner water than we'd find in a home aquarium setup but you take one and stick it in your tank and I can already see the possiblities of inadvertantly introducing something bad to the tank. Albeit a small chance, still one I wouldn't want to take.

kipher · 12/15/2006, 12:39 PM

I think I read last night in "Saltwater for Dumbies"...yes I'm actually reading it. That prepared food manufactures bombard the food products with Gamma Rays (I think that was it) to elimated diseases. Like all the others said....you run the risk of introducing diseases/ any sickness a fish can have. I think I would personally stick with prepared foods. Best of Luck to you.

yakfishin · 12/15/2006, 01:50 PM

Hey guys, well...I wasn't planning on bringing them back home alive from the beach, but instead bringing them back frozen. I figured while I caught some minnows for bait- I might as well save a few to freeze to feed my fish. But I wasn't sure about the whole parasite issue either......wonder what a gamma ray machine would go for these days??

yakfishin · 12/15/2006, 02:05 PM

hmmm....I just read where freezing will kill any known fish parasites, but not all micro-organisms. You would think that if people can eat sushi fairly safely, then why couldn't another fish?

papagimp · 12/15/2006, 02:12 PM

human physiology and fish fishiology are completely different. different immune system. Besdies, there arn't too many fish diseases and parasites that people have to worry about, cept piscine tuburculosus and maybe a few others I havn't ran across yet.

yakfishin · 12/15/2006, 02:47 PM

I suppose your correct. I'll sustain from this practive until I do some more research. You hear a good bit of stories about people feeding their fish (not to say they're doing so correctly), with seafood such as shrimp, squid, oysters, fish etc. that they purchase at their local seafood market. I just thought that what I'm netting is bound to be more nutritous than the frozen silversides that are sold. Definitely don't want to introduce something into my aquarium that doesn't belong there. Thanks for the advice.

12/15/2006, 11:00 AM	#1
yakfishin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 696	Catch my own fish food I have a yellowtailed moray currently in quarantine and a lionfish which will be a future addition to my 215G tank. I go saltwater fishing quite often, and have the ability to catch my own minnows (mullet, silversides, and bullheads and the occasional shrimp) and such for feeding. I can vacuum package a few to freeze in seperate packages and have a good supply of free fish food. Does anyone see any potential problems of doing this? The only thing I can think of is if the fish I catch are more subject to pollutants or diseases, but then- how do I know that the fish from the pet store or suppermarket come from any cleaner of an enviroment? But let me know your thoughts and if you have ever heard that this is not a good thing to do.

12/15/2006, 11:35 AM	#4
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	If I were going to attempt something like this, I think I'd need a holding tank of sorts to actually QT the feeder fish. Possibly two holding tanks. QT new guys, and keep others in a "grow out" of sorts. You could make sure they were healthy and disease free prior to them being eaten by your fish. In the ocean such parasites or infections may not be as bad due to the abundant food sources for these particular fish and cleaner water than we'd find in a home aquarium setup but you take one and stick it in your tank and I can already see the possiblities of inadvertantly introducing something bad to the tank. Albeit a small chance, still one I wouldn't want to take. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

12/15/2006, 12:39 PM	#5
kipher Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Edwardsville, IL Posts: 429	I think I read last night in "Saltwater for Dumbies"...yes I'm actually reading it. That prepared food manufactures bombard the food products with Gamma Rays (I think that was it) to elimated diseases. Like all the others said....you run the risk of introducing diseases/ any sickness a fish can have. I think I would personally stick with prepared foods. Best of Luck to you. __________________ Brian SEASL & SLASH member For the Best of both Worlds!!!! Current Tank Info: 75G reef, 95 lbs LR, 29g tank as my DIY fuge/sump w/ Quiteone Model 3000 (780gph) return pump, ASM G-2 Skimmer, 1 - 170gph Penguin 660 PH , Seio 2600, 2500gph MJ Mod, Typhoon III RO/DI, 2x250W MH (10K XM's) & 2-36" 96W VHO Actinic

12/15/2006, 02:12 PM	#8
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	human physiology and fish fishiology are completely different. different immune system. Besdies, there arn't too many fish diseases and parasites that people have to worry about, cept piscine tuburculosus and maybe a few others I havn't ran across yet. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

12/15/2006, 11:04 AM	#2
Shagsbeard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Morro Bay, CA Posts: 2,143	Can't imagine that it would be a bad idea to feed your fish food from the ocean, though I wouldn't use "life" from the hudson river or anything overly nasty. Getting your fish's approval on a food is the hardest part... they might not go for it.

12/15/2006, 11:25 AM	#3
yakfishin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 696	Well, I got the goldentail Tues., and last night I dangled half a mullet in front of him on an acyrlic rod and it took him awhile but he eventually ate it. I then offered him the other half and he took it without hesitating. The mullet is one I had frozen this fall- along with a few others, in preperation for the day that I had these fish. But it just occured to me last night that perhaps there might be something wrong with feeding them with fish I netted from the surf. Not sure if any coastline along the US is exactly pristine- but where I fish off NC is not dirty.

12/15/2006, 01:50 PM	#6
yakfishin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 696	Hey guys, well...I wasn't planning on bringing them back home alive from the beach, but instead bringing them back frozen. I figured while I caught some minnows for bait- I might as well save a few to freeze to feed my fish. But I wasn't sure about the whole parasite issue either......wonder what a gamma ray machine would go for these days??

12/15/2006, 02:05 PM	#7
yakfishin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 696	hmmm....I just read where freezing will kill any known fish parasites, but not all micro-organisms. You would think that if people can eat sushi fairly safely, then why couldn't another fish?

12/15/2006, 02:47 PM	#9
yakfishin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 696	I suppose your correct. I'll sustain from this practive until I do some more research. You hear a good bit of stories about people feeding their fish (not to say they're doing so correctly), with seafood such as shrimp, squid, oysters, fish etc. that they purchase at their local seafood market. I just thought that what I'm netting is bound to be more nutritous than the frozen silversides that are sold. Definitely don't want to introduce something into my aquarium that doesn't belong there. Thanks for the advice.