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Feeding banded pymies

Started by Guest_baker46947_* , Jan 08 2011 03:36 PM

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17 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 08 January 2011 - 03:36 PM

I have read that they will take "frozen" blood worms. My question is, how do I get them out to get them? Will they come out to get them, after they thaw, off the bottom? I am attempting to culture some live foods, but to start now is difficult due to ICE.
My (8)BPS's are in a 10 gal with 8 least livebearers. They were received on the 4th and started out all in a corner in a panic, and now they are hiding (hiding very well)in structure, plants and sponge filter. I hope the the LL's reproduce fast enough to keep them fed. Randy B.

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#2 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 08 January 2011 - 05:48 PM

I would suggest defrosting a cube or two of frozen bloodworms in a cup in a finger or two of water, and when the cube has melted pour it into the tank. The fish will find them sooner than later unless they're utterly traumatized.

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#3 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 08 January 2011 - 05:55 PM

Agree with Bruce on defrosting... but I would add, that you should 'feed the weeds' even if you do not see the fish for a while. I have had fish for 6 months that I did not see, then all of a sudden found that they had been eating all along... also if you start feeding in the cover they will get used to the food, then you can slowly start feeding closer to the front glass and the fish will begin to come find the food.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#4 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 09 January 2011 - 02:36 PM

Try feeding when tank lights are off but the room is still light. Also keep in mind they are territorial, so spread the food out rather than dropping it all in one place, where the domiannt fish make keep the others from getting any. Some pygmies just never accept dead food, so you might need to supplement with live grindalworms, blackworms, moina, artemia, etc.

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#5 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 09 January 2011 - 05:09 PM

I fed them today with some frozen blood worms. My method was to use a suspended basket. Made of an onion bag and attached to a cork. They showed some inertest in the worms. Now I would like to know if the ten gallon is going to be big enough for all of these little fish? I can have use of a 20 long. How often is feeding needed?

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#6 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 10 January 2011 - 08:23 AM

Thought you might find the stomach content analysis on wikipedia interesting:

Stomach contents of 46 individual banded pygmy sunfish (26 of which were spawning adults) collected at Mound, Louisiana were examined for food identification by Barney and Anson. The main food identified at Mound included insect larvae (mostly from the family Chironomidae), small crustaceans and snail eggs. The crustaceans and snail eggs combined constituted the majority of the content. Next in quantity was the insect larva. It is also noted that minute amounts of algal spores were ingested by these fish. It is most likely that these algal blooms were taken in accidentally with other prey.

So I'd add a half dozen different species of pond snails to the tank and maybe some of your local pet store's small shrimp species, like a Palaemonetes species or a Neocaridina species. Then add a small sprinkle of flakes every day to make your snails happy. They will be slightly preyed upon by the shrimp, but if you feed them every day a small pinch of flakes they should reproduce enough to keep up with predation.
. . . And about the algal spores thing, that would probably be imitated by you having a tad bit of live plants in the tank. It might be necessary for your banded pygmies to have that tiny bit of vegetable content. If you're not sure how good you are at live plants, try one of the mosses. Java moss, singapore moss, flame moss, etc. They're all nearly impossible to kill and they'd make your shrimp feel more comfortable, too.

How often is feeding needed?

If it was me, and I had frozen worms already in my freezer, I'd drop a chunk in once a day or maybe once in the morning, once in the afternoon. You've already got the stuff, might as well use it. They will eat frequently. The ideal eating pattern for them is a daylong grazing. You know like how cows will just mosy over grass all day, slowly chewing, eating all the time? That's kind of like how swamp fish are, not really moving much, eating a mouthful here and there where they can get it all day long.
Just don't add more than they will eat in 10 minutes in a single feeding. That will just sit there and rot. Frequent small feedings is the key to health.

Edit: And I see you mentioned finding live food cultures difficult because of the time of year. I recommend aquabid.com, where you can have a live food culture shipped right to you regardless of season. My baby Elassoma adore microworms, and having the culture shipped to me and purchasing it only cost a grand total of $3.50.

Edited by EricaWieser, 10 January 2011 - 08:31 AM.

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#7 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 10 January 2011 - 11:43 AM

I have always kept a high snail load with my pygmies... they eat the extra food... and they make snail eggs... clean water, and fresh live food.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#8 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 11 January 2011 - 09:09 AM

I have always kept a high snail load with my pygmies... they eat the extra food... and they make snail eggs... clean water, and fresh live food.

I have more ramhorns snails then others. Are these exceptable? I'll have to go to local fish stores to ask about pond snails.
It appears that the BPS's are eating the blood worms,specialy the largest of them. They don't stay on the bottom that long.

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#9 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 11 January 2011 - 05:34 PM

I have more ramhorns snails then others. Are these exceptable? I'll have to go to local fish stores to ask about pond snails.
It appears that the BPS's are eating the blood worms,specialy the largest of them. They don't stay on the bottom that long.

Yes, I have both kind in my tank... maybe there are some kinds that would be bad... but I have had no problems with stuff that just comes with the plants...

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#10 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 12 January 2011 - 11:27 AM

I have set up a 5 gallon tank to start a pond snail colony. A few native plants, bare floor and a light air stream. Also, when available, it will be used for crustacean growth. It sets in an east window.

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#11 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 12 January 2011 - 07:52 PM

I have set up a 5 gallon tank to start a pond snail colony. A few native plants, bare floor and a light air stream. Also, when available, it will be used for crustacean growth. It sets in an east window.

My snail colonies grew really quickly when I fed them flake food every day as if I were feeding a fish tank. A ten gallon tank, an air stone, and flake food, and their population exploded.

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#12 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 13 January 2011 - 10:55 AM

I would asume that these ideas that work for BPS will work for the other speices of Pygmies.
? Is my 10 gallon to small for 8 BPS an 8 least livebearers to live uncrowded. Should I go up to my 20 long?

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#13 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 14 January 2011 - 09:46 PM

I would asume that these ideas that work for BPS will work for the other speices of Pygmies.
? Is my 10 gallon to small for 8 BPS an 8 least livebearers to live uncrowded. Should I go up to my 20 long?

What genus and species are you referring to by "least livebearer"?
Oh, and yes, I would give them the larger tank. Each of my males patrols and defends a square foot of territory. Overcrowding would make them aggressive.

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#14 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 15 January 2011 - 12:48 AM

My guess would be H. formosa. Although I've never heard of it referred to that way, it is more appropriate than its' common name.

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#15 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 15 January 2011 - 12:01 PM

My guess would be H. formosa. Although I've never heard of it referred to that way, it is more appropriate than its' common name.

Yes . I use that name as a livebearer an not a killi. I will start on transferring them to the 20 gal. They did seem to me a bit crowded, with one large male commanding most of the area in the middle of the tank.

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#16 Guest_mywan_*

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Posted 15 January 2011 - 11:51 PM

Oops: wrong thread, too many tabs open, moved post to here:

http://forum.nanfa.o...5268#entry85268

Edited by mywan, 15 January 2011 - 11:58 PM.

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#17 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 17 January 2011 - 05:53 PM

I got the Pygmies and Little livebearers all moved to a 20 long today. let them settle back in and start over with them. I'd like to thank you all for your help, I think they may stay around a while.Randy

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#18 Guest_baker46947_*

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Posted 09 March 2011 - 05:48 PM

Stopped at a ferral pond today for procurement of foods for my pygmies. Got some glass worms and grammas. Not to sure if they can ingest them. Not a bad thing for my blue spotted sunfish, American flagfish, bluefin killies....they've gobbled them up.