10 replies to this topic

[Jett]

I'm using zebra danios as feeders for sunfish and was wondering if they can really eat too much. One of them ate so many it got a distended abdomen. It looks better today, though.

[Fleendar the Magnificent]

They can eat too much and die. Don't think it's common, but it can happen. Gluttony. My small 3" bass ate a large darter a month ago and I thought for sure that it was a goner. Belly all distended and looked bad. He was fine the next morning.

 

Chris M.

[Matt DeLaVega]

 I have always liked to look at feeders as part of the community. I like to keep them in the tank full time and replenish as needed. Always having a school of shiners in the tank keeps it interesting and seems to cut down on gluttony long term. It isn't always easy to keep up with though.

[Jett]

This is him. He's completely fine now, but holy cow he stuffed himself.

I usually get 3 dozen danios every other week. Takes 4 sunfish about 5 days to polish off all of them. They like worms too. Pellets, not so much.

I'm working on breeding guppies, but those would probably be the equivalent of a human eating one dorito. Small meal. I should have kept those convicts I got for free -_-;

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[Jett]

Also, I went with danios because they're the healthiest feeders I can find. The store I get them from is really good at quarantining.

I'd really like to feed fatheads, but I'm looking at a 2 month long quarantine every time I buy them.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I don't think a green sunfish could eat enough to hurt itself. They are built for gluttony. Really, I wouldn't be concerned.

[JasonL]

Bigger issue long term would be disrupting water parameters by chronically over feeding imo.

[Jett]

Then I'm not sure how many feeders to be getting at one time. One fish mostly refuses pelleted food. If it doesn't move, he doesn't want it. He's kinda skinny, so I don't want to cut him back.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Water quality is a concern for sure. They will learn to love pellets as much as feeders. It generally only takes a few days to switch sunfish to pellets. If some are already eating pellets, within a week, they should all be voraciously eating pellets. Unless the skinny fish is really skinny, it can handle a few days without food. If not it may have bigger problems. Pellets are the better way to go.

[Jett]

The one skinny fish has been dewormed and water quality has been checked. I talked to my lfs about the skinny fish and that's how I got them all onto feeders.

The skinny fish used to eat pellets, but seems to have lost interest in them. He eats worms, crickets, other fish... Basically anything that moves.

[gzeiger]

Anything regularly fed live food will lose interest in everything else. He'll learn.

 

I had a little bass once who would eat feeders and crayfish until his belly was fully, half swallow one more so he couldn't fully close his gills, then grab one more by the tail with his lips and swim around holding it for several hours until he digested enough to fit it.

 

Sunfish teach each other.