Healthy largemouth bass diet?

My lmb is approx 6 inches and appears to be healthy by all means that I can tell.

I've recently been tossing in goldfish...about 3-5 a week but only one at a time. Other than that his meals are cut night crawlers.
I'm not sure if the gold fish are all that good for him... I've heard this possible myth that the slime coat from the goldies can harm
bass. I have no idea if this is true or not,so I thought I would bounce the question around in here. I'm aware that the goldies are very acidic
with their urine out put. This is also the reason for one goldfish at a time.

Is there anything else I should be including in the bass diet?
I had a few more questions....but magically lost my train of thoughts
Thanks again

Feeder goldies are just no good; they're nutrient deficient, parasite-ridden...the list goes on. Shiners or other fish from the baitshop, rosy reds, or guppies are a much better choice; wild-caught bait is even better. Nightcrawlers, crayfish, and shrimp (live or thawed) are good additions. You might try getting your fish to take cichlid pellets; it'll make your life easier.

My lmb is approx 6 inches and appears to be healthy by all means that I can tell.

I've recently been tossing in goldfish...about 3-5 a week but only one at a time. Other than that his meals are cut night crawlers.
I'm not sure if the gold fish are all that good for him... I've heard this possible myth that the slime coat from the goldies can harm
bass. I have no idea if this is true or not,so I thought I would bounce the question around in here. I'm aware that the goldies are very acidic
with their urine out put. This is also the reason for one goldfish at a time.

Is there anything else I should be including in the bass diet?
I had a few more questions....but magically lost my train of thoughts
Thanks again

I am inclined to disagree with most of the concerns about live goldfish as live forage for largemouth bass in confinement. True, goldfish sold as feeders tend to be inferior to wild fish on a nutritional basis but this can be over ridden by using goldfish that are in a well fed state (fat) and fed a high quality prepared diet (enhances vitamin content). This can be used for any species used as forage. Goldfish as a source of disease holds for all forage species unless reared in disease / parasite free environment.

The acidic nature of goldfish is a not known to me and I suspect it is male bovine feces.

This was over 15 years ago, and with relatively small sample sizes (10 for each diet), but I did a science fair project as a 6th grader with largemouth bass feeding, and the ones that I fed minnows grew faster than the ones I fed feeder comets.

There are two specific complaints associated with feeder goldfish (besides pathogens and malnutrition, which can be issues with any feeders): they have a ton of fat, and especially saturated fat, which can cause fatty liver disease in some fish; and they are unusually high in the enzyme thiaminase, which prevents utilization of vitamin B1.

There are two specific complaints associated with feeder goldfish (besides pathogens and malnutrition, which can be issues with any feeders): they have a ton of fat, and especially saturated fat, which can cause fatty liver disease in some fish; and they are unusually high in the enzyme thiaminase, which prevents utilization of vitamin B1.

The maximal growth rate I have ever been able to achive with largemouth bass was using only fathead minnows as forage. Minnows were well fed and consumed alive. I would pit those observed rates against any pellet reared or other live forage driven growth.

What I have read in short order indicates minnows in general, including rosy reads can have high thiaminase activity. The works did not indicate whether the minnows health (live or dead) had any affect but most of the studies involved feeding with dead minnows or minnow parts.

Unless goldfish are different from all other animals, the fatty acid profile of the body should reflect the diet. Therefore, manipulating the goldfish's diet can affect its fatty acid nutritional value to the largemouth.

Fatty liver disease can be associated with almost any diet. It can be caused by too much carbohydrate as well as too much fat. Too much of an improperly balance protein (amino acid profile) can cause same.

Looks to me like feeding with live minnows needs more study to figure out what is going on.

Right, the feeders' diet should control their nutritional profile, but I'm speaking specifically of store-bought feeder goldies, not those raised yourself. I did not know that other minnows have high thiaminase activity; do you know if this applies to livebearers as well?

I was aware that both goldfish and fatheads had a high level of thiaminase but have always been skeptical of their being inferior feeder choices due to their high fat content, something tropical fish keepers are always bringing up as a reason not to use them. I agree that properly quarantined feeders are a good source of food for aquarium fish but still feel that a pellet diet is the best. Pellets are developed to include the bulk of what a fish needs nutritionally while IMO the use of feeders alone doesn't cover all bases. Pellets are also much more convenient and cheap. Because of this I always promote converting predatory fish to a pellet based diet, all my sunfishes eat cichlid pellets and when I had a LMB he ate pellets as well. I would supplement this with live and frozen invertebrates such as crayfish, shrimp, crickets, worms etc..

Great information folks...much appreciated

I would love to get a hold a some minnows but the only store that carries any is on a limited basis,they only receive
every now and then. I don't care for the goldfish but they seem to be the only real option for "feederfish" I suppose
guppies would work too,not sure if that would be better,worse or the same as the goldies. For the most part,the lmb's
diet is and will be worms,just not sure if their is such a thing as protein overload for fish...I doubt it(haha)
In the summer months I typically take several mini vacations/trips where I'm away from the house for as long as a week.
I'm hoping that I can drop in a few feeder fish and the bass can feed himself.

i suggest going to a tackleshop and buy some minnows, the kind bass eat in the wild or are there none around so your absolutely stuck to the one store?

Washington state has strict rules against the use of live bait,so minnows are a very hard find.

hmmm, quite the problem then

If you start a earthworm culture, that could supply you with quite a bit of good largemouth bass chow. He is still small, so you might be able to convert him to pellets. Start by starving him for a few days, then throw in some presoaked carnivore or cichlid pellets and see if he eats one. Don't be discouraged if he spits a few back out or snubs the pellets completely at first, he will probably soon break down and eat them. Feel free to give him treats like live prey every once in a while for taste, however.

frozen minnows?

Still, I would stay away from pellet food, read the ingredients, it's amazing. Ethoquin (sp?) is hard on fish and is banned for people except in chilly powder (long story). There is a lot of overall corruption in the pet food industry, questionable ingredients, questionable nutritional evidence etc etc. Especially of the company comes from CA or several southern states, which have almost no pet food regs.


Anywho. You could raise your own minnows as long as it is within the law. I would stop the feeders though, I have some petsmart non-feeders that are my pets and I swear if I wasn't freinds with my vet and really good at fish meds they would be dead. I had 5 and now only 2 over just 3 years (goldfish live 5-10). The living ones together have had:

Anchorworm, dropsy, ich, velvet, popeye, blood infections and just about everything else except fin rot.

If those are the "healthy" goldfish then what do the feeders have? I also have the nutritional content of goldfish laying around here somewhere, if you want it I can go digging. I just remember it being very fatty.

My suggestion is to get some guppies from a reputable fish dealer (online, local family owned business, breeder) and treat them for everything and its cousin. Then, being guppies you will in no time have too many guppies and you should find a fish store that will give you store credit for the extras.

Until then, I like earthworms. You can start a vermicompost pile in the basement and feed it color-free paper and apple cores. They will breed like mad too.

Also, I make hermit crab food, which I can make into flake food that is mainly animal matter. It wouldn't be a complete diet for a bass but it could be most of the diet with a worm or two every so often. Its all natural with nothing questionable, no preservatives etc.

Edited by blaze88, 24 January 2009 - 01:33 AM.

Raising my own worms and minnows sounds like a great idea.
I think I'll give this some serious thought.

So is it a safe bet to say their are more advantages with feeder guppies as opposed to goldies?

I made the mistake of purchasing feeders from Petco,I am no longer using those...the ones that are in the feeder tank don't look so well.
I'm worried...maybe a little paranoid,the bass has eaten a few of these and still appears fine but what would be the signs and symptoms
of a possible parasite? and the best method of treatment?

Sorry for so many questions...this is my 3rd bass but the previous 2 I had very young age and don't recall doing anything other than feeding them
and when they got to big,..they went in the pond.

I would say guppies are a tad better than goldies. Just watch your bass for acting odd or and change of color or anything different really. He is probably fine, but just PM me or start a thread if he gets sick. I have lots of experience with curing sick fishies.

Guppies it is,...until I can find some decent minnows.
I do have access to a variety of freshwater ghost shrimp but they are a little more pricey than guppies and some kind
of lobster looking thing,not sure what to call it but its not a crawfish...or so I'm told anyway.
Thanks for all the info folks,its much appreciated

Nightcrawlers and superworms are good largemouth food

When they get adult size crayfish are the way to go