food glorious food !!! What to feed the little guys?

[KittenFishMom]

Local live food is getting hard to find. I want to start feeding these little guys something I can buy. Aquarium CoOp has 60 choices, but I no long have 60 fish. So I need help narrowing my choices.

I has a bunch of small shiners, a few banded killifish, a smattering of small rock bass / bluegill / sunnies, 3 of my kitten fish and a crayfish.  The bullheads are about 2 inches, everything else is much smaller.  The pan fish are all about the size of a US quarter. 

I'm going to brew up some brine shrimp and get a new colony started.  The frozen bloodworms are a bit big. I have to shave them while frozen with a sharp knife. If I break up small earthworms, the kitten fish swim around,  looking like they are smoking pink cigars. I'm hoping to find some more fresh seaweed before it all dies. I have some of what I call freshwater shrimp in the tank. I think they are scrud(sp?), but the ones I see are too big for all but the bullheads. I also have a few of what I call paddle bugs, black on top, white on bottom with 2 legs with scoops of the ends. They swim like a person rowing. I am pretty sure they can fly when they mature.

What do you Nerms recommend I buy to feed these little guys? 

Note: I don't want to feed them to each other. I realize they are all young and growing at different rates, so I have to keep an eye on them so they don't start eating each other as the bigger ones probably grow faster, but while they are all close to the same size, I think they are pretty safe.

 

[Fish Folk]

What are you keeping all of these fish in? A single tank / pond? Or separate tanks? Do you know what species of shiner yours are? Exactly how small are your smallest fish -- Killis and Shiners especially?

The Catfish will eat larger foods. Frozen blood worms fortified with vitamins are excellent. But smaller fish may require powdered foods -- Sera Micron, Aquarium Co Op Fry starter, and live Artemis (baby brine shrimp).

Please explain your situation more thoroughly so that the community can help you intelligently. I'm interested in where your fish are from, and where you're keeping them currently.

[KittenFishMom]

@Fish FolkAll the fish are from the water a few feet from shore in front of my cottage on south east Owasco Lake in the Finger Lakes in central New York state.  I have been catching them with a minnow trap made out of netting. The water is 2 to 4 inches deep where I am catching them.  

The shiners are called true shiners in some photos.  They have a horizontal stripe. I'll see if I can get you a better name. (Update, I loaned my Peterson's field guide, but I am pretty sure they are a black chinned shiners)

The photos are of fish that average or on the large side for the ones I have been collecting. Many are much smaller.

They are in a 10 gallon tank now. I will be getting a 55 gallon tank for them tomorrow.  I had been keeping a 120 native fish tank in the garage this summer. It is too cold for that now. All the bigger fish are in someones pond, or an aquarium in a local nature center.  I just started collecting thee fish about 2 weeks ago. I have been offering them Aquarium CoOp easy fry food and bloodworms and some first bites food as well as the critters on the seaweed and in the lake water.

Note: I have a fishing license and have been in touch with the NY DEC to make sure I am working within their rules. I have fished for decades. This was the first summer I kept an aquarium, initially to hold my catch until I cleaned or released them. I got hooked on watching the fish at eye level.

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by KittenFishMom

[Fish Folk]

Gotcha! Ok. Obviously, you’ll need a much larger aquarium than a 10- gal. You should get acquainted with NANFA (North America Native Fishes Association). I’m a member, and I enjoy keeping several species of Darters, Rainbow Shiners, and Redbelly Dace.

The 120 gal in your garage sounds more promising than anything for the larger species. You could pop in a heater on a low setting. These fish winter over in the Finger Lakes, so your garage will be fine if they’re all from that source.

Smaller fish should do fine inside in a 55 gal. I keep my Darters and Dace in 20 gal tanks, and my Rainbow Shiners in a 29 gal.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Fish Folk

[Fish Folk]

Followup: all of those fish are large enough to eat small red worms. You can look at bait stores. They’re used to eating live foods in the wild. I wouldn’t feed them fry food or even baby brine shrimp at those sizes. Live Daphnia, or small feeder guppies would work. 

[KittenFishMom]

On 11/20/2021 at 6:40 AM, Fish Folk said:

The 120 gal in your garage sounds more promising than anything for the larger species. You could pop in a heater on a low setting. These fish winter over in the Finger Lakes, so your garage will be fine if they’re all from that source.

The problem with the 120 gallon tank is not the fish being warm enough, it is me being warm enough while sitting and watching them.

The 10 gallon tank was just temporary until I decided if I was getting a tank set up in the cottage and bringing them inside, or releasing them in a pond. I was also debating getting store bought fish for the winter instead of going native, In the end I decided to go for the native fish for the inside tank.  

I'm using some air dried Icelandic whole fish cat treats the cats did not like as bait in te minnow trap.  The fish think they are the bee's knees, The cats just carried them around a bit and looked confused.  How do you catch your fish?

[Fish Folk]

On 11/20/2021 at 9:50 AM, KittenFishMom said:

The problem with the 120 gallon tank is not the fish being warm enough, it is me being warm enough while sitting and watching them.

The 10 gallon tank was just temporary until I decided if I was getting a tank set up in the cottage and bringing them inside, or releasing them in a pond. I was also debating getting store bought fish for the winter instead of going native, In the end I decided to go for the native fish for the inside tank.  

I'm using some air dried Icelandic whole fish cat treats the cats did not like as bait in te minnow trap.  The fish think they are the bee's knees, The cats just carried them around a bit and looked confused.  How do you catch your fish?

I purchase my fish from U. S. Native breeders and sellers online. I live in MD, and game laws are rather prohibitive. 

[gardenman]

Another big concern with a 120-gallon tank in a garage in NY state is the water freezing and blowing the tank apart. That would be bad. Water expands when it freezes and if you left the garage door open things could be get messy.

[KittenFishMom]

On 11/20/2021 at 10:23 AM, gardenman said:

Another big concern with a 120-gallon tank in a garage in NY state is the water freezing and blowing the tank apart. That would be bad. Water expands when it freezes and if you left the garage door open things could be get messy.

Or if the power goes out for a day or so.

I keep hydrogen peroxide on hand in case of power outs in the summer to oxygenate the water. It is cheap and easy to store in small bottles, but you have to be very careful, to much acts like adding bleach. I dilute a small amount and add a little at a time if the fish look stressed.  Then I wait to see if they recover.  Then wait until they show signs of stress before adding more. Less is safer than more, you don't want to burn you fish.

This also works well when holding minnows as bait, or holding your catch. 

Warm water doesn't hold as much oxygen as cold, so keep frozen water bottles in the deep freeze to float in a warm tank. Leave room in the bottles for the expansion of the freezing water.

[Fish Folk]

On 11/20/2021 at 10:42 AM, KittenFishMom said:

Or if the power goes out for a day or so.

I keep hydrogen peroxide on hand in case of power outs in the summer to oxygenate the water. It is cheap and easy to store in small bottles, but you have to be very careful, to much acts like adding bleach. I dilute a small amount and add a little at a time if the fish look stressed.  Then I wait to see if they recover.  Then wait until they show signs of stress before adding more. Less is safer than more, you don't want to burn you fish.

This also works well when holding minnows as bait, or holding your catch. 

Warm water doesn't hold as much oxygen as cold, so keep frozen water bottles in the deep freeze to float in a warm tank. Leave room in the bottles for the expansion of the freezing water.

Nice thing about keeping natives is that they definitely can survive in cool temps. A 55 gal. at room temp inside will be fun to watch. I love the look of Valisneria Americana, and Bronze Crypt. I also ordered a bunch of Mexican Beach Pebbles. I stick dry Oak leaves under the rocks to release tannins.

For filtration, I’d go with two HOBs with loads of Pothos growing out, and two Sponge Filters. I do this on a 55 gal. I’m my basement.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Fish Folk

[Brandon p]

Florida has laws that that are pretty loose. Game fish have the most rules which aren’t much, but in south Florida you can get many different types of of central and South American fish and some Africa. I live that has mother moats canals in the us and some say the most in the world. In. Here are just a few I have caught. Oscar, Mayan cichlids, tilapia, jewel fish, Angelfish, and many more. This is a Mayan Chilids. 

[Fish Folk]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:07 AM, Brandon p said:

Florida has laws that that are pretty loose. Game fish have the most rules which aren’t much, but in south Florida you can get many different types of of central and South American fish and some Africa. I live that has mother moats canals in the us and some say the most in the world. In. Here are just a few I have caught. Oscar, Mayan cichlids, tilapia, jewel fish, Angelfish, and many more. This is a Mayan Chilids. 

Every waterway in south FL is a tropical fish store 😂

[Brandon p]

Can be some are in specific hidden are or found on the east coast you see angelfish and the there are large peacock bass and knife fish as well as midias chilids and more. You can see al out of these are caught in people back yards.. I’m putting in a link for the captain that took there people for these trips. I caught my biggest bass I’ve ever caught and my only peacock bass. 

snakehead

Peacock bassMidias Chilid and peacock bass righ in a canal system with house all around. There is a good chance Iguanas will fall on the boat.This is the picture they should put up next to the babies in the LFSlarge male Midas chilidone of the many pleco or armor catfish fond here and are very damaging  

@Guppysnail

Edited November 20, 2021 by Brandon p

[KittenFishMom]

I love all the photos of the fish.

I am still looking for recommendation on what kind of food to buy at Aquarium CoOp for the fish in my tank.

Thanks

[Brandon p]

On 11/20/2021 at 3:21 PM, KittenFishMom said:

I love all the photos of the fish.

I am still looking for recommendation on what kind of food to buy at Aquarium CoOp for the fish in my tank.

Thanks

 Xtreme 1.5mm Floating Pellets 

Xtreme's Krill Flake 

Repashy Grub Pie

Micro Pellets from Hikari

Live bbs

In summer I have some ponds that that I use the mosquito larvae and tadpoles. I know you said Aquarium Co-cp but I do use blanched peas and green beans along with frozen peas and green beans. I have many fish and am breeding and growing out in in 11 of the 20 I have. So I feed a lot it BBS, Extreme krill flakes(work for and fish(omnivore or carnivore) they willl break down to easily crumble for baby guppies up). Last I’m not sure how big some of the fish you have will get but would farming earth worms

i feed lots of different foods foods but the first 5 are from the co-op. I do use Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs as well.

I hope this helps. Some of the sinking foods are more vegetarian and others are for bottom fish that sink fast so they can eat get down before the other Fish get it

 

 

 

 

[Gator]

@KittenFishMom; You can go to the sporting goods department in Wally World and find fish bait in a cooler. Since your fish are still fairly small, you can buy the panfish/trout worms and never worry about any expensive fish food from your LFS ever again. These worms are small enough that you can feed them to your fish whole or cut them in half. Raising native fish is cool and they are fun to watch so feed them what they'd normally eat in the wild, and feeding them baby Guppies is highly recommended also. 

[Gator]

@Fish Folk; MD can't say anything to you if you have a homeowners permission to catch minnows out of his farm pond. Who's to say what kind of minnows you caught? 

[KittenFishMom]

On 11/20/2021 at 7:03 AM, Fish Folk said:

Followup: all of those fish are large enough to eat small red worms. You can look at bait stores. They’re used to eating live foods in the wild. I wouldn’t feed them fry food or even baby brine shrimp at those sizes. Live Daphnia, or small feeder guppies would work. 

@Fish FolkWhere can I get daphnia eggs? I can buy live daphnia on Amazon, but am worried the water might introduce something other than daphnia to my fish. I have been reading about daphnia, and they sound about as easy to raise as brine shrimp.  When I get the brine shrimp colony going, I'll have adult brine shrimp in about 3 weeks.  The fish seem to like them in all sizes. I would guess the same for daphnia. 

[Brandon p]

I did do some brine daily even though a have a tank full of them this is a batch for fry. These are the aquarium co-op eggs are usually mostly because they separate better than any of the other eggs I’ve tried.this is them starting to separate. My light died so after I use my phone you can see how much more hatched have risen. Bottom photo is a home hade one so you could have live bbs in about 24 hours after you buy it. 

[KittenFishMom]

@Fish Folk Here are photos of the shiners.  What kind do you think it is? 

[Fish Folk]

On 11/26/2021 at 10:04 PM, KittenFishMom said:

@Fish Folk Here are photos of the shiners.  What kind do you think it is? 

Hmm... well, here's a good site to select options from. I'd be guessing, but maybe consider Blacknose Shiner one possible I.D. Another might be Blackchin Shiner.