what do you use as food?

e-cat · Post by **e-cat** » 17 Aug 2003, 21:37

what do you guys and girls feed your carnivoris catfish?
i feed my electric catfish, beef heart, earth worms, cocktail shrimp, krill, mysis shrimp, a couple shrimp pettets inside the beef heart and some feeder fish once in a while.
has any one ever feed there fish live leaches? there are some for sell at the bait shop that i get my earth worms from, would they be ok for catfish too eat?

Post by **Silurus** » 18 Aug 2003, 16:27

Try Hikari carnivore pellets. Cats (including e-cats) just love 'em.
Leeches are a no-no. They apparently taste bad to fishes, as I have not experienced or heard of any fishes that would eat them.

FatCat · Post by **FatCat** » 18 Aug 2003, 21:52

Leeches are frequently used as catfish bait in the midwest here with pretty good results. I caught a 15 lb icthaluras punctatus on a leech. Asside from that never heard of them just for feeding. I would be worried about them feeding on my fish if you are giving them alive.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 18 Aug 2003, 23:01

How big is your Malapterurus? If he's of a size, why not feed him with live fish? their hunting is a thing to experience; you can "see" the cat getting fixed on the fish and then....ZAP!

e-cat · Post by **e-cat** » 19 Aug 2003, 00:21

its around 7 inches, iv feed it live fish before but iv never seen it shock them just opens its big mouth and swalows it.i want too see him shock some thing, i know that sounds crule, but im sure any one that owns one wants too see it do what its know for, mabey 3" gold fish or some thing.

the leeches are live i just was wondering if they woulod be fine or not they sell them at a bait shop here for fishing for catfish also.

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Aug 2003, 21:21

You want to see an e-cat shock something, try feeder frogs (if you can get your hands on some). Back in Singapore, I used to feed my e-cat feeder frogs (Rana cancrivora bred expressively for that purpose). The e-cat would shock the frogs anytime it came into physical contact with one (you can see the frog swimming one moment and being very still and sinking to the bottom the next). Of course, when it eventually discovered the frogs, they were sucked right into the mouth immediately.

e-cat · Post by **e-cat** » 20 Aug 2003, 00:34

i will take a look for those, thanx for the idea.
i havent seen any frogs for sell for feeding purposes yet, mabye ill have too special order them. is there a common name for them?

Post by **Silurus** » 20 Aug 2003, 00:39

Don't think R. cancrivora (commonly known as crab-eating frogs) would be available in the US (it's an Asian species). Maybe you can substitute with small bullfrogs instead.

e-cat · Post by **e-cat** » 20 Aug 2003, 01:03

what about claw toed frogs, there often seen for sell is there skin toxic or would they make a good treat for the e-cat?

Post by **Silurus** » 20 Aug 2003, 01:13

If you are referring to Xenopus, I don't think they will (or can) be eaten. Not too sure, but they probably taste bad/are poisonous to fish.
You can try glass/ghost shrimp instead. When the e-cat zaps them (and doesn't eat them), they go into a frenzy and flick their abdomens violently, shooting clear across the tank.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 20 Aug 2003, 13:15

no, they're no good.
long ago, a friend of mine had a big cat-tank with all kinds of fish, including a fairly big Tiger Shovelnose (Pseudoplatystoma), well beyond 2 feet.

I was surprisaed to see several Xenopus laevis (Common Clawed Frog) in there as well! When I asked why the Tiger didn't eat the frogs, he told me it happened occasionally, during feeding with earthworms, bloodworms or fingerlings, the fish got in a feeding frenzy.
Now and then, the Tiger swallowed a frog, but immedeately spewed them, it didn't harm the frogs at all!

I've kept X tropicalis for years (they're smaller, with a pointed snout and an extra claw on the heel), I had also a few adult Pseudauchenipterus. These would - in the middle of a feedingfrenzy- tackle a frog or a frogleg, but again; those frogs are obviously inedable for many fish.

e-cat · Post by **e-cat** » 21 Aug 2003, 00:11

i never would have thought they wouldnt be eating, i think im going too try a fancy glod fish there always bumping into things and sooner or later it will get shocked

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 21 Aug 2003, 00:17

try baby convicts (Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus). They're cheap as dirt, and very curious fish, always stay near the bottom, quite stupid and they always check weird things out (like a resting catfish). Those will practically swim in it's mouth.....

It shouldn't be hard, finding anyone that has an overload of these.

Baby Jewels (Hemichromis lifalili) should be the next best thing.

both species can also be bred very easily and you get a higher pay-off on sheer numbers and available fry than breeding guppies.....