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I have fed my BB Cat live feeder fish before, its someting very interesting to see its not something I would make a staple meal for him and I am aware of health issues with using feeder fish. My question is this, I want to raise some guppies to use as feeder fish. They spwn easy, reproduce like crazy, and are a good size to use as feeder fish. My only question is, is there any reason that I should not do this, something that would harm my cat?

the guppies will be in a seperate tank, I would like a spawn or two before using them for feeders. They would really just be for the fun of watching the cat stalk its prey, was really cool to watch with the minnows from petco last time. Plus, guppies look cool so they will be nice to look at in their breeding tank also.

anyone else done this before? antyone have any advice, caution, or objections? any input is appreciated.

anyone else done this before? antyone have any advice, caution,

Apart from the health implications(diseases) no. what else were you expecting?

or objections? any input is appreciated.

I don't think you want an argument about the ethical issues do you?

As far as catfish health is concerned, I don't think there are any problems at all. That method seems to be the best feeder method. Cichlids work pretty well for this purpose too I think.

magnum4 wrote: I don't think you want an argument about the ethical issues do you?

I didnt even think about that when I posted, I just wanted to make sure that feeding guppies wasnt going to hurt my catfish.

The guppies will not be fed to the catfish for however long it takes to spawn them a time or two, they will be quarantined of course. They will be raised in a different tank and I will avoid feeding the breeder guppies to the cat.

now I just need to get my tanks setup and I will be in business

That's probably the best way to do it.

Regards,
Mike D.

Hi,

You might find that breeding guppies in quantities large enough to use as feeders is more trouble then its worth. On the other hand it is an interesting project even if the yeild is smaller then expected. The guppies mean population doubling time is 1.4 year. The first time I did it it was in a delapidated 70g. I later tried it in kiddy pools. The kiddy pools were the funnest. As far as disease, your doing the breeding, so you should be able to control that. Its less risky then getting guppies at the pet shop. I alway dip my feeders in malachite green befor putting them in my tank. If you do try raising guppies, then do it as a project for its own sake, not out of expectations of free feeders for life. BTW, I concider the kiddy pool project one of the neatest things I have done, right up there with a 45g Venesualian river aquarium I did ( that was rock solid stabile for 10 years, untill I tore it down ).

thx bob

Mooncaller wrote:I alway dip my feeders in malachite green befor putting them in my tank.

Not a good idea if you value the health of your bumblebee cat. Malachite green is a carcinogen. In the case of an occasional dip to cure ich, the benefits outweigh the risks, but long-term ingestion is another matter.

Hi,

I should have been more specific. I dipped the guppies after pulling them from the kiddy pools, but befor putting them in the tank I used to hold feeders. I was not dipping, then feeding to fish, YICKS! My postings can tend to the long winded, especialy after a long day. When I'm not tired, I take pains to be breif. Sometimes too brief

thx bob

I will be raising the guppies mostly cause I want to, it will make use of my other tank. the bumblebee is fed on shrimp pellets now, I will puyt a guppie feeder in there every now and then, not a main food source though.