Boring, Dull, African fish...

finsandfeathers wrote:Well gang I'm a fence rider on this discussion LOL keep africans & SA's and some others in between. There isn't a dull personality in all the SA's and guess because my africans for the most have been here so many years they aren't shy in the least and come right up to feed. If anyones a tad skittish it'd have to be the Vics and that isn't saying much LOL Color isn't a huge issue since my favorite fish is brown guess that explains my "thing" for the Labeo Fuellebornis with their OB natural look

I agree with this completely. my South Africans come up to the glass. they swim around playfully.
i very rarely see them tucked away and hiding. always cruising around and the boxing matches!

some people like watching fish eat other fish whole. and some people like watching their fish rip
other fish to shreds and leave carcasses behind. To each their own. i hate the cleanup.

AE86-Danny wrote:
some people like watching fish eat other fish whole. and some people like watching their fish rip
other fish to shreds and leave carcasses behind. To each their own. i hate the cleanup.

As an owner of large fish I do not practice this. I never use other fish to feed. Very barbaric practice, and in most cases not beneficial for the fish. (Unless you breed and raise your own)

DMD123 wrote:

AE86-Danny wrote:
some people like watching fish eat other fish whole. and some people like watching their fish rip
other fish to shreds and leave carcasses behind. To each their own. i hate the cleanup.

As an owner of large fish I do not practice this. I never use other fish to feed. Very barbaric practice, and in most cases not beneficial for the fish. (Unless you breed and raise your own)

some people dont agree with that unfortunately.
i think it rather cruel and unusual to stick 20''+ Catfish in a fish tank full of red bullies (Youtube)

To that person, he may see it as normal. Just because they can do it does not mean they should.

I have fed my fish things at times that are not just pellets. But they fall into a category of things they would eat in nature like bugs (crickets, grasshoppers). Very unlikely they would have a terrestrial earthworm to eat but I do feed them these also. That is pretty much the extent of the carnage my large fish did.

DMD123 wrote:To that person, he may see it as normal. Just because they can do it does not mean they should.

I have fed my fish things at times that are not just pellets. But they fall into a category of things they would eat in nature like bugs (crickets, grasshoppers). Very unlikely they would have a terrestrial earthworm to eat but I do feed them these also. That is pretty much the extent of the carnage my large fish did.

sounds like a really healthy and reasonable diet.
I suggested to my buddy who has 2 jack dempseys and 2 gold oscars to feed them crickets, we tryed it out and it was a great success.
They have also eaten of course worms, and shrimp. I would imagine they would find more then a handfull of worms in the wild.
worms can be found in the mud underneath lakes and rivers no problem, why would they not be there? they follow the path of dirt lol.


But catfish especially full grown to piranha is screwed up, lab mice to fish is REALLY screwed up.
i find small feeder goldfish sometimes is a good thing, but on a regular not so much, way too much clean up..

Piranhas eat fish, so the catfish isnt really an unnatural diet, just in a form they probably wouldn't get normally. although a 20" piranha would make short work of the catfish.

Zerc wrote:Piranhas eat fish, so the catfish isnt really an unnatural diet, just in a form they probably wouldn't get normally. although a 20" piranha would make short work of the catfish.

oh dont get me wrong, piranha feed on other fish, however.


15 red bellies approx 6'' ea. vs a 24'' catfish in a 55 gallon tank? the tank is extremely small. and the catfish alone was too big for it.
let alone 15 attacking red bellies. kinda messed up if you ask me. i dunno, i have a weird opinion about it.
i suggest youtubing the video.


look up "rey's PIRANHAS eating a catfish" youll know if its the video by the song playing... i will survive.

I used to own a lot of them, i know what they can do. I fed mine fillets.

Zerc wrote:I used to own a lot of them, i know what they can do. I fed mine fillets.

yeah my good friend has 3 red bellies and he feeds them chunks of processed fish. (de-boned, cleaned, skinned) Filets if you will lol..