The food/growing relation!

[Claude]

well, being the n00b of apistos(but not to fishkeeping in general) this may sound stupid.

is there any kind of relation between food and growing? I'm kind of frustrated because my apistos have stayed pretty much the same size for months. I just realized that they got (black)worms for about a week, than they've lived off of flakes. They've been eating just fine, but from people I've been talking to and fish logs I've been reading, the fish should have shown some growth a while ago. Should I convert to BBS or something?

 

[Orchid]

BBS loses it's nutrition as it gets older, you can do some things that will prolong its nutritional value as it ages, but it will still become like popcorn, a wonderful snack, but you can't grow on it.

You might try a search for nutritional food recipes in the archives. You might also switch flake foods. Perhaps the brand you are using doesn't have what baby fish need to grow or it is old, flake looses it's nutritional value as it ages as well. Black worms are very nutritious, but many people don't like to use them.

 

[Randall]

Poor Growth

Dear Claude,

Did you know that nitrates (NO3) stunt growth? High nitrate levels may not be responsible for the poor growth rate that you're experiencing, but frequent partial water changes will certainly reduce nitrate levels and tend to stimulate growth.

If you are going to feed your fish commercially prepared flakes, please choose a brand with high protein and fat levels. These days, we can purchase proprietary foods with protein levels of 50% or more and that contain Omega-3 fatty acids, an essential ingredient. It is also recommended that you feed your fish a variety of foods. Well rinsed live black worms, freeze dried brine shrimp, krill, blood worms, daphnia and glass worms are all excellent choices. Freeze dried foods are preferable to their frozen equivalents, due to their significantly higher nutritional value.

If your fry are still very small, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs are far better for your fish than baby brine shrimp.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[aspen]

you WILL experience better growth and health with cleaner water and better quality foods. what brand of flke are you feeding? i use ocean nutrition formula one flake, and some wardley's spirulina flake, as well as some hikari tubifex worms (sparingly) frozen bloodworms and my own beefheart mix. variety is the key, imo, but i am not a fan of using live food, except when necessary, like bbs to fry, due to the health risks. (imo)

rick