feeding flake (was Re: Breeding Nematolebias whitei)

["Tyrone Genade" <Tgenade at sun_ac.za>]

On 1 Nov 2002, at 9:47, Rjga at aol_com wrote:

> Do NOT give them flake. It rots and fouls the water. If you don't have
> other live foods like daphniae, use newly hatched brine shrimp. At
> worst, use frozen foods, but in my opinion (11th commandment), never
> use flake foods in a breeding tank. 

I agree, never use dried food in a breeding tank such as a bowl 
etc... but if youa re using the peat-filled-tub method it can't hurt 
unless you grossly overfeed or dump the flake in over the peat-tub.

My whitei get spirulina flake every day (morning and evening). They 
enjoy it more than the frozen BS or blood worm. They are big fish now 
(6cm) and the females are loaded with eggs. I have no problems with 
this. For the most part all my fish get flake. The only fish that 
don't take flake are my wild nothos (elongatus, lourensis and 
korthausae) which refuse to learn for some odd reason. The lourensi 
and korthausae have taken to decapsulated bse but don't try much 
else. I had the wild kilomberoensis and melanospilus taking flake 1 
week after I had them. They also took fBS no problems. Not this new 
lot... maybe the taste of the fBS has changed? I switched packaging. 
They only take bbs and bloodworm.

My male sp. aff. melanospilus Ifakara has now grown picky too. He 
used to take flake, fBS etc... not he doesn't touch anything other 
than bloodworm and small fish. I'm afraid to put my two young females 
in with him... (Him being the last male and the females being last I 
have and all things are getting tight...) For the first time I'm 
seeing this famed aggression with this lot. The two females hate each 
other!

Any way, I seem to of gotten off topic... flake is good. It is full 
of vitamins and minerals that fish may lack through the vice of a 
monotomous diet. Flake also enhances colour which is also a big plus.

Regards

Tyrone Genade
tgenade at sun_ac.za
http://www.tyronegenade.0catch.com
cell#: 084-3354-977

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