proper feeding (was Re: [Killietalk] re: Name the Fish Ailment)

[Tyrone Genade <tgenade at gmail_com>]

Hi all

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 18:28:56 +0000, lee Van Hyfte
<littleleeper23 at hotmail_com> wrote:

>      I have personally noticed high protein diets will cause this in Gant.
> zonatus, where water conditions were clean and of great quality.  My guess
> is that it has to do with waste products from protien metabolism.  In nature
> and in my aquariums Gnat. zonatus is highly herbivorous.  (I think this was
> from one of Thomerson's findings)  Any way zonatus fed high protien feed
> readily develop ascites.  I have slowed the progression with epsom sodium
> potassium salt baths.  

Many moons ago on AUNZZA there was a post by Prof. Dirk Bellstedt (who
studied animal nutrition and physiology among many other things) on
this very topic. I had tried to find the AUNNZA archives and get the
original post but now I see I will just have rely on my faulty memory
and physiology/zoology background.

Herbivorous animals have long guts because they have to rely on
bacteria and prolonged digestion to extract all the nutrients from
their food. Thier food contains a lot of roughage and roughage moves
well through the gut cleaning it in the process. Carnivorous animals
have short guts as their food is very rich and does not require much
digestion. The small amounts of roughage they ingest are adequate in
keeping the gut clean.

When you feed high protein and low roughage food to herbivorous
animals you stuff up the works. Their digestion system cannot handle
the nutrient load nor can it move it throught he gut in a timely
fashion. This allows the gut bacteria and protozoans to propogate out
of proportion and become pathogenic. The immune system fails to keep
the gut fauna in check and eventually the bacteria break through the
gut wall and infect the animal causing septacemia (Barry can tell us a
lot more about this).

By applying epson salts you stimulate the gut and the animals expells
its gut contents cleaning itself out. Alas, if the bacteria are
already in the animal this will be meaningless.

High protein diets seems to cause problems for all the small SAAs that
feed mainly on crustaceans (high roughage!). Many small *Aphyosemion*
and *Fundulopanchax* also suffer problems if fed too much bloodworm
etc... It is important to get some roughage into your fish. Spirulina
is a good way but alas many killies cannot be tempted to take
spirulina flake... but MOST can if started from a young age.
Supplemental feeding with *Daphnia* or the like will also help keep
the gut clean.

Another method is to fast the fish for a few days each week. 2 out of
7 days seems to work well. As soon as I started fasting my *gardneri*
I stopped having dropsy diseased fish. I also found my *Nothos* and
SAAs to be fitter and more productive. They also lived longer.

Hope this helps somewhat.

tt4n
-- 
Tyrone Genade
http://tgenade.freeshell.org
email: tgenade at freeshell_org; MSM: tgenade at hotmail_com
tel: +39-334-379-5654 (cell)
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