Feeding Saltwater fish small chunks of larger freshwater fish with pellets in them?

Jaculus

New member
Ok. So here's the deal. I don't see much on any forums or google about feeding any of my fish that we will be stocking in our 120 FOWLR ( http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2413854 ) I do see where some have tried using goldfish and some other similar fish with failed results due to low nutrient levels in those types of fish. I am a Walleye and Lake Erie Perch fisherman. I spend most weekends on Lake Erie fishing in the summer. My freezer often is overloaded with the best tasting fish on the planet in my opinion lol but I am wondering if anyone has tried cutting these fish up in smaller chunks (appropriate size for the fish I will have) and putting some pellets in them for vitamins etc.

Of course I am not being cheap and i will feed a variety of feed sources but I am wondering if I can supplement them with my less desirable cuts and small oops filets of walleye or perch to feed my saltwater fish. I am looking for SPECIFIC advice from those that may have used similar fish not so much the general advice from those warning that it MIGHT not work. lol :wavehand:
 
If either of those fishes is a Cyprinid (member of the carp family), I'd pass on it, but the best thing you could do is research the nutritional profile of each potential candidate. Of course, you'll hear the "wrong fatty acid" argument from peeps who are shooting from the hip, but a real assay on what their flesh contains is what you want. Excessive thiaminase (inhibits B6 uptake), and low concentrations of vitamins C, B6 (thiamine), and B12 are things to look for.

Supplementation with vits C, B6, B12, beta glucan, and spirulina are all great supplements, as are good quality marine foods such as NLS pelletized food.

The bottom line is that if you use these as a part of a good, varied diet of SW fish flesh, shrimp, squid, and bivalve meat, you should be OK if you use the FW stuff in moderation.

Maybe not the black and white answer you were looking for, but, it's about the best way to utilize FW fish flesh.
 
Thanks for the reply. And yes as you say best to at most be a part of a well rounded varied diet. I do not believe the Walleye is part of the carp family. There are "sheep heads" we catch all the time on Lake Erie they are in that family and we beat them over the head and throw them back in since they are a semi invasive non-inidgienous (Spelling?) fish to the lake.
 
Instead of filling them with pellets you can use vitachem, selcon or another liquid vitamin instead or in addition to pellets.
 
My only issue with liquids that aren't meant to be added to the tankwater is how does one actually keep it on the food?

With powders and pellets, you can simply stuff it in a "pocket" you make in the chunk, or stuff it in the body cavity of a chunk of silverside.

JME
 
Perch and walleye are delicious and closely related, not part of the carp family. But I just don't like the idea of feeding any FW fish on a regular basis, they just seem to be too fatty. If you hold any FW fish, like a bass or musky, its belly will jiggle like rolls of fat on a fat guy/gal. (Gotta be PC) Any SW fish, like a bonefish or snapper, has a belly that's rock solid. That's why (IMO & IM(extensive)O SW fish are so much stronger than FW fish Makes sense, look what SW fish have to live in, their FW cousins have a relatively easy life.
 
My only issue with liquids that aren't meant to be added to the tankwater is how does one actually keep it on the food?

With powders and pellets, you can simply stuff it in a "pocket" you make in the chunk, or stuff it in the body cavity of a chunk of silverside.

JME

I am not sure but I always assumed that they were fat soluble or had something in it that has it binds to the meat. That's a good question. When I use vitachem my food turns yellow and stays yellow until eaten. My fish eat the food pretty quick.
 
I think what I am going to do is start making my own "mush" plenty of recipes on here and other sites. Most of them contain the same base ingredients and I will just add a small amount of my Walleye or Perch meat to it also. Maybe even do some experimenting with the amounts and hwo much I chop that meat up. Maybe I can see if the fish in the tank actually care and then if they eat it along with everything else I will just continue to supplement the contents of the mush with SOME Walleye or Perch.
 
My only issue with liquids that aren't meant to be added to the tankwater is how does one actually keep it on the food?

With powders and pellets, you can simply stuff it in a "pocket" you make in the chunk, or stuff it in the body cavity of a chunk of silverside.

JME

I only ever use Vita-chem or Selcon with dry foods, because I couldn't quite figure out how the stuff could get into already saturated wet thawed frozen foods.
 
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