Food for Aphistos

[wasabi8888]

Hi all

I just started keeping aphistos... i was just wondering what do you feed your aphistos...

I alternate between Tetra color flakes and frozen brine shrimp...

what other suggestions do all of you have?

 

[Mike Wise]

Scientific studies indicate that most of the slender body apistos are micropredators that feed on tiny aquatic crustaceans, mites, & insect larvae. The deeper bodied forms tend to prefer eating slightly larger foods - including fry if they can catch them (they are terrible at hunting fry, however). I use a mix of flakes (few apistos like them unless high in meat & ground fine), small pellets (Tetra Bits - & frog brittle when I can find it), & frozen crustaceans (brine & mysis shrimps), but their primary diet is live baby brine shrimp. Even large apistos, up to 4"/10cm eagerly eat them. They get fed bbs every day. Chopped or new-born earthworms, white & Grindel worms are great for 'rounding out' skinny fish or females that you want to fill with eggs. I avoid aquatic worms (tubifex & black worms) because of the possibility that they are secondary carriers of fish parasites.

 

[Zapisto]

Scientific studies indicate that most of the slender body apistos are micropredators that feed on tiny aquatic crustaceans, mites, & insect larvae. The deeper bodied forms tend to prefer eating slightly larger foods - including fry if they can catch them (they are terrible at hunting fry, however). I use a mix of flakes (few apistos like them unless high in meat & ground fine), small pellets (Tetra Bits - & frog brittle when I can find it), & frozen crustaceans (brine & mysis shrimps), but their primary diet is live baby brine shrimp. Even large apistos, up to 4"/10cm eagerly eat them. They get fed bbs every day. Chopped or new-born earthworms, white & Grindel worms are great for 'rounding out' skinny fish or females that you want to fill with eggs. I avoid aquatic worms (tubifex & black worms) because of the possibility that they are secondary carriers of fish parasites.

in addition of what mike say , i give them , live daphnia(Pulex or magna), live gammarus (aka scuds), and live young glass shrimp (i breed them)

 

[Spyke1969]

Would they like Red cherry shrimp? My shrimp breed like crazy.

 

[bacarospo]

Scientific studies indicate that most of the slender body apistos are micropredators that feed on tiny aquatic crustaceans, mites, & insect larvae. The deeper bodied forms tend to prefer eating slightly larger foods - including fry if they can catch them (they are terrible at hunting fry, however).

It sounds much interesting!
Have you a specific scientific article about it?

Regards

 

[Mike Wise]

One of the better references is: Goulding, M., Carvalho, M. L., & Ferreira, E. J. G. (1988). Rio Negro, rich life in poor water : Amazonian diversity and foodchain ecology as seen through fish communities. The Hague: SPB Academic Publishing.

Romer's Cichlid Atlas 1 also has a discussion of food.