Fish not eating

[David Tucker]

[quote=" I guess the only advantage to adults is that they produce more shrimp, but I think that there are other crustaceans better suited to cultivating.[/quote]

I would like to know more about these other crustaceans. I have looked into triclops or what ever they are called because they can live in fresh water and grow up quite a bit larger then brine shrimp but I do not know what to feed them also and do not know if they are aggressive and will eat things like fry or not, because they look like the face huggers from the Alien movies. Man my brain is not working and I need coffee.

 

[Mike Wise]

Try Gammerus shrimp. The do get pretty large, but the young are eagerly eaten by juvenile & adult apistos. These are much easier to raise than Daphnia. Truthfully, the best apisto food is mosquito larvae, if you're willing to put up with the adults. Of course, for most of us they are a seasonal food.

 

[hedylogus]

...the best apisto food is mosquito larvae...

never heard that. unfortunately, my tub of water outside only generates enough for feedings roughly every other week. would love to feed more given its simplicity.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I don't like to disagree with Mike, and Gammarus are excellent food, but I've always found them are a bit tricky to culture, mainly because they come from relatively cool, flowing water. The similar Isopod crustacean Hyalella azteca (or Asellus aquaticus) is much easier.

Truthfully, the best apisto food is mosquito larvae,

I like these as well, and there are details about culturing them in this post <http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/index.php?threads/help-id-please.10386/#post-56094>.

I use a black 5 Gallon "builders bucket" filled with rainwater with a handful of dry leaves and a handful of glass clippings added. I put it somewhere shady and float a cork in it (the mosquito female needs somewhere to perch why she lays her eggs). If you want to contain the grass clippings, you can tie them up in a stocking. If the water begins to clear and mosquito larvae production drops off, add some more grass clippings.

Because they breathe atmospheric oxygen mosquito larvae will live in really polluted conditions, and you can increase production x 10 by adding a lot more green leafy material to the bucket. I've always been a bit worried about doing this, but others may know if it is safe or not.

cheers Darrel

 

[edwliang]

i wont choose flake food, apisto is not interested. i like to use granule one. e.g. Tetra Bit Complete, OSI shrimp pellet. of course, bbs is the safest and best food for apistos.