frozen brine shrimp for growth?

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Hey everyone. So I have a baby goldfish, and I have a variety of frozen foods at my house since I have African Dwarf frogs, but my baby goldfish can only swallow the brine shrimp at the size she is at. I also have bloodworms and mysis shrimp but they are a bit too big for her right now. So my question is, are brine shrimp a good supplemental food for growth?

[LisaCGold 1,691]

I like your name: finnfinnfriend! What other foods are you feeding your little one?

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

Adult brine shrimp have little nutritional value. No, I don't think they'd do much for your fry.

At 1/4-1/2 inch long, my fry this summer were swallowing whole, decent sized bloodworms. (which were as long as the baby fish were) If you are worried on feeding them whole or if the fish can't figure out how to go at them from the ends, then cutting those up is your best bet for growth.

Edited October 15, 2014 by ChelseaM

[finnfinnfriend 22]

I like your name: finnfinnfriend! What other foods are you feeding your little one?

Thanks! Lol, it's based off the name of my first very own fish -a betta named Finn! I am also feeding her two different types of pellets. A goldfish pellets and nls all purpose.

Adult brine shrimp have little nutritional value. No, I don't think they'd do much for your fry.

At 1/4-1/2 inch long, my fry this summer were swallowing whole, decent sized bloodworms. (which were as long as the baby fish were) If you are worried on feeding them whole or if the fish can't figure out how to go at them from the ends, then cutting those up is your best bet for growth.

Oh. Based on my research, brine shrimp naturally have more vitamins in them than the others, but I will give the bloodworms a try.

[fantailfan1 26,742]

Chelsea what makes bloodworms so much more nutritious than other frozen foods?

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

Chelsea what makes bloodworms so much more nutritious than other frozen foods?

Steve's article here sums it up pretty well: http://www.raingarden.us/bloodworms_legos.pdf Bloodworms are basically the holy grail of goldfish food.

I like your name: finnfinnfriend! What other foods are you feeding your little one?

Thanks! Lol, it's based off the name of my first very own fish -a betta named Finn! I am also feeding her two different types of pellets. A goldfish pellets and nls all purpose.

Adult brine shrimp have little nutritional value. No, I don't think they'd do much for your fry.

At 1/4-1/2 inch long, my fry this summer were swallowing whole, decent sized bloodworms. (which were as long as the baby fish were) If you are worried on feeding them whole or if the fish can't figure out how to go at them from the ends, then cutting those up is your best bet for growth.

Oh. Based on my research, brine shrimp naturally have more vitamins in them than the others, but I will give the bloodworms a try.

Baby brine shrimp do, but adult brine shrimp have used up most of what makes them good. Most frozen brine shrimp, unless stated to be baby shrimp, are adults.

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Oh okay, that makes sense. I haven't even tried the bloodworms with her so I will definitely give that a try today. Hopefully she can eat them easily, but it sounds like she should be able to. What about mysis shrimp as far as nutrition? Also....how long do frozen foods stay good?

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

I don't normally feed mysis, but hear that they are a very good laxative for goldies from my friends here that do. Other than that, I am not entirely sure as it's not a wide-spread favorite food. (My logic is that there must be a reason for this.)

Frozen foods, if kept frozen, should stay good until the package expiration date. I know that thawed bloodworms should be used within 2 days of thawing, so if you are only feeding the baby these worms, then either break off a chunk and put the rest back or thaw some and refrigerate/use them within that timeframe.

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Oh yeah lol...I will check the exp date XP

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Okay there are no expiration dates on any of my frozen foods....and she is having trouble chewing up the bloodworms too...I don't get it

[Flipper 13,057]

I think variety is the spice of life

[finnfinnfriend 22]

I think variety is the spice of life

Agreed

[LisaCGold 1,691]

Okay there are no expiration dates on any of my frozen foods....and she is having trouble chewing up the bloodworms too...I don't get it

Maybe cut them up a bit more and leave them in for a while. It may take a bit for her to get use to them.

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Okay there are no expiration dates on any of my frozen foods....and she is having trouble chewing up the bloodworms too...I don't get it

Maybe cut them up a bit more and leave them in for a while. It may take a bit for her to get use to them.

Okay, I will do that. She did take three into her mouth and chewed on the for a while and swallowed them without spitting them out, but after that, every other one she went for, she spit out....maybe she spits things out when she's full?

[LisaCGold 1,691]

Do goldfish stop eating when they are full? My experience is that they don't; they can easily overeat and that is why we need to pay attention to how much we feed them. I think your little one just needs to get use to them. When she starts spitting them out, just stop feeding her the worms and try again at the next meal or the next day.

I feed my fish around 1% - 2% of her body weight in a combination of dry (sinking pellets) and wet (bloodworms, brine shrimp, gel, etc) food. I break up this portion into at least 2 meals per day.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

Though it is a point of some contention, I also don't think a fish will stop eating when they're full. This is why they get constipated, IMO.

I noticed that my baby fish were pretty picky as to what pieces they would actually eat. They would only eat the red parts, not the parts that 'bled out' when they hit the water. It was pretty funny to watch. That may not be the case with your baby, though, so keep an eye on him/her and see if you uncover any special quirks.

[finnfinnfriend 22]

I seriously think she stops eating when she's full! Whatever I feed her, be it bloodworms, brine shrimp, or either pellets, she chews and swallows the first few, and then starts spitting them out!

[LisaCGold 1,691]

She may be one of those goldfish that does stop eating when full. She could also have some irritation in her mouth that makes it hard for her to eat. Is she able to eat 1% of her body weight in pellets per day? Do you sense that she is not eating enough?

[LisaCGold 1,691]

I notice in the other thread in the food forum, Helen asked you to post a video of your fish eating. Can you do this? From this video, we may be able to tell if the fish is acting like she has some sort of irritation in her mouth.

[finnfinnfriend 22]

I notice in the other thread in the food forum, Helen asked you to post a video of your fish eating. Can you do this? From this video, we may be able to tell if the fish is acting like she has some sort of irritation in her mouth.

I really want to post a video, but the forum won't let me

[LisaCGold 1,691]

I notice in the other thread in the food forum, Helen asked you to post a video of your fish eating. Can you do this? From this video, we may be able to tell if the fish is acting like she has some sort of irritation in her mouth.

I really want to post a video, but the forum won't let me

You need to put a video on youtube and then post the link here. You'll need to create an account on youtube (it is free).

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Aww darn...I wanted to make an update video about the new goldie, a video of her eating would ruin the surprise :/ maybe I can put it on the account with nothing on it....

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Okay here's a video:Goldeen eating a pellet: http://youtu.be/8OL0JKUp5Zw

[finnfinnfriend 22]

Sorry....Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbg0nAvENCs

[LisaCGold 1,691]

Can you make sure the video is available to the public or whatever it is that will allow us to see it?