Regular Member monkeyzero Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 Hey all Well, today, I took a visit to the LFS to get food for the tropical tank, and some fry food for the little guppies who are soon to be born hopefully To my surprise, when I passed by the feeder, they looked healthy. So I plan on rescuing some from the dreaded life of being fed to some random creature. So I have a few questions : Should I expect any of them to live? They seemed very healthy and my water is cycled Does anyone have any pictures of their "feeders" that they keep? Is their lifespan cut short due to being feeder? Like are they genetically modified to have shorter lifes? Thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Cynders Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 I would not rescue any feeders unless you have the room. Do you have a big pond or tank, and are you willing to commit to keeping them healthy? If not don't get them. They are most likely sick and will infect your current fish. Sometimes some fish aren't meant to be saved. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member blackteles Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 Very nice gesture on your part but look at long term on the feeders...they're going to need 20 gal of water per fish as they'll reach 8-12" when full grown. Lots of things to consider here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AMeyers Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 It depends. If they are not sick when you get them and if you take care of them properly, they can live a long time. I have had my feeder for about 10 years and she was with someone else for a while before I got her. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a picture because she is too fast for the camera I am using. How many do you plan on getting? What size is your tank? They get big. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dogsbykat Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 If you have enough space, you can get lovely fish from the feeder tank. I've had Lily and Penny just over 6 months and they're growing nicely and look very healthy and happy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted November 8, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2010 My Orange Fishie was a feeder. When I got her I wasn't even aware that she was a FEEDER fish. They just sold them for 13cent and I thought it's because they are so little... She turned out to be such a beautiful, lovely fish! But it is true, a lot of them might be sick so the chances of you getting a healthy feeder are so-so. You might be luckier with buying a goldfish that is sold to be a pet, and if you want a single tail - sarasa comets are beautiful! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erica Stolte Posted November 14, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 14, 2010 Hey all Well, today, I took a visit to the LFS to get food for the tropical tank, and some fry food for the little guppies who are soon to be born hopefully To my surprise, when I passed by the feeder, they looked healthy. So I plan on rescuing some from the dreaded life of being fed to some random creature. So I have a few questions : Should I expect any of them to live? They seemed very healthy and my water is cycled Does anyone have any pictures of their "feeders" that they keep? Is their lifespan cut short due to being feeder? Like are they genetically modified to have shorter lifes? Thanks I have a feeder who has been quite healthy so far since Aug?. Not sure about long term health/lifespan at this point. I too did wonder if their lifespans would be shortened. I do think this store kept the feeder tank a bit better then some others. Now , I don't see any reason to get some feeder goldfish only for the reason of rescuing them. It's a drop in the "bucket" of the probably millions of them in poor condition and being raised and sold as food. If you already wanted new goldfish and then wanted to choose feeder goldfish, I don't see why not. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member arabpaso Posted November 14, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 14, 2010 Personally I think it's great that you want to rescue feeders. That's what I like to do as well. However, it is true that you need to consider their proper long term care if they do live for a few years. Right now I have one in a thirty gal that I have had for about 8 months. He is doing great so far and looks lovely. I have lost many of them prior though and the longest I've ever kept one alive was for about one year. I think that one would have lived much longer as he was going strong but he had an allergic reaction to bloodworms and died rather suddenly. Sometimes I think they are indeed bred to have shorter lifespans but I don't really know. Here's a pic of Arnie, the fish I have right now-- Here's KC, the one that lasted about a year-- 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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