[Cyprinodontiformes] Participação no fórum GWG - Characodon, food

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GWG Mar-03-11 22:13:41
Characodon, food

In several books I read that Characodon needs vegetable food and young should grow up
in aquaria with algae. Sometimes a difference is given between C. audax and C.
lateralis (surprising to me, since both are so similar in appearance). I regularly
offer filamentuous algae to my C. lateralis, but they do not even look at this. I
therefore suspect that Characodon (probably both species) are largely or entirely
carnivorous and the literature is incorrect. I wonder if my fish act strange or if
this is the general impression.

_____________________________

Mar-05-11 01:08:44

Hi Paul,

I have a clue for you.
According with my experience reported at the website regarding the only two
Characodon species I am familiar with, fry had a clear taste for algae, but adult
ones seams to prefer animal matter.

Characodon lateralis - « Reports about the wild populations suggest an algae basis
considerable diet component, but teeth configuration can also lead us jump in to
conclusion of more omnivorous feeding habits, including eventual prey on water
insects and other small invertebrates. Anyway, taking in consideration a long
intestine, maybe a natural vegetarian incidence can overcome the potential animal
diet.
The vegetarian tendency is quite obvious in captivity, even taking in consideration a
positive diet first choice progress to animal meet with age.
Slight boiled spinach, peas or other vegetal supplement as well as industrial flake
food to vegetarian species must not be forgotten to a good quality diet.
Nonetheless, you should also alternate, very often, vegetal matter and flakes food
with live ( or frozen ) prey, usually brine shrimps and insect small larvae.
Besides firm reluctance regarding a few flake foods, Rainbow Characodon will accept
to be nourished under the general feeding suggestions at aquaristics section. This
includes several vegetal alternatives, brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, small aquatic
invertebrates and other usual live or frozen options. With long term aquarium
populations, there are also a few other opportunities like milled raw fish and
molluscs and spirulina flakes.
They also accept very well domestic cattle and hunt minced raw meat, but some
individuals have a predisposition to suffer from digestive complications and internal
diseases due to terrestrial animal protein ingestion ».

Characodon audax - « In captivity they show a clear tendency to a vegetarian diet but
it changes a bit along different age stages. For this same reason it is desirable to
take into account some vegetal food supplements, such as spinach and peas shelled
after a slightly cooking, or other “ green “ alternatives to the usual food industry
for the vegetarian species.
The optional supplements consisting of live ( or frozen ) animal prey, besides
essential are greatly appreciated.
Apart from some initial reluctance to certain types of processed foods, the Bold
Characodon is ideally suited to the broader proposals made in the fish keeping
section. It will easily accept, in addition to a varied menu of vegetable options,
brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, invertebrates aquatic and other natural foods or
frozen fish or raw shellfish and ground as well as foods ( apart a component
containing vegetable-based spirulina or other) ».

I am not sure if I had done something wrong with these fish species diet, but
apparently they have cope well.


Best regards

Miguel Andrade