What do you feed a baby catfish
What Do Catfish Eat? - Feeding Nature
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Catfish are common fish species that are found in most parts of the world and there are over 3,000 subspecies. They are called catfish because of their barbels that resemble cat whiskers. This group of fish is members of the ray-finned fish. They are easily identified by their whisker-like barbels and they do not have any scales.
Catfish are some of the toughest freshwater fish species in existence. They can survive with very little oxygen and water. In drought conditions, this fish species is even known to dig holes underneath rivers so they can hide out until the rainy season arrives again. They also follow a remarkably flexible diet which is exactly what enables them to survive in tough conditions.
What Do Catfish Eat?
Most species of catfish are omnivorous. They eat a huge variety of food and can also feed on the decayed matter. Some species such as the Loricariidae catfish do however prefer foods like wood and algae above other types of food. Here is a quick look at the most common foods this fish species enjoy eating:
Commercial fish food
Catfish can eat just about any commercial fish food you offer them. For fry, high protein fish flakes are an ideal food source. For larger catfish, other commercial fish foods such as pellets are also a perfect food to offer to keep them healthy.
Fish and fish eggs
Catfish love to hunt for other fish species. They usually eat fish that are much smaller than they are but can also nibble at carcasses of larger fish to consume them. Most catfish are also cannibalistic. They will feed on smaller catfish and in catfish farms, cannibalism is a serious concern while raising larvae and fry.
Insects
Catfish will eat all sorts of insects that live or fall into the water. Young catfish, mostly feed on aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae, water beetles, fly larvae, mosquito larvae, and others. You can use all sorts of insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, and earthworms as bait to catch catfish.
Crustaceans
This large fish species will also feed on various crustaceans they find in their natural environment. Animals such as crabs, decapods, lobsters, procambium, crawfish, cherax, water flies, water fleas, isopods, and many others are terrific foods to offer this fish species.
Aquatic plants
Catfish also eat plant matter. They will feed on aquatic plants that grow in the water such as algae, lotus plants, water lettuce, and many others. They may also feed on non-aquatic plants that happen to fall into the water such as grasses and soft leaves. This fish species can also feed on aquatic plant matter called detritus.
Fruits and vegetables
Pet owners are often advised to offer a pet catfish some fruits and vegetables to ensure that they get enough nutrients. You can offer them certain veggies raw or even cooked and cooled. If you cannot find natural algae or detritus to feed your catfish, you can also supplement them by offering them fruits and veggies such as apples, bananas, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, and many other foods.
Blood
Some catfish species like the Candiru are parasitic. This fish species will latch onto its prey and feed on the blood of its host.
Small animals
Catfish are also fond of catching and eating small animals such as mice, rats, lizards, small birds, pigeons, frogs, and many others. They often catch these animals when they fall into the water or catfish may snatch animals like frogs or birds of the riverbank or from above the water.
Carrion
Catfish love to eat carrion meat. They will feed on just about any dead animal they find drifting about the water. Catfish may even scavenge on the carcass of larger animals such as cows or deer and they are happy to consume meat that has become slightly decayed.
Diet Variation
Catfish are detritus feeders which mean they can eat almost any food they can find at the base of a tank or on the river floor. They will also eat just about any type of fresh food they can find including fruits, veggies, and grains.
In harsh conditions, they will eat just about anything they can find.
How to Feed Catfish?
Catfish are very easy to feed because they feed on fresh food as well as detritus and carrion meat. To feed catfish, you can simply dunk some food in the tank. This fish species can eat food from the water surface or they can feed off the tank floor and they are happy to eat almost anything they can find.
What Do Catfish Eat In the Wild?
In the wild, they eat what is available to them. Some seasons, they may focus on larger foods such as small mammals, crustaceans, fish or plant matter. In tough times, they can adapt to survive on detritus or carrion meat.
What Do Catfish Eat in Captivity?
In captivity, this fish species is often kept healthy by offering them a combination of commercial fish foods, an insect or two per week, some algae and detritus they find in the tank as well as other fruits and veggies you may introduce.
What Do Baby Catfish Eat?
New hatchling catfish are called larvae.
When the catfish start to mature a bit, they are called fry. Young catfish mainly focus on smaller foods that are easily acquired such as algae, plant matter, detritus, crustaceans, fish larvae, and many others. They also have cannibalistic tendencies and are happy to eat one another.
How Much Do Catfish Eat?
As a rule of thumb, a catfish needs to eat about 2.5% of its body weight per day. This can however be tough to determine if you do not have a scale. To see if your catfish is getting enough food, you can simply keep an eye on it. Add its food to the tank and keep an eye on your catfish. If it consumes all food within minutes then you should add more food. If too much food is leftover, you can clear the tank and reduce the amount of food you offer daily.
How Often Do Catfish Eat?
Catfish are at their most active in summer. The warmth of the water boosts their metabolism and they start to eat much more compared to other seasons. Ideally, you should feed this fish species once per day, or seven times per week.
They can however survive relatively long without feeding any food at all as long as their bodies can enter a hibernated state if the water is scarce.
Do Catfish Bite?
This fish species is relatively harmless to humans. They do not have teeth but do have a hard file like gums that can be used to grind down food. They also have sharp talons on some of their fins that they can use to sting you. These stings are however non-venomous and won’t do much harm.
Do Catfish Eat Frogs?
Catfish do enjoy eating frogs and tadpoles. Frogs and tadpoles are a good food source since catfish can easily sneak up on these reptiles in the water to catch and eat them. They will also feed on the carcasses of frogs that they might find floating about the river or dam.
Do Catfish Eat Other Fish?
Yes, catfish do eat any type of fish that are small enough to fit into their mouths. They eat a variety of fish species including their own species.
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What Do Baby Catfish Eat?
27 Answers
Charlie Proofer answered
cliff1066™
Many catfish like to eat raw or fried meat such as raw beef, hot dogs, small insects and brine shrimp. Make sure though that when you do feed your baby catfish, you are torn all meat up into really tiny pieces otherwise they might not be able to eat them or they might even choke.
Adult catfish will not get full off eating brine shrimp so this is only recommended for babies. If you do feed brine shrimp to adult catfish then make sure that you give them something else so that they are satisfied. You can buy cubed brine shrimp from the majority of pet stores. They can also live off pond algae but a diet based just on algae is not recommended. A variety of foods is best.
Catfish also love to eat chunks of white bread and wholemeal bread.
However, if you do feed them bread, make sure that it is torn up into small bits for babies, and slightly larger for the adults.
Remember that catfish are ground feeders, you can tell this from the way they always tend to swim along the bottom of the tank or pond, so don’t give them any food that floats because they won’t reach it.
It is also essential that you do not overfeed your catfish, especially when you first get them and are enthusiastic about raising them because overfeeding will kill them.
If you want to find out more information on what baby catfish like to eat, then visit your local pet store. The owner might be able to give you some information or there might be a book there that you can buy and read through.
All catfish are different so it is important to try new foods with it and see which ones that they prefer. Some like to eat hot dogs whereas others prefer brine shrimp.
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Anonymous answered
Many like to eat raw or fried meat. Mainly raw beef, fried hot dogs, insects, soft newborn leaves, brine shrimp. Only feed brine shrimp to babies, because adult catfish will not full off of brine shrimp. They also love little slices of white or wheat bread. Small small pits for babies, but bigger slices for adults. They also can just live in algae pond water and live off of that for about 5 days. DO NOT OVER FEED YOU'RE CATFISH, BIG OR SMALL!!! They will die if fed to much. I advice you to feed them only around 1 time a day or every 2 days. This is sorta off subject, but it's smartest to just raise 1-3 at a time!
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Jack answered
My baby catfish eat lunch meat like ham and turkey it works well trie it
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Anonymous answered
I have about 25 to 30 baby catfish in a 10 gallon aquarium. I feed them once a day, because you can over feed them. They eat grounded up bread crumbs, cubed frozen brine which you can buy at your local pet store, any kind of chicken liver, and algae.
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Anonymous answered
I caught 4 baby catfish and I have been feeding them little bread crumbs they will eat almost anything
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Anonymous answered
I had a baby catfish about 2 - 3 inches long. I no longer have it because I gave it too much food. Its a shame I hadn't done some research sooner. I fed it dried bloodworms n baby shrimp.
I sure do miss the lil guy =(
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Anonymous answered
I'm 10 years old and I caught 6 baby catfish .I feed it very small cut up worms
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Anonymous answered
Try woms and the bigger the catfish the bigger the worms but cut the up so they're not too long to swallow
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Anonymous answered
If you buy them at a pet store they eat pellets of shrimp
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Anonymous answered
Any thing that is green even peas
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himanshu sharma answered
Though cat fish are omnivorous but I think and according to my experience they are primarily algae eater fish .
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Anonymous answered
Baby catfish love to eat fried hot dogs I'm only twelve years old and I caught five baby catfish off of fried hot dogs.
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Anonymous answered
Baby Catfish Eat the bottom of plants, small leaves,and very small bugs that are present in the sand. They eat food that are present on the ground under the water so try not to give them food that floats. Yes you can give then fish food that is easily available in the market.
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Anonymous answered
My catfish eats fish food and algae.
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Shumaela Rana answered
A baby cat fish likes to eat small insects and soft newly born leaves and the stems of the plants.
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Anonymous answered
I was at the river with my friend and caught a baby flathead/yellow catfish and it wont eat anything what should I do?
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Anonymous answered
Baby cat fish eat cut up worms
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Anonymous answered
My baby cat fish have been eating cubed blood worms
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Anonymous answered
I raised some baby catfish for like two years.
I fed them cubed brine from the pet store.They loved that stuff.I had like 7 in a twenty gallon tank.I took them back to the river I caught them in because I was getting different fish for the tank.They reminded me of piranha the way they attacked the cubed brine.
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Anonymous answered
The eat pellets
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Anonymous answered
I just caught 2 new born baby catfishes and I don't know what to feed it
so I was hopping someone would help me
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Anonymous answered
My baby catfish ate flake food when he got 1 1/2 cm. Just crush it up in your fingers and feed once a day.
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Anonymous answered
I just caught 3 baby catfish and I don't knowif they can live with other fish
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Anonymous answered
Did you ever hear of you are what you eat? Well same gose with you taste like what you eat. One thing I do is I feel my few catfish baccon. Ummm baccon, but not to much they have arteries and a heart too. So I feed it small fish plus cheap, but not too cheap of meats. And all of the stuff I feed myself & my fish comes from the local farms in my area because legally the epa states that heavy metels and other toxins that can't be removed from a body can be in that food sold in US stores. These foods are found in supermarket foods and when you eat it you get all of those toxins. That can't be removed from your body. Feed you animals weel and you may reep the rerwards with baccon.
Ummm
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Anonymous answered
My baby catfish eats tiny leaves, tiny bugs, and catfish pellets. They r ground eaters so no floating pellets!
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Anonymous answered
Cut up pieces of hot dog
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Anonymous answered
Baby catfish eat baby food
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Answer Question
What to feed aquarium catfish: the basics of a proper diet
Contents
one What is special about catfish 2 What are catfish food 3 How to properly feed catfish nine0003
1 minute
estimated reading time
Alexander Kuznetsov, Candidate of Veterinary Sciences, tells how to feed aquarium catfish so that everyone is full.
What's special about catfish
Aquarium catfish are very different from other fish. First of all, these are bottom fish: they spend most of their lives at the bottom and rarely rise above. Many of them have a lower mouth. Sometimes it is even modified into a special sucker, and therefore it is difficult for catfish to feed along with everyone else. Such a mouth is needed to find food in the ground or scrape it off rocks and snags. In addition, many catfish are shy and refuse to swim out for general feeding. nine0003
It is important to feed these special fish in such a way that there is enough food for everyone, and the food is appropriate for their needs and characteristics. It is important that the food sinks to the bottom so that other aquarium fish do not have time to eat it.
What are catfish food
Especially for aquarium catfish, food is produced in the form of tablets and plates.
They are quite large and quickly fall to the bottom, where catfish can find such food. The shape of tablets and plates maximally takes into account the species characteristics of these fish. Tablets do not crumble, do not create dust and are stored in water for a long time without impairing its properties. nine0003
Depending on the species, the needs of bottom fish are different. Among them there are omnivorous and herbivorous representatives. Herbivores include all Loricariidae - the so-called "sucker catfish": ancistrus, pterygoplichts, plecostomuses, sturisomes, otocincluss and others. Their diet should be 70% plant-based. In addition, they need a high fiber content for healthy digestion.
In the diet of omnivorous catfishes (corridors, corakatums) and loach fishes (botsia), both vegetable and animal protein should be present. Therefore, different feeds are produced for these two groups. nine0003
Herbivorous catfish are suitable for the Tetra Pleco line.
All feeds in it contain high-quality herbal supplements: spirulina, zucchini. And for omnivorous bottom dwellers - the Tetra Wafer line. The feed of this series consists of two types of plates: green and brown. The former are a source of herbal ingredients, enriched with spirulina to maintain immunity. Tetra Wafer contains crustaceans as a source of animal protein and carotenoids for active growth and bright color. nine0003
How to feed catfish
It is enough to feed catfish only once a day. In this case, it is advisable to throw the tablets in places inaccessible to other fish. Catfish are active mainly in the evening and at night, moreover, they are often shy. Therefore, I recommend feeding them after turning off the light.
If you follow these simple rules, you can be sure that all your catfish in the aquarium will be full. A properly selected diet will keep them healthy and clean water. nine0003
Other related articles
Varieties of catfish: agamyx, stellate ancistrus, brocade pterygoplicht, otocinclus and others
What is their peculiarity?
How to care for catfish in an aquarium?
And which one is better to choose?
nine0002 What is the name of an aquarium fish? Names for boys and girls.
What to feed aquarium catfish: nutritional features and types of food
Catfish is an amazing fish, which, depending on the species, can weigh up to 200 kilograms, and some aquarium individuals do not exceed two centimeters in length. The uniqueness of pets lies in their resistance to external conditions, which allows them to feel comfortable in the wild both in swamps and in fast-flowing rivers. When placed in an aquarium, catfish become real orderlies, eating all the garbage and leftover food behind other fish. Consider the features of keeping these pets at home and figure out how to feed aquarium catfish. nine0013
Features of the feeding behavior of the species
Fish of large breeds in their natural habitat, going out to fish, can easily grab a duck that has crouched on the water or a pigeon that has come too close to the reservoir. Catfish have an amazing reaction, they very sharply and accurately rush to the victim, sucking it into themselves, grabbing it with their teeth and dragging it to the bottom.
For this reason, this breed of fish has gray, brown and beige colors, which allows them to camouflage, merging with the substrate. nine0003
There are many varieties of catfish that can be bred and raised as aquarium fish. Only decorative breeds, there are about 1200 species. Ancistrus (catfish sticky), belonging to the chain mail or loricaria family, are considered the most frequently bought. Other breeds are also raised at home:
- mottled corridor;
- murmuring catfish;
- plecostomus;
- brocade pterygoplicht; nine0071 striped mistus;
- callicht;
- otocinclus etc.
All members of the order have similar external signs and have similar feeding behavior. They mostly feed on the waste left from other fish - pieces of shrimp, clams and fish that lie at the bottom of the reservoir. In some cases, catfish attack small waterfowl, as they are excellent hunters.
In order for the inhabitant of the aquarium bottom to eat well, one should remember about its specific biorhythm.
In the daytime, the hunter rests, and at night, when everything is quiet, he goes out in search of food. Therefore, it is best to feed the catfish at night, including special lighting for it. This will avoid situations when other fish eat all the food, and the ancistrus is left without food. nine0003
Given all the positive aspects of keeping stuck, you need to remember that they are the orderlies of aquariums. That is why they are most often planted with other fish. The omnivorous pet has suction cups, with the help of which the Ancistrus catfish cleans the walls of the water tank, removing food residues (this can be clearly seen in the fish feeding video). Thus, to create comfortable conditions, tablets or other foods can be applied to the walls of the aquarium under the internal filter. They need to be glued, as it were, so that in the future the hunter can collect everything on his own. nine0013
Home aquarium feeding
It is important to figure out how to feed the catfish stuck by placing it in an aquarium.
These are very unpretentious fish in care, which are suitable even for beginner aquarists and amateurs. The pet will always find food for itself, sucking on the aquarium glass, the bottom, snags and algae in the tank. Some owners do not buy special food for these fish, as they eat up what other inhabitants did not eat, but this approach is wrong. nine0003
Sticky can shamelessly eat pieces of fish, frozen food, tablets, flakes and even other inhabitants of the aquarium, especially fry. For this reason, there will be no problems with preparing food for the pet. You can buy ready-made food, or cook it yourself by cutting seafood, seaweed, spirulina and freezing them.
Prepared feed
Food for catfish requires special attention from the owners. Often, bottom fish (especially in a common aquarium) remain deprived, as they feed on the remnants of the food of their relatives who eat on the surface. Ready-made specialized feeds are designed in accordance with the characteristics of the lifestyle of the species.
They are fast sinking and usually come in fairly large and solid shapes. This is a protection against being eaten by other fish, because. allows the feed to sink to the bottom immediately after falling asleep and soften gradually. nine0003
So, what can you feed catfish in an aquarium:
- Tetra TabiMin is a base mix for fish living on or near the bottom (catfish, bots, barbs). It is in the form of light green tablets. Tablets TabiMin includes a complex of vitamins, micro and macro elements, and a special component to attract fish (helps prevent malnutrition and stunting). Sold in packs of 120, 200, 500, 1000 and 4000 tablets; nine0071 Tetra Wafers Mix is a mixed sink food for different types of catfish living in the same aquarium. The package contains granules of different content, some for herbivorous species with spirulina, others for predators with shrimp meat. It is offered to customers in jars of 100, 250 and 1000 ml;
- Tetra Pleco Wafer is the best choice for herbivorous catfish species, it is presented with dense plates that slowly dissolve on the bottom and do not pollute the water.
In addition to the regular basic food, PlecoTablets Min are available with a high content of spirulina; nine0072 - Sera Vipagran is a universal staple food for aquariums with a mixed community. It can also be used for catfish. But keep in mind that the pellets sink slowly, so they need to be spread enough to feed both surface fish and catfish.
Natural food
Aquarium catfish will not refuse live and vegetable food (depending on the species). An excellent treat for the inhabitants of the aquarium will be a bloodworm, daphnia, cyclops, tubifex, livebearer, etc. Along with the general health benefits, such food stimulates spawning and contributes to the rapid appearance of caviar. Only catfish born into the world will not refuse their first complementary food - ciliates. For fry for active growth and development, it is desirable to give microworms and brine shrimp. nine0003
It is allowed to give catfish boiled chicken meat, pieces of black bread, treat with cucumber.
But it is worth remembering that such food leads to water pollution, unlike purchased tablets and granules. In the aquarium, you need to place a snag with bark - representatives of the species will be happy to eat rotten places, bringing it to a shine.
Peculiarities of feeding in a community aquarium
For a comfortable life of bottom fish, it is necessary to properly organize their neighborhood in conditions of general aquarium maintenance with other species. It must be remembered that some representatives of catfish are aggressive predators and can attack smaller inhabitants. If catfish are not the only inhabitants of the aquarium and behave dangerously, it is not necessary to transplant them immediately. It is important to pour several types of food into the water at once: for other fish, and a separate specialized composition specifically for catfish. Representatives live at the bottom, so their food usually sinks exactly where it is most convenient to consume, and food for other fish remains floating on the surface.
