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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / February 2005Feeder Fish. What is the deal here?
I went to a local pet store (one of the major chains) and bought a Red Cap Oranda and an Orange Fantail recently. Goldfish: Red Cap Orandas retail for $2.99 Orange Fantails retail for $3.49 Feeder fish: Some retail for $0.12 each Others retail for $0.29 each Couple of days later, I saw a worker moving a goldfish from the goldfish tank to the feeder fish tank. Did the price for that particular goldfish decrease by 90% in just 10 seconds? I notice some other Orandas and Fantails in the feeder fish tank. Why did they do this? Should I have waited for the "price drop" instead of paying full price? Gfishery popped their head over the parapet saw what was going on and said > I went to a local pet store (one of the major chains) and bought a > Red Cap Oranda and an Orange Fantail recently. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Should I have waited for the "price drop" instead of paying full > price? "Feeder fish" are exactly that they are fish that are going to get fed to something, so they (the LFS) may realise that the fish in question is going to die shortly, and selling a lot of fish that die soon after they are sold is bad business, hence moving it to the "feeder fish tank", hence the reduction in cost. There are those who like the challenge and buy "feeder fish" and "nurse" them so that they live a long time.  Signatureyours S Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione > "Feeder fish" are exactly that they are fish that are going to get fed > to something, so they (the LFS) may realise that the fish in question [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > hence the reduction in cost. There are those who like the challenge > and buy "feeder fish" and "nurse" them so that they live a long time. I never thought deeply about the word "feeder" until now. They actually feed these fish TO something? I thought they were called feeders because all they do is eat (i.e. feed) and they are generic/cheap! So do all fish in the store become feeders if they show signs of ill-health? And isn't it a bad idea to feed these sick fish to something else? Why weren't there any full-grown Fantails and Orandas at the store? Do the stores manage to sell all their little Orandas and Fantails? Or does a more sinister future await little fish that don't get sold by some expiry date? Feeding goldfish to other fish is really not a very good idea. There are many better foods to feed your larger fish. And no, its not a good idea to feed ill fish to something else. I would hope that the people who do buy commons to use a food are putting them in a quarantine tank before using them as food. If they dont they are asking for big trouble. Maria FWIW I bought some feeders from a large chain store once, that was 7 years ago, they are now 8" long and the picture of goldfish health. You don't _have_ to buy expensive ones to be succesful (actually fancies are MORE prone to problems) and feeders aren't as a rule going to be weak or diseased. After all, they let you pick the ones you want, just look for signs of ick, lethargy, torn fins, mouth rot etc. just like you should for any other pet fish purchase. Rich M > I never thought deeply about the word "feeder" until now. > They actually feed these fish TO something? > > I thought they were called feeders because all they do is eat (i.e. feed) > and they are generic/cheap! No, people with really big fish (Oscars come to mind) use them as food. If I ever had a big fish like that, I'd never feed it a fish unless I had quarantined the little fish first. They're very disposable fish, and the most likely (so I've heard) to carry a multitude of sicknesses. Actually, though, I'm a girl - so I probably wouldn't feed anything alive to anything. :) A > > I never thought deeply about the word "feeder" until now. > > They actually feed these fish TO something? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > A Do Oscars HAVE to have feeder fish or are there alternate foods? SignatureK. Sprout the Mung Bean to reply... There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada >,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,< http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra I have an Oscar and have never fed him feeder fish. He mainly eats large cichlid pellets, and earthworms (as an occasional treat). > Do Oscars HAVE to have feeder fish or are there alternate foods? > > http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra >===<>> "Feeder fish" are exactly that they are fish that are going to get fed >===<>> to something, so they (the LFS) may realise that the fish in question [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >===<> >===<>I thought they were called feeders because all they do is eat (i.e. feed) and they are generic/cheap! Not quite >===<> >===<>So do all fish in the store become feeders if they show signs of ill-health? Most stores buy their culls by the pound.......then sell em individually. Petco and Petsmart pays very little for their feeder, much less than a couple of cents each, if you were to figure out how many fish per pound in the size they are graded at. They use sorting boxes, with slats spaced according to fish size and fish that fall through these slats are deemed in that particular size range and sold accordingly. Those that are larger and do not fall through, are graded a step or two higher in regards to size, not necessarily quality. A lot of breeders simply sell culls for this purpose......and a cull could just about be anything, but in general a cull is not taken care of as good as a quality fish is as they do not produce the $$ for a breeder. Its easier overall to just cull a bunch of fish and take a low price instead of simply tossing them, or raising up a bunch of culls and hoping to get a decent return on them.It would be a loosiing situation doing business that way for the breeders. >===<>And isn't it a bad idea to feed these sick fish to something else? Well thats debateable. In nature its usually the sick or problem fish that get to be eaten over the healty fish. Survival of the fitist. Feeders are also fed to other items besides other fish.......and the sickness they "MAY" have in no way affects them as its usually species specific, even though it may have a similar common name like say fungus. Big fish eat small fish, its been that way from the start of time, and its that way now........its naturers way so why try and change it...its normal >===<> >===<>Why weren't there any full-grown Fantails and Orandas at the store? They may simply not have a market for them......Stopres holding inventory on slow selling items or none moveing stock, loose money. Would you stock parts or items for something no one has an interest or demand for? >===<>Do the stores manage to sell all their little Orandas and Fantails? Usually higher priced fish are netted out and if they are dead are saved for when the vendor comes around so they can get credit for them. Merely putting them in the feeder group tank and selling them cheap, in most stores for higher priced fish is not done at least on a regular basis. >===<>Or does a more sinister future await little fish that don't get sold by some expiry date? The only thing I have ever seen with fish that come in small and wind up being uns0ld at their size is when they grow larger the price tag on their tank gets increased >===<> REMEMBER: "This is worth repeating for benefit of al newbies! Jo Ann asked Dr. Solo to remind people that while she has retired from selling GF (and sold the business to Ken Fischer http://dandyorandas.com/) she has NOT retired from helping people with sick GF and koi FOR FREE. 251-649-4790 phoning is best for diagnosis. but, can try email put "help sick fish" in subject. Get your fish at Dandy Orandas Dandy Orandas Dandy Orandas........you guys got that DANDY ORANDAS >>===<>And isn't it a bad idea to feed these sick fish to something else? > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > time, and its that way now........its naturers way so why try and > change it...its normal Yes, but in nature a fish's immune system is exposed (and thusly strengthened) against a lot of diseases that a tanked fish doesn't meet. Offering a diseased feeder to a fish with a lazy immune system is asking for trouble. A >I never thought deeply about the word "feeder" until now. >They actually feed these fish TO something? Besides the large fish that others have mentioned, feeder goldfish are also fed to aquatic turtles - although that is not the best option for them - and snakes such as Garter Snakes or Water Snakes which require a diet of fish, frogs and the like. Gary J Sibio garysibio@earthlink.net http://home.earthlink.net/~garysibio/ I need a trepanning like I need a hole in my head. > >I never thought deeply about the word "feeder" until now. > >They actually feed these fish TO something? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Gary J Sibio Large pet frogs too. SignatureK. Sprout the Mung Bean to reply... There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada >,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,< http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra > I went to a local pet store (one of the major chains) and bought a Red Cap > Oranda and an Orange Fantail recently. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Should I have waited for the "price drop" instead of paying full price? Probably making way for new stock... ;-) Now that you know, you can wait next time as long as you don't mine buying "leftover". I know I'd not mind! I've never seen fantails in the feeder tanks! Wow. Orandas in a feeder tank sound like a mistake??? :-( SignatureK. Sprout the Mung Bean to reply... There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada >,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,< http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra Yea, For some reason I always have to check the feeder tanks while I am at any fish store even though the conditons they are kept in make me sick. Such beautiful fish with a great amount of personality to be treated the way they are just sickens me. Anyway, I have never seen any fancy goldfish in a feeder tank ever....it has to have been a mistake. Maria |
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