[rdebonis]

The use of feeder fish is controversial at best. The most compelling arguments against using feeder fish is that they are nutritionally deficient and they carry diseases. If you have ever seen an overcrowded tank of feeder fish with dead and dying fish in it as I have, you would never feed these to your fish. Many breeders will not feed certain foods to their prize fish, Tubifex Worms and feeder fish are high on their list of foods to avoid. However I do understand that some Marine Fish will not eat anything except live fish, which leaves most Salt Water hobbyists little choice but to buy feeder fish as food. As far as Freshwater fish are concerned I have imported Wild Bettas and other anabantids that I was told would eat nothing but live food, but with patience and determination I was able to ween them off live food and get them to accept Frozen Foods and in many cases dry food, with an occassional meal of live food, which was much better for them because of the increased nutritional value of the food. Many hobbyists believe mistakenly I feel, that live foods are better for Freshwater fish because they replicate the natural feeding environment of the fish. In truth the natural feeding environment of most Freshwater fish includes, insects, worms, crustaceans, and plant life as well as other fish. Their diet is usually composed of whatever is available at the moment and is very varied. However it is also true that you can force many Freshwater fish quickly into breeding condition by feeding them a diet mostly of live foods. This may be good for Breeding them, but I'm not sure it's good for the overall health of the fish. I am not familiar with Marine Fish diets, but I read that many Frozen and Dry foods are being used with really good results on many Marine fish. This is probably more of a topic for Fish Nutrition, but it is germane to the nutritional health of fish that get Hole in the Head disease .