Hypancistrus furunculus( L199)
- Thread starter Doodles
- Start date
I find most hypancistrus prefer high protein foods, but will eat a little bit of veg as well (some do, but it depends on the fish), and hypancistrus fry are best fed on veggies and meaty foods.
Edit;
I am not just saying that because the book says so, i just find most of my hypancistrus eat a little veg, a few don't, but my fry certainly like broad beans, plus i have read of a few people who feed some vegetables to hypancistrus, more a supplement with their main diet with high protein foods.
Reading Ingo Seidel's book on L-Catfishes, i was suprised to find in the feeding section that he classies Hypancistrus as Omnivores.
From the feeding section in the book, the omnivore section is just after the Aufwuchs-feeders section, but before the Wood-eaters section and the Carnivore section;
"The Omnivores"
As well as the exclusively Aufwuchs-feeders there are, of course, also numerous genera and species that constitute intermediate forms between the Aufwuchs-feeders and the carnivores, as they are fairly easy to feed on both vegtable and animal food and in addition they are not as highly specialised as regards their digestive tract that they cannot cope without problem with an unbalanced diet for a limited period of time.
These genera include, for example, aquarium-hobby favourites such as; Peckolita, Hypancistrus, Ancistomus and Parancistrus.
These catfishs are characterised by a noticeably smaller suckermouth, and - compared to the Aufwuchs-feeders - a somewhat more strongly reduced definition.
Thus they too possess rows of teeth arranged like the teeth of a comb, and these are again bicuspid, but the number of teeth is signficantly smaller.
And thus these fishes also have only a limited function as algae cleaners in the aquarium. This means that there is also unlikely to be any problem with their damaging aquatic plants.
However, the juveniles of the Hypancistrus species perhaps constitute a minor exception to this rule, as they apparently have a greater requirement for vegtable food and will fill this need by eating holes in the leaves of higher aquatic plants.
As well as eating the types of food already mentioned for the Aufwuchs-feeders, omnivores can be feed with any of the usual animal foods that are offered to loricariid catfishes.
These may include, for example, live and frozen mosquito larvae, Daphnia, Cyclops and brine shrimp, as well as; shrimp, mussel and fish flesh.
As well as flake, granules, and tablet foods there nowadays also special manufactured foods for loricariid catfishes in the form of "chips".
As a rule the ominivores will eat all these foods without problem.
Edit;
I am not just saying that because the book says so, i just find most of my hypancistrus eat a little veg, a few don't, but my fry certainly like broad beans, plus i have read of a few people who feed some vegetables to hypancistrus, more a supplement with their main diet with high protein foods.
Reading Ingo Seidel's book on L-Catfishes, i was suprised to find in the feeding section that he classies Hypancistrus as Omnivores.
From the feeding section in the book, the omnivore section is just after the Aufwuchs-feeders section, but before the Wood-eaters section and the Carnivore section;
"The Omnivores"
As well as the exclusively Aufwuchs-feeders there are, of course, also numerous genera and species that constitute intermediate forms between the Aufwuchs-feeders and the carnivores, as they are fairly easy to feed on both vegtable and animal food and in addition they are not as highly specialised as regards their digestive tract that they cannot cope without problem with an unbalanced diet for a limited period of time.
These genera include, for example, aquarium-hobby favourites such as; Peckolita, Hypancistrus, Ancistomus and Parancistrus.
These catfishs are characterised by a noticeably smaller suckermouth, and - compared to the Aufwuchs-feeders - a somewhat more strongly reduced definition.
Thus they too possess rows of teeth arranged like the teeth of a comb, and these are again bicuspid, but the number of teeth is signficantly smaller.
And thus these fishes also have only a limited function as algae cleaners in the aquarium. This means that there is also unlikely to be any problem with their damaging aquatic plants.
However, the juveniles of the Hypancistrus species perhaps constitute a minor exception to this rule, as they apparently have a greater requirement for vegtable food and will fill this need by eating holes in the leaves of higher aquatic plants.
As well as eating the types of food already mentioned for the Aufwuchs-feeders, omnivores can be feed with any of the usual animal foods that are offered to loricariid catfishes.
These may include, for example, live and frozen mosquito larvae, Daphnia, Cyclops and brine shrimp, as well as; shrimp, mussel and fish flesh.
As well as flake, granules, and tablet foods there nowadays also special manufactured foods for loricariid catfishes in the form of "chips".
As a rule the ominivores will eat all these foods without problem.
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I have tried constantly with my hypans since reading that bit when I bought the book and must say I have had some success with the fry and especially arabesque fry. Adults dont seem to even look at veg no matter what I put in.
I would opt for omnivore if thats what the man says as he seems to know more than most
Cheers
thegeeman
I would opt for omnivore if thats what the man says as he seems to know more than most
Cheers
thegeeman
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My 333s, 66s, 201s, and other hypan's iv owned all had a tendency to eat meat over veg. My 201 wont touch veggies, 66-333s will but prefer beef heart.
As i recall reading they require veg for digestion but are designed by dentition as carnivorous.
As i recall reading they require veg for digestion but are designed by dentition as carnivorous.
Veggies are good as a supplement for hypancistrus, ie, i feed adults one broad bean along with their usual tablet/frozen food per tank, don't put in a lot as most of it will be left uneaten, and the ones that do have a craving for veggies will not be getting enough nutrition from a mainly veggie diet.
My oldest group of zebras ignore any broad beans i feed them, so i don't try anymore, either; they don't recognise the beans as food, or they only have a taste for high protein food.
Gee
Fry will relish veggies if you feed it to them right from when they first start feeding, i give mine a diet of roughly 30% broad beans and 70% protein food daily, it seems to help their digestion and make them poo a lot, i always have a pile to clean up each day !
When i started feeding veggies, i found older fry more picky with it, but fry that are fed some veggies with their food right from the beginning, devour both.
My oldest group of zebras ignore any broad beans i feed them, so i don't try anymore, either; they don't recognise the beans as food, or they only have a taste for high protein food.
Gee
Fry will relish veggies if you feed it to them right from when they first start feeding, i give mine a diet of roughly 30% broad beans and 70% protein food daily, it seems to help their digestion and make them poo a lot, i always have a pile to clean up each day !
When i started feeding veggies, i found older fry more picky with it, but fry that are fed some veggies with their food right from the beginning, devour both.
When you say Broad beans do you mean the ones in the tin?. I hate the things, man they are devils food
. I just put a slice of courgette in and in the morning it has been chewedCheers
thegeeman
Gee, yes tinned broad beans, the ones you don't use can be frozen and thaw out what you want to use each day, i like to crumble them up for fry.
Though, courgette is another option.
A broadbean snack i had earlier
Made from fresh broad beans;
Though, courgette is another option.
A broadbean snack i had earlier
Made from fresh broad beans;