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beef heart mix


lpiasente

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I am in the process of making up a mix for my discus and was wondering if I can use it for my bettas? This is what is in it.

Beef heart trimmed no fat or sinew

green prawns

white fish fillets

salmon

krill

sprulina

peas

carrots

baby spinach

flake food

garlic.

I think it will be ok just thought I would check just in case.

Thanks

Leanne

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I guess it is an odd thing to say given that we have fish with giant floppy fins in little fluoro cells, but beef heart is just not a natural food choice. I worry a bit about feeding something that they'd never get access to in the wild. I know that they wouldn't get access to prawn or krill etc either, but you know what I mean :lol:

I know that a lot of fish like it and that discus folk swear by the stuff, but most fish aren't really designed to process mammalian meat. It isn't something that they've developed to eat (not too many situations where they'd have access to fresh offal naturally) and you have to wonder what they can actually get out of it and if what they do get out of it is healthy.

From memory, there was some concern a few years ago about discus developing a type of fatty liver from a beef heart diet, though I am not sure of the level of science involved in reaching that determination. The fat levels are a bit concerning, but there is also a bit of a worry in that it is organ meat, and organ meat is generally biased towards one vitamin or trace or whatever. In a mix, that wouldn't be so much of an issue.

beef heart nutritional breakdown <-- only one I could find.

The mix sounds fine, but myself, I guess I'd be more comfy leaving the beef heart out.

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Years ago beef heart was used soley and there was problems with disease so now this is what is being fed and discus breeders and discus love it. There is 1.75 kg white fish 5oo grms prawns 1& 1/2 cups of veggies ,cup flake food 5oo grms beef heart. So there isn't that much beef heart in the mix. I will still be varying their diet with the other foods, just in case it maybe just a little treat. I will make it up again minus the beef heart for the bettas. The girls will have to have to have it as they are in the tank with the discus. I will keep an eye on them and see how they go. Thanks

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  • 1 month later...
Guest jimbalimba88

If its of any help, I used an extremely fine beef heart mix with similar components listed above to rear my 4-5 week old spawn.

They grew amazingly fast. I recommend it.

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They grow extremely fast on blackworm too - but IME so many of the fish fed blackworm go on to develop dropsy as young adults.

I would really be interested to hear if there is a good alternative to blackworm for putting size on juveniles that doesn't have the dropsy downside... so please keep us posted if you use it!

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