Mysis vs. bloodworms

[aquafish]

I just bought some hikari frozen mysis shrimps along with a pack of frozen bloodworms. I've always heard good things about the mysis shrimps, so as part of the boxing day frenzy I decided to give it a try. However, my guppies and swordtails don't seem to like it very much, and they usuall eat EVERYTHING. My fish are adults so they are large enough to swallow the shrimps. They only ate one or two and let the rest sink to the bottom. I gave them some frozen bloodworms and they attacked the worms like they were starved.

Is this normal? Do I need to entice the shrimps with some garlic guard maybe? Also, are the mysis shrimps really better than the bloodworms? Otherwise, i'll save myself trouble and stick to the worms.

[thegrandpoohbah]

I thought mysis shrimp were for SW fish?

[Melody]

I think that Mysis is 'designed' for marine fish but I'm not exactly sure why other than they like it. I'll have to look into that. Enriched whole Mysis is very nutritious, but its tough for fish to eat if they have no teeth to speak of, like Livebearers. It is fed to larger freshwater fish though, such as Discus.

Bloodworms are also good for fish but without enrichment/mixes they wouldn't compare. They're wonderful sources of protein and the fish do gobble them up. They can, however, be constipating so feeding them sparingly is recommended. When I fed them I made sure that the following meal included lots of vegetation like peas to keep their system moving, and I only fed them a few times/week or less. Watch for signs of alergies if you've never fed them before.

You'll do just as well with enriched Brine Shrimp, in my opinion, if not better because they'll actually eat it. I like Emerald Entre', which is frozen shrimp and Spirulina combined - very good for Livebearers and it will bring out more color than Mysis too.

You could always food process the Mysis into a homemade food so you can use it up. Check out the recipe thread (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12). :smile:

[hp10BII]

IIRC, there are different types of Mysis shrimp. Great article here:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=21710

I don't think Hikari uses Mysis relicta in their mysis shrimp, I use Pristine Energetics brand and my fish seem to like that.

http://www.mysis.com/pemysis.html

Mysis relicta is very high in essential fatty acids which bloodworms have little of.

[Melody]

There is far more to Mysis than meets the eye it would seem. I'll be reading for a week from that linked post alone....lol. Very good information, thanks for passing it along. I had it all lumped in under Mysis in my brain and had only read that its not the greatest thing unless its enriched, and lacked in color enhancing capabilities as compared to Brine. I should have known that nothing is that cut and dry. I'll enjoy learning more about them.:smile:

[hp10BII]

There is far more to Mysis than meets the eye it would seem. I'll be reading for a week from that linked post alone....lol. Very good information, thanks for passing it along. I had it all lumped in under Mysis in my brain and had only read that its not the greatest thing unless its enriched, and lacked in color enhancing capabilities as compared to Brine. I should have known that nothing is that cut and dry. I'll enjoy learning more about them.:smile:

You're welcome. I edited my previous post - not sure about it's colour enhancing properties now that I think about it. Trout that I caught in the interior that feeds on scuds and mysis - their flesh is a deep bright red, so the colouring enhancing may be on the inside, so the colouring enhancements may be hard to see unless you fillet your fish. :smile:

I just re-read the article again, just dawned on me how Mykiss became "Mykiss", "very large strain of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, known as Gerrard trout."

I'll have to keep an eye out for Emerald Entre, sounds like an excellent product for the critters.

[Melody]

LOL I found out about his name inadvertently too. Up until then I thought he was just very proud of his kissing abilities. :rofl: