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gold fish for mudpuppy

i_love_necturus

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Hi all.
I know that gold fish are fatty, and can introduce disease to caudates but I was wondering are the chances of my mudpuppy getting sick very high? I have no intention as using them as a staple food source as I use nightcrawlers. I would like to use feeder fish as an occasional food source, or to put a couple in the tank when im gone for a week or so. My mudpuppy has eaten many whitecloud mountain minnows when I first got it (they were in there from cycling the tank), so would these be a better source of food because I know she has hunted them in the tank? I've had the mudpuppy nearly two years and would like to try a feeder fish maybe a few times a month or so.

Thanks
 

Jishy

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I would be real careful about that. Goldfish have a nasty habit of nipping at axolotl gills. It could be ok if it's supervised. Just make sure the fish are small enough to be eaten in one bite. Perhaps you could put the goldfish in the fridge for a bit before giving it to the axy, it should make it a bit sluggish an maybe deter any nasty gill eating habits.
 

Abrahm

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Skip the goldfish and try to raise your own livebearers if at all possible. They are a better quality food source and they also provide more bang for the buck considering how prolific they are.

I would still be wary of putting fish in with my mudpuppy if I left for a week. Unless you are frequently gone for a week, a short fast shouldn't be problematic for the animal. There are too many problems that could arise from fish in the tank. What if one dies and fouls the water? What if the fish start harassing the mudpuppy? What if the fish pass on an infection? I would just feed the mudpuppy heavily before leaving and when you get back.
 

Neotenic_Jaymes

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In the past I have had no problem with using goldfish but stopped once I learned they can have sickness and parasites and such. Actually Necturus Maculosus are perfect fish eaters it was a joy to watch them eat their fishy meals. N. Maculosus are very fast when they strike and catch fish with ease, as long as your N. Maculosus has hiding places fish wont be able to nibble their gills. I've never seen fish nibble at Necturus gills before though. I would say if you have a safe source of fish just don't over feed or leave fish in there with the Necturus, although I dont think it'll be a problem if its just 1 or 2 lingering fishes.
 

pete

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I think you're aware of the risks. The previous owner of my mudpuppy fed it a diet of solely of goldfish. Since I have had it, I think I've thrown goldfish in there about 3 or 4 times over 6 years. She definitely hunts them, which can be fun to watch. I think fouling the water is my biggest problem with goldfish. They're such dirty animals and they eat my snails, too. I don't think I'd leave them in the tank during an absence either.
 

i_love_necturus

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Thanks for all the replies. I am aware that it isn't a completely good idea to leave any in the tank while I leave as I am not gone too often. I usually just feed her right before a trip and she's fine, so I'm not really sure as to why I even brought that up. Ill probably get a couple some time to see how it goes. Thanks again
 

i_love_necturus

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I bought some goldfish (3) and put them in. There was a large gold one and two smaller silver ones. The larger disappeared within a few hours. The other two weren't eaten in a few days, and yes they really do dirty up the tank. So today I caught them (by hand) and hand fed them to the mudpuppy who excepted them quickly. This is what I plan on doing in the future, I figure that if the fish aren't gone by the next morning I'll hand feed them to the mudpup. Also, I think I will do this only once a month if the mudpuppy seems fine. She ate the gold one on friday and is doing fine since.
 

Neotenic_Jaymes

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All I want to say is becareful I had once kept turtles and fed them mostly feeder gold fish. Every once in a while my turtles would get sick and since noticing that I have stopped the use of gold fish. At best try to not even use gold fish. When purchasing these feeder gold fish you have to becareful and examine the fish 1st. If you see dead fish in the same tank please don't purchase the feeders. Or If you can visibly see white parasites on the fish stay away. Good luck!
 

i_love_necturus

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Thanks, I made sure all the fish in the feeder fish tank looked healthy and not just the ones I bought. A science teacher I know will be giving me some aswell, these I know are healthy.
 
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