Feeding and Nutrition :: Native fish species with appropriate fat content

[Squishy]

Aside from minnows, which species of fish native to Ontario or the Great Lakes area would make for good feeders? They would have to be able to swim through egg crate light diffuser. Hopefully they would also be available from a pet store.

So far I have kept my tank native, with minnows and Canadian waterweed, a type of anacharis. Only the RES is out of place, but Turdle can't help what he is.

[VanishingReality]

Your RES is native to Michigan so technically he is native to the Great Lakes.

[Squishy]

I thought they were native the southern States.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

I'm not sure that any fish native to Onatrio would be considered good feeder fish. Most natives require very cool water (around 68F) and very high oxygenation, such as in fast moving rivers. I also have no info on whether there are nutrition issues (fat, etc) and would be very concerned with potential sickness/disease.

There are about 140 fish species considered native to Ontario. Of those the most likely candidates would be in the 'baitfish' category.

Have a look here for information about Ontario Baitfish;
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/regions/centra ... s-on_e.pdf

Again, I can't tell you if any of these would be 'good' for your turtle, but as far as size, perhaps the darters & shiners would fit the bill. Unless you can find others that can confirm having used some of these as feeders, I do not know that you (or your turtle) would want to be 'guinea pigs'. Feeder guppies and minnows are so cheap that it just doesn't seem worth it to take the risk.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Yes, RES are native to basically the Mississippi River and around it. Generally the southern states, but they creep northward, up to around Ohio.

Try checking with a local university or vet about if the fish are closer to a rosie red minnow (which is good for feeding) or a goldfish (which are bad for feeding). Basically, rosie reds are lean and not very fatty, whereas goldfish are very fatty. A petstore may be able to help also.

[Squishy]

I did some reading and found out that dace, shiners, and chubs are all baitfish in the minnow family.

I don't think I trust pet stores very much for information on fish they do not stock. I will see if my university has a program that deals with freshwater fish biology. Thanks.