# ants as a substitute for mosquito larvae



## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

have any of you tried it? would it work? or will this kill the betta?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I've never heard of it before. I'm not sure how much nutritional value they have and I'd be worried they'd be carrying something. Perhaps a culture of flightless fruitflies instead?


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## purplemuffin (Aug 12, 2010)

I don't think they would even like it. I've tried an ant before(long story) and they are..for lack of a better word--spicy? The toxins kinda burn a little, even on my big ole human tongue. I can imagine it would shock a betta! And I don't know the nutrition level of them either!


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## PitGurl (Feb 22, 2011)

They won't eat ants. Ants release chemicals when threatened which taste nasty.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Ewww!


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

One in a million betta (sort of) would eat ants. I've only heard of 1 person who has successfully fed his bettas ants when food was scarce. But I'm not sure about their nutritional value nor do I know the kind of ants he uses.

I don't feed mine ants. But I do feed them ant/termite eggs or larva. In my country, they're regularly fed to predatory singing birds because they're very nutritious (high protein).


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

If ant's aren't going to work, how bout live crickets?


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Ants are a no:
1) Their exoskeleton is very tough and can lead to impaction
2) The chemicals they release taste bad and could be harmful (not sure on that)

Crickets have a hard exoskeleton even for some types of reptiles. I know they are very popular for feeding to reptiles but they can also cause compaction so some keepers (like me) avoid using them unless they were freshly molted. Additionally, you would have to use super-pin head crickets (like 1-2 days old) which you won't find at any petstore. 

Wingless fruit flies are a good option. It is pretty easy to make a culture of them too, but only adult bettas can really eat them.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Crickets are definitely no good. .... I mean for bettas. They're good for big enough fish that can eat them whole. But to feed them to bettas, you would have to chop them up..... their internal whatever is mainly liquid. You will end up with little to no meat.... just the exoskeleton which IMO is too hard for bettas.

It might work if you feed an extra big betta very young (newly hatched) and tiny crickets.... not sure, never tried.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Your best bet is to stick with worm type foods if you want to do live foods. Daphnia is another good option but it can be hard to keep a colony going.


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

1fish2fish said:


> Your best bet is to stick with worm type foods if you want to do live foods. Daphnia is another good option but it can be hard to keep a colony going.


would a night crawler work?


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Well, you would have to cut it up... which is disgusting... but maybe they would eat it. I think by "worms" he was referring to glass worms, bloodworms, california black worms and tublifex worms, which are safely prepared, frozen and available at most pet stores. They are specifically for pet fish. Remember, anything you get from the outdoors could carry parasites... And worms sold as fish bait can carry chemicals and parasites. Never feed them Red Wrigglers, they release chemicals that taste bad and may be dangerous.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Are we talking about mosquito larvae for fry or for conditioning the adults? If it's fry, they'd have to be a few months old I'd think to eat chopped up nightcrawlers. Unless you put the nightcrawlers through a blender. Ewwwww. Please forget I said that.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Sakura!! Eeeeuuuuwwwww!!!! lol! That's disgusting.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

>.< I know. But honestly, I can't think of any other way to make earthworms small enough for fry. And some people do it to make homemade fish food. I would never use that blender for anything else ever ever again, that's for sure. 

You know, I was feeling a bit peckish earlier but strangely, not now.


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