A Baby's First Bites

I've mentioned previously in these posts how I grow brine shrimp for my newborn angelfish fry. Their mouths are so tiny that if they must rely on fish flakes, they will starve to death. And babies need a whole lot of food at least three times a day to survive and flourish.

Yesterday, my friendly neighborhood pet shop (Carroll's Pets in Lumberton, NC) recommended that I try First Bites. Shelli, the owner, was using it with new angelfish babies that are actually the offspring of Lindsay Buckingfish and Stevie Fishnick.

First Bites is a very fine powder, finer than talcum. It's the perfect size for the babies' tiny mouths. What's more, when it is added to the water, it drops instantly. This is very important because new babies don't know yet to go to the surface of the water to get their food. They will learn that once they are about a month old. However, it's instinct that tells them to go after tiny specks that seem to be swimming around them - like live brine shrimp or First Bites.

I haven't completely discarded my notion of feeding live brine shrimp. However, I'll be using this as well. It is comprised of nearly 50% protein, including fish meal, Antarctic krill and clam, as well as some fillers that hold it together like wheat flour. It is rated five stars by this website that recommends it for Oscar fry: http://www.oscarfish.com/5-star-foods/227-hikari-first-bites-ingredients-analysis.html