Earwigs, Grasshoppers, and Caterpillars...

[Moses Greengrass]

Is there anything that is off limits to our fish as far as bugs go. Venomous, stinging creatures maybe not so much, but earwigs, grasshoppers, and caterpillars seem to be a big hit.

 

[TCLynx]

some bugs my fish don't seem as interested in but I don't know of any that are dangerous to fish.

[Carey Ma]

I know grasshoppers and crickets and I think most larva/ pupa are OK, but I'd stay away from most others like stink bugs, bees/wasps etc. (the ones that have some sort of chemical defense).

[TCLynx]

stink bugs are really hard to catch too unless you have a powerful vac and can suck them up without mangling all your plants in the process.

[Moses Greengrass]

As some of you know I recently killed close to 300 tilapia. I was not sure what happened but thanks to the knowledgeable members of this community I have concluded that a feed issue started this chain reaction of death. Would uneaten insects be as detrimental to the system as uneaten commercial feed?

[TCLynx]

I don't think so but it would all depend on quantity, for instance I wouldn't worry about a beetle and a few moths going uneaten in my fish tank but if you are talking about a whole scoop full of dead insects being put into the system and rotting instead of being eaten, well I expect they would be pretty detrimental.

 

I knew of some one with a bug zapper over their fish tank in Louisiana and the June bugs and beetle parts were actually bad enough to interfere with a small pump so had to be scooped out regularly.

 

Anything in excess is bad I guess.

[Carey Ma]

Sorry to hear about your fish. Yes I agree with TC that mainly depends on quantity of pollutant vs. quantity of the right types of micro critters and amount of oxygen in any system. Balance is the fulcrum to a healthy system but whenever in doubt, add more air.

[Teresa N Florida]

Glad to hear grasshoppers would be ok.  I've got tons of them at my place.  My gold lab mix loves chasing them down and eating them.  It is practically a sporting event for her.  During the summer when it is rediculously hot outside, I occasionally break out the butterfly net to help her out since she is exhausted within 10 minutes of chasing them. 

[Jim Logios]

I do this for exercise...LOL!  I will run around the yard and hand catch grasshoppers and crickets and dump them in one by one as I catch them, and watch the fun as the whole tank of bluegills fight over the poor insect! I also had an infestation of cabbage worms last year, but picked them off and dumped them in the tank.  The gills LOVED them!

Teresa N Florida said:

Glad to hear grasshoppers would be ok.  I've got tons of them at my place.  My gold lab mix loves chasing them down and eating them.  It is practically a sporting event for her.  During the summer when it is rediculously hot outside, I occasionally break out the butterfly net to help her out since she is exhausted within 10 minutes of chasing them. 

[TCLynx]

It's good to have a hobby Jim

[Jim Logios]

Well, if you can't have fun, what's the use?

TCLynx said:

It's good to have a hobby Jim

[Jim Logios]

But on a more serious note, I noticed that I have several small trees that have tent caterpillars still in the cocoon. I've done a search on the internet, and see many say bluegills eat caterpillars. Does anyone know if there is a limit as to how many to feed them?  I'm concerned about the cilia on the caterpillars, as well as possible toxic effects to the fish. They are not poisonous as far as I know, but don't want to chance any negative food source into the tank.  Anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks.

[TCLynx]

I've fed plenty of caterpillars to my fish but they have all generally been the ones dining on my veggies.  Kinda funny watching a catfish fingerling swimming around with a big caterpillar sticking out of it's mouth because it's too big to swallow.

So far as I know, none of my fish deaths have ever been due to caterpillars but I don't think most of the caterpillars I've fed them have very much in the way of hairs.

I would probably recommend with any new food source, that you start with a small amount and see what happens and if it seems good, then more the next time.