small Leopard Ctenopoma diet?

[BuffaloPolypteridae]

mollies guppys and platys, guppys for the smaller guys and platys or mollies for the larger. I haven't done mollies in a bit though been doing mainly guppys and platys

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[festaedan]

I bought a 0.75 inch cten about a year ago. He grew really fast and readely accepted boodworms and nls, once he was 5 inches I thought he could live with my 15 inch arowana and 6 inch buttikofferi (my current avatar). I was wrong.

 

[BuffaloPolypteridae]

oh yeah, I would imagine he was fine with the bichir but that's a big aro haha

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[festaedan]

15.5 inches of ctetnapoma murderer.

 

[BuffaloPolypteridae]

lol! yeah haha I'm hoping to avoid that haha if I try introducing my guy anything under adult size I feel like my red wolf will just tear him up... not even just his fins haha I've had him shake his head so viloently it tore fish in half

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[badassissimo]

I bought a 0.75 inch cten about a year ago. He grew really fast and readely accepted boodworms and nls, once he was 5 inches I thought he could live with my 15 inch arowana and 6 inch buttikofferi (my current avatar). I was wrong.

I guess I stunted mine... I bought mine at like a half inch last year in August and he is just over an inch and a half now. I fed him flake food forever but lately, he just watches it hit the gravel. I got some floating cichlid sticks the other day but he ignored that. I also got some freeze dried shrimp. This is getting his attention. I haven't seen him eat like a piggy since November. He started hiding a lot and just scrapping. I have flying fox now so scraps aren't as available.

I'm curious, should I try something different? I recently got my water quality under control. His tank mates are 3 flying fox and 4 glo tetras. This is my daughter's glo tetra tank.He'll be moved if he becomes a problem. At the moment, he isn't a threat and seems to be anorexic.

 

[Firewitch]

I've had a similar problem with a ctenopoma. I bought it together with 6 other leos and feeded them all the same way. The 6 grew - this one stayed smaler and didn't eat very much. It was a very shy one and a slow eater. I separatet it in a smaller tank with many options to hide and feeded it with phoenix worms, mealworms, living small shrimps and it got 6 adult guppies for eating their breed. It took time but it worked! After four month I could put it back to the others and now she's the biggest and the wildest of them all.
All of my ctenopomas love shrimp pellets - maybe this is a possibility for you? Hope it is´t too late for yours!

 

[badassissimo]

Ya, I got some freeze dried plankton going in but I'm not seeing a hunger. I put shrimp earlier. My bad. Going to try some frozen blood worms later today. I hope this does something. My glo tetras are eating everything that goes in and the flying fox have huge bellies, lol! I'm probably going to get some corydoras for the clean up crew. A pair, probably. I might start looking for something live but the house flies I've slapped dead didn't get attention. The tetras ate them! Iunno... this little guy is confusing. Think I should try some salt?

 

[Firewitch]

My glo tetras are eating everything that goes in

I think, there's the rub. Is the scientific name for your glo tetras "Hemigrammus erythrozonus" or are they these glowing tetras?
If they're the 2nd ones - Gymnocorymbus ternetzi are very aggressive eater. I had the same problems when my leos swam in the tank with "Phenacoramma interruptus". These guys ate almost everything, that fell in and especially the shyer ones of the leos had big problems in getting enough food. Perhapst in your tank there´s too much trouble for the leo?

I don´t think, salt is the solution for the problem. Salt helps to renew the skin if it´s infested by parasites, but it doesn´t help when (maybe!) the leo is stressed by its tankmates. Is there any possibility to separate him in a smaller, darker tank with enough chances to hide and to feel secure and undisturbed?

 

[badassissimo]

I'll see if I can get my other 30 up and running again. I think I have the "Gymnocorymbus ternetzi." I got them from Petsmart. I called and verified the scientific name. Regardless, these fish are pretty active and stay swimming around. I have some caves for the Leo and even stuffed some fake plants in a corner for him to hide behind but he steady is staying in the corner right by the lid. Now that I am thinking in terms of stress, he did stay hidden all the time when it was just him in the tank. I just didn't see the issue since he swam around so much when I first got him and stayed eating flake food so well. Guess things change...

So.... I'll throw some tank water in the other 30 I have and see if I can't get it working. Can't hurt to give it a shot, right? I'm just hoping he is healthy. He's ignoring flake food, seems to be ignoring blood worms, unless I just missed it..., and has a baby molly swimming inches away from him, too. I thought that would get eaten no problem! Maybe the lighting is bugging him? Nocturnal thing? Got the light off now. We'll see what happens overnight.

Also, I do make sure the tetras start eating on the flake food before I add the blood worms. I noticed there was food left over so I added corydoras in addition to the flying fox. The mollies got added for live food. Getting confused... Like I say, just hoping that after my battle with water quality, his health isn't the issue. He doesn't look skinny to me so I think he's eating something sometime.