Unlike African tiger fish, I won't say these are easy! Some payaras can be stubborn almost to the point of their own death, however some will readily eat non-live food. I would first recommend using the same method described in the African Tiger Fish on Pellets Thread. In my experience, that method works about 50% of the time. If your payara readily eats pellets without training, you should consider yourself lucky!
If that method should fail for you however, you will need to take a different route to getting your payaras off of live food.
You'll need the following items-
1- Some very thin fishing line. I recommend the lightest fluorocarbon line you can find.
2- Fillets of your favorite type of fish. I am a fan of trout, but tilapia and salmon are both good options as food for your fish.
3- Patience!
Now its time to go fishing!
The first thing you need to do is take two to three feet of the fishing line. Tie a knot into one end of it. The knot is to keep your bait from falling off of the end of the line.
Now, take your fillet of fish and prepare it into chunks that are a similar size and shape to the feeders that would be ideal for your payara to eat; goldfish, rosies, guppies or whatever is an ideally sized prey item for your payara.
Next, you're going to put the piece of fish onto the fishing line and drop it into the tank. Some payaras will take the fillet readily, simply because it looks passingly like the prey items they're used to eating. Other payaras will need to be starved and then tricked into striking. In order to trick your payara into striking you need to try various methods common to fishing. Eventually with a combination of starving and jigging, you'll induce your payara to strike at your fillets. Once he strikes and eats one, the payara will recognize the fillet of food as a food source and will normally readily strike again.
Now, some payara owners are happy to have their fish eating this diet and will continue to feed fillets to them. There's nothing wrong with doing so. However, some owners will desire to get their stubborn payara onto pellets, which is certainly an admirable goal.
In order to get your fish onto pellets from fillets, you must first get him eating fillets reliably. Once he readily strikes the fillets and goes looking for them, start moving them higher and higher in the water column until they're on the surface. Once he is striking the fillets that are on the surface and starts looking to the surface for his food, allow the fish to undergo a short fast of a few days. Then try adding some floating pellets. You should find that your payara, who is by this point used to feeding from the surface, will eat the pellets with vigor. I've found that a pellet trained payara will happily take fillets as treats even once it starts to eat pellets.
Now, getting your payaras off live can take a very long time, up to a couple of months in some cases. A large fish can go a long time without food and they can be very stubborn. Don't give up! Stay the course and your fish will come around! Good luck!
If that method should fail for you however, you will need to take a different route to getting your payaras off of live food.
You'll need the following items-
1- Some very thin fishing line. I recommend the lightest fluorocarbon line you can find.
2- Fillets of your favorite type of fish. I am a fan of trout, but tilapia and salmon are both good options as food for your fish.
3- Patience!
Now its time to go fishing!
The first thing you need to do is take two to three feet of the fishing line. Tie a knot into one end of it. The knot is to keep your bait from falling off of the end of the line.
Now, take your fillet of fish and prepare it into chunks that are a similar size and shape to the feeders that would be ideal for your payara to eat; goldfish, rosies, guppies or whatever is an ideally sized prey item for your payara.
Next, you're going to put the piece of fish onto the fishing line and drop it into the tank. Some payaras will take the fillet readily, simply because it looks passingly like the prey items they're used to eating. Other payaras will need to be starved and then tricked into striking. In order to trick your payara into striking you need to try various methods common to fishing. Eventually with a combination of starving and jigging, you'll induce your payara to strike at your fillets. Once he strikes and eats one, the payara will recognize the fillet of food as a food source and will normally readily strike again.
Now, some payara owners are happy to have their fish eating this diet and will continue to feed fillets to them. There's nothing wrong with doing so. However, some owners will desire to get their stubborn payara onto pellets, which is certainly an admirable goal.
In order to get your fish onto pellets from fillets, you must first get him eating fillets reliably. Once he readily strikes the fillets and goes looking for them, start moving them higher and higher in the water column until they're on the surface. Once he is striking the fillets that are on the surface and starts looking to the surface for his food, allow the fish to undergo a short fast of a few days. Then try adding some floating pellets. You should find that your payara, who is by this point used to feeding from the surface, will eat the pellets with vigor. I've found that a pellet trained payara will happily take fillets as treats even once it starts to eat pellets.
Now, getting your payaras off live can take a very long time, up to a couple of months in some cases. A large fish can go a long time without food and they can be very stubborn. Don't give up! Stay the course and your fish will come around! Good luck!
