how to train your dat to eat anything but live food?

5am

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2006
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lalaland
got 4 dats a little over 3 weeks ago.. they only eat live food!! i have had trouble with feeding dats before on previous purchases and they ended up dying on me but with the recent pick up, i quarantined them in a 40g planted with over 50 platys big and small... a week later there were only 4 platys... i moved them into a 50g by themselves and dumped 10 zebra danios in there..those were gone within 2 days... the guy at the lfs told me he starved his for 3 weeks before they started eating MP. should i starve them? and if so can they not eat for 3 weeks?
 

markwright

Gambusia
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Jan 17, 2011
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You could try the garlic stuff.

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voss345

Jack Dempsey
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Jun 21, 2007
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You should be able to get them on frozen food such as Lg bloodworms and Mysis shrimp with relative ease. Keeping a few other fish in the tank that will eat anything will help as well
 

krichardson

Bronze Tier VIP
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Jun 19, 2006
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Datnoid Island
Remember,you are fighting against nature as they are hard wired to eat other fish so it will take time.Starving them is usually the way and some will hold out for longer than three weeks before they will try a pellet.
 

strollo22

Siamese Tiger
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May 21, 2012
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Remember,you are fighting against nature as they are hard wired to eat other fish so it will take time.Starving them is usually the way and some will hold out for longer than three weeks before they will try a pellet.
This. I'd also like to add that they seem to love shrimp so if you can get them on that then stuff the shrimp with pellets


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krichardson

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Oh yeah,forgot about the shrimp.I've not had a dat yet that could resist them...Oh and thanks for the words in that other thread,Strollo.
 

rich4297

Jack Dempsey
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Sep 18, 2012
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I gave up on starving mine he went a month and ate nothing. I couldn't go that again I just stuff frozen silversides with NLS and have seen s good amount of growth. Also he seems more outgoing


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krichardson

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When I first learned about starving dats I attempted it with a young NGT and I allowed it get very thin before I gave in and dropped in some Rosie's...It took a few but eventually died anyhow.If they are extremely stubborn,I think it is best to offer their natural food after some time before they get too sunken and then continue,or,restart with the starving while offering pellets.
 

Pontis Lebowski

Feeder Fish
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Dec 10, 2012
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Under Water Bolling Lane
Just got my IT on shrimp. Planning on fattening him back up then, put small pieces of MP in the shrimp and trying to switch over that way. It starved for 3 weeks and got very thin. The previous owner couldn't get it off live food either. So who knows how long it had gone without eating.

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5am

Feeder Fish
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Jul 7, 2006
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lalaland
thanks for the replies! i dont mind feeding them MP.. they are still too small to eat a whole shrimp so i have to cut them into smaller pieces. i found a beetle in my backyard the other day and put it in the tank and they ate it. there was only 1 beetle so only 1 got to eat. i tried to put 3 pellets into the tank today but no response. ill wait a few days and try to cut some mp for them
 
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