Pellet Training Help

Empyreal

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2013
1,278
60
66
Las Vegas, NV
Hey guys,

As many of you already know, I have a 3.5in Indo Dat named Nelson. He currently only eats Freeze dried Krill and Frozen Blood worms. I want to get him on pellets. the last time i tried i didn't have the guts to push him past a week of not eating (im worried cus hes still small). I want to get him on pellets while hes still young. My question is what specific brand of pellets have you guys had success in getting Dats to convert to. Also any hints / tricks you find that work well. He is with other non-datnoid fish that readily take pellets, so see-monkey-do is not a problem. Thank you guys in advance!
 

strollo22

Siamese Tiger
MFK Member
May 21, 2012
5,786
15
38
36
Datnoid Island
For a couple of my smaller dats, I used hikari carnivore pellets. They're the smaller version of massivore. I used to soak a couple in bloodworm juice then throw them in. After about a week or two they usually start to bite at them. Once they get a taste of the pellet, don't feed anything else until they start taking them


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Empyreal

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2013
1,278
60
66
Las Vegas, NV
For a couple of my smaller dats, I used hikari carnivore pellets. They're the smaller version of massivore. I used to soak a couple in bloodworm juice then throw them in. After about a week or two they usually start to bite at them. Once they get a taste of the pellet, don't feed anything else until they start taking them


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Are they sinking or floating? The regular circular size?
 

pbass510

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 11, 2010
866
2
48
Bay Area
Tell your Datnoid to either eat pellets or die lol
x2 lol, but I would cut little chunks of shrimp to imitate a guppy feeder and stuff bits of pellets in there. That normally does the trick for when I had dats.
 

Sams0n

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2013
194
7
33
Wanderland
In the beginning I starved them for about 4-5 days. Then I cut up shrimp and stuffed them with 1 pellet of koi staple. I had a lot of hikari koi staple that my flowerhorns don't eat so I tried them with my dats. After fattening them up with the shrimp, i put in massivore. They easily took that. Then I put in carni sticks and they take that too. Now they eat all of the dried foods I throw in. Btw, I only feed 2-3 times a week. 25-40% WC once a week, twice if I have time. They've grown from 2.5" to 6" in under a year


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Empyreal

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2013
1,278
60
66
Las Vegas, NV
In the beginning I starved them for about 4-5 days. Then I cut up shrimp and stuffed them with 1 pellet of koi staple. I had a lot of hikari koi staple that my flowerhorns don't eat so I tried them with my dats. After fattening them up with the shrimp, i put in massivore. They easily took that. Then I put in carni sticks and they take that too. Now they eat all of the dried foods I throw in. Btw, I only feed 2-3 times a week. 25-40% WC once a week, twice if I have time. They've grown from 2.5" to 6" in under a year


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Wait not sure how you go straight from stuffed shrimp. Then one day you just put in straight pellets? Seems it would look and taste different to the dats?
 

burbon44s

Candiru
MFK Member
May 13, 2012
919
1
48
milwaukee
I can tell you what worked on my rays.
First find out what food drives your fish crazy.
Then soak your pellets in that food.
Store it in a small bowl, covered, and in the refrigerator. Make just enough for a couple of days.
Then every couple days, make a new batch, using less of that food.

I think the fish also like their food cold. So that helps.
give it a try.

Don't forget, remove any food the fish don't eat.
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