How long to starve 3" pbass?

Mustardtiger101

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 1, 2013
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Canada
I've been starving my 2, 3" kelberi peacock bass for 4 days now. I've tried broken up pieces of massivore, hikari carnisticks, tilapia and shrimp. They will grab it as soon as it hits the water and then will spit it out 5 seconds later. How much longer should I starve them for? Or is their something else I should try?


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Mr.Manaconda

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 9, 2008
256
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Atlanta, GA
If they are mouthing it, don't give in. With small Cichla, I'd give it minimum at least a week and watch them closely. Watch their stomach, if they are tucked way up after a week, or so, maybe feed a couple pieces of frozen (shrimp or tilapia) stuffed with crumbled pellets to keep them going a couple times that week, then start over. Definitely avoid going with feeders, especially after extended periods with no food (a previously empty gut full of pathogen infested feeders can be deadly).
 

sabmakj21

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2014
614
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Hawaii
Sometimes 3 inch bass won't take to pellets that early. My theory is to train them to come up to the top of the tank at feeding time. That way at some point they will eat whatever it is you're putting in. I usually start with frozen bloodworms when I get small juvies (<2 inches). I defrost them and drop a little bit in at a time. I try to do this at least 3 times a day. They will learn to come up close so that they can get their share of food. After about a week, I start introducing pellets of some sort. Of course they may not take to it right away, but I keep alternating bloodworm and pellets. Usually within a few weeks they are strictly on pellets. But the bottom line is that you should feed them whatever they will readily eat a lot of until that time they are on pellets.


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rjkz28

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 9, 2009
1,614
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Illinois
I would never start to starve any fish that's under 6" too much stress. Feed it whatever it will eat till about 5-6" then start starving it. When they are that small they have a chance of not making it or getting some disease from being so stressed out.


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johnnytaboo

Fire Eel
MFK Member
May 4, 2005
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MD, DC, VA
Nice! Glad they broke before you did.
 

Supervee

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2015
127
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Minnesotta
Bought 2 1.5" orinos right before Thanksgiving. I fed them along with my lima shovelnose guppies and glass worms for a few weeks then I starved them. During that time got another lima that took pellets right away and the other lima and one of the orino soon followed. They been eating pellets for the last 2 weeks. Now that orino is a lot bigger than the one who hasn't been eating. They both still know when I'm feeding them but the smaller guy won't go for the pellets. I'm thinking about separating it and beefing it back up.

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gangster

Arapaima
MFK Member
Apr 17, 2008
13,412
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mountains
^^^^You shouldnt starve such small fish. Unhealthy and can stunt their growth.
 
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