Trying to break my GATF off live..

[greenerinks]

Question for you guys, I've been trying to break my gatf off live for over two weeks. He's sure stubborn as hell. Has not had a single bite of every offering I've tried. My rays and other fish gobble up loaches and market prawn. How long do you think an 19" gatf go for without anything to eat. I find him just coasting infront of the wave makers and on edge whenever I approach the tank. I am sure he's very hungry but just too used to live feeders.

 

[vincentwugwg]

give him another week before offering live again.. he still looks nice and fat!

 

[sunnysjourney]

It took about 2 months for my 6" GATF to start eating pellets. Imho, it will take another month or so at least.

 

[KNH]

Try throwing in his feeders (dead). He may go after them if you put them in the current. Once he starts eats those than converting to tilapia fillet etc should be a lot easier.

 

[HarleyK]

Good luck. Gorgeous fish.

 

[moe214]

Try throwing in his feeders (dead). He may go after them if you put them in the current. Once he starts eats those than converting to tilapia fillet etc should be a lot easier.

+1

It took about 2 months for my 6" GATF to start eating pellets. Imho, it will take another month or so at least.

I think it'd be harder since this one was grown on live. And he's big and healthy I'd say he could go for a couple months without eating. Looking like a monster green!

 

[greenerinks]

Thanks for all the comments and compliments guys. Yes the gatf is healthy and 'looks' fat because of how tall and broad the fish is already but is in fact quite skinny compared to before. Skinny in the sense that the width has gone down a bit and stomach has no bulge activity whatsoever. This gatf was fed large feeders around the clock like a never ending appetite. With dead food that just falls to the bottom, just does not seem interested. Does not dart forward to investigate or anything yet I know he must be very hungry. My water is kept at consistent 30 degrees Celsius too... If he doesn't eat in a week or so.. I may have to try dead feeders (frozen).

 

[bignootch]

Good luck with your Goliath... Very nice looking specimen. I miss my tigers...

 

[greenerinks]

Thanks, yeah.. Two months without eating... That is quite an intense fasting session. my reasoning to break live is so that when I set up the new tanks, all inhabitants will feed on frozen foods so I can mitigate any chances of parasites and what not. Are there any parasites or harmful bacteria that can survive being frozen? I thought peacock bass were pretty hard to break off live too but started eating peeled market shrimp after two weeks of starvation.

 

[johnny potatoes]

Feed a piece of fishing line ( with a small knot at the end) through a piece of shrimp or fish. The knot will keep the shrimp from falling off and when the fish grand it you can pull the line out. This way you can move the shrimp around the tank, hold it in the current. I had a p bass eat only live once a month for 9 months, it took two tries this way. Good luck, no guarantees but it's worth a shot.