I'm actually mad at myself for not trying this before.
I started using this method while trying to break my little Hydrocynus brevis. This guy has proven to be THE most stubborn tigerfish I've tried to break so far. As he began to approach a month without a proper meal, I was becoming very concerned. I haven't succeeded in getting this fish to eat anything other than blood worms, and blood worms are essentially useless to the fish as far as nutrition is concerned.
Then, like a truck out of control, I was smashed by a serendipitous moment of clarity. Earthworms! I have never seen a young, wild caught fish refuse earthworms. I rushed out to my local bait store and picked up a little tub of worms. After getting back home, I pinched about an inch off of the back of a worm. I then squeezed the dirt/poop out of it and stuffed some massivore into it. That is actually more difficult than it sounds, btw. It makes life easier if you pinch off both ends of the piece of worm you're using.
After putting some massivore into the worm, I dropped it into the tank. The little BATF destroyed the worm like he hadn't eaten anything wholesome for almost a month (for some reason I couldn't begin to imagine)!
I could have smacked myself at this point for not thinking of this sooner.
Here's the timeline I'm at now-
Day 0- Fish hasn't eaten anything but bloodworms for almost a month. He's starting to get thin and I'm considering giving him live to fatten him up. He won't even acknowledge pellets that I add to the tank, be they floating or sinking varieties.
Day 1- Bought the first worms and gave it to the fish. He vigorously ate several worm chunks with a little bit of pellet stuffed inside.
Day 2- Tried stuffing floating carnisticks in the worm, it worked best when the carnistick was cut in half the long way. The worm/pellet combo still floated just fine. The fish enthusiastically went to the surface to get his worm/pellet snack. He wouldn't eat a worm/pellet combo unless the worm completely covered the pellet.
Day 3- Will now eat pellets that have a ring of worm in the middle, they don't need to be completely covered anymore. Will track but not bite wormless pellets.
Day 4- Smashes wormless pellets but won't swallow them. Will eat pellets with just the tiniest piece of worm on them.
Day 5- Eats wormless pellets.
This works with either massivore or floating pellets but absolutely shines when used with jumbo carnisticks. A jumbo carnistick cut in half and stuffed in a worm is exactly the same size and shape as a normal jumbo carnistick. This has been the easiest break for me with an ATF so far. And the best part? No teacher fish!
Good luck guys!
I started using this method while trying to break my little Hydrocynus brevis. This guy has proven to be THE most stubborn tigerfish I've tried to break so far. As he began to approach a month without a proper meal, I was becoming very concerned. I haven't succeeded in getting this fish to eat anything other than blood worms, and blood worms are essentially useless to the fish as far as nutrition is concerned.
Then, like a truck out of control, I was smashed by a serendipitous moment of clarity. Earthworms! I have never seen a young, wild caught fish refuse earthworms. I rushed out to my local bait store and picked up a little tub of worms. After getting back home, I pinched about an inch off of the back of a worm. I then squeezed the dirt/poop out of it and stuffed some massivore into it. That is actually more difficult than it sounds, btw. It makes life easier if you pinch off both ends of the piece of worm you're using.
After putting some massivore into the worm, I dropped it into the tank. The little BATF destroyed the worm like he hadn't eaten anything wholesome for almost a month (for some reason I couldn't begin to imagine)!
I could have smacked myself at this point for not thinking of this sooner.
Here's the timeline I'm at now-
Day 0- Fish hasn't eaten anything but bloodworms for almost a month. He's starting to get thin and I'm considering giving him live to fatten him up. He won't even acknowledge pellets that I add to the tank, be they floating or sinking varieties.
Day 1- Bought the first worms and gave it to the fish. He vigorously ate several worm chunks with a little bit of pellet stuffed inside.
Day 2- Tried stuffing floating carnisticks in the worm, it worked best when the carnistick was cut in half the long way. The worm/pellet combo still floated just fine. The fish enthusiastically went to the surface to get his worm/pellet snack. He wouldn't eat a worm/pellet combo unless the worm completely covered the pellet.
Day 3- Will now eat pellets that have a ring of worm in the middle, they don't need to be completely covered anymore. Will track but not bite wormless pellets.
Day 4- Smashes wormless pellets but won't swallow them. Will eat pellets with just the tiniest piece of worm on them.
Day 5- Eats wormless pellets.
This works with either massivore or floating pellets but absolutely shines when used with jumbo carnisticks. A jumbo carnistick cut in half and stuffed in a worm is exactly the same size and shape as a normal jumbo carnistick. This has been the easiest break for me with an ATF so far. And the best part? No teacher fish!
Good luck guys!
