another converting from live prey question

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vildotcom

vildotcom

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jun 30, 2006
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San Diego, CA
i know it is common practice to keep your feeders for a while, making sure they are loaded w/ food when fed to fish. does this help w/ hole-in-the-head too?

if not, i was wondering what i can do aside from breeding my own feeders [not enough space] to stop my cichla from getting hole-in-the-head.

i am planning on converting to store bought fish/krill/pellets when they are about 7'' inches as said in the deiselmack thread on converting off live food. until they are about that big (just about 3-4'' now), there will be LFS bought feeders, which i was just told today buy feeders off of locals occasionally. i dont think this is very trust worthy.

what do you guys think?
 
Water conditions are in my opinion the main contributor to HITH..... And as for converting... I have mine eating anything i want them to when they were 4".... I will always feed live as i like it... But if your looking to keep them from HITH.. Your better off worrying about your water... And worrying about other things that would kill them that come with feeders ... Just my 2 cents..
 
Personally, I believe water quality plays a bigger part in hole in the head than food does. As far as feeders go, if you can gutload your feeders first, that would be great, but if you can't I don't think that will be a huge problem. Just make sure you keep them little guys full and they will soon be big enough to train off of the live food.
 
At first, hold the feeder fish by the tail in your tank, then release it. Then your fish will eventually learn to come up and take it from you. Next, hold a peelet at the top of the water, and when the fish is interested, throw it at the water. This should cause a reaction strike to the movement. Eventually they will learn that pellets are food.
 
sweet. thanks, very enlightening.

1. keep water clean
2. keep cichla full
3. convert later

converting may not be my main goal. i just want these guys to be eating a broad range of food instead of having to rely on feeders.
 
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