Any tips for feeding a Flagtail prochilodus??

[catfishacr]

Hey so I have a flagtail prochilodus 6"-7". I've had it for 7-8 weeks. I've had this fish in the past so i know they can be tricky to feed. My current one is a very willing eater but it will only eat flakes. It spits out any hard food. Ive tried 1mm NLS float pellets, and many other small pellets. It will grab the pellets chew on them for a while and spit them out. I had hoped over the last several weeks it would adapt to the hard food but it just wont.

So my main problem is i have to pollute my tank with flakes to give my flagtail enough food, not something i want to continue to do I currently feed either NLS flakes, Zoo Med Spirulina 20, and Omega one Chiclid flakes.

Does any one have experience with feeding these fish and have any tips on getting them to eat hard foods. Also Is there a bigger flake food out there that i could try? Are there any other types of floating foods i could try that are soft.
Thanks!!

 

[WestOfSeven]

Hey so I have a flagtail prochilodus 6"-7". I've had it for 7-8 weeks. I've had this fish in the past so i know they can be tricky to feed. My current one is a very willing eater but it will only eat flakes. It spits out any hard food. Ive tried 1mm NLS float pellets, and many other small pellets. It will grab the pellets chew on them for a while and spit them out. I had hoped over the last several weeks it would adapt to the hard food but it just wont.

So my main problem is i have to pollute my tank with flakes to give my flagtail enough food, not something i want to continue to do I currently feed either NLS flakes, Zoo Med Spirulina 20, and Omega one Chiclid flakes.

Does any one have experience with feeding these fish and have any tips on getting them to eat hard foods. Also Is there a bigger flake food out there that i could try? Are there any other types of floating foods i could try that are soft.
Thanks!!

Seachem entice and garlic guard? They worked for me getting wild fish to eat prepared food

 

[Chockful O Phail]

You could try NLS algaemax, it comes in two different pellets. Or Kens fish has spirulina flakes that are almost full sheets in a bag.

When I was looking into getting one I had read that they will eat Noori (the stuff used in sushi however you spell it). I didn't end up finding one and found out they get too big for a 18"w tank.

 

[WestOfSeven]

Have u tried soaking the food before feeding?

 

[catfishacr]

Yeah ive tried soaking the pellets in garlic guard. Its never been a issue for it to try to eat them it just spits them out. it will suck them up and spit out pellets for over an hr if i let it, haha.. I will try soaking the food longer to get it real soft, that's a good idea.

 

[catfishacr]

You could try NLS algaemax, it comes in two different pellets. Or Kens fish has spirulina flakes that are almost full sheets in a bag.

When I was looking into getting one I had read that they will eat Noori (the stuff used in sushi however you spell it). I didn't end up finding one and found out they get too big for a 18"w tank.

ive tried algae max, ill differently look into kens fish spirulina flakes! thanks, also if you like the flagtails look into the semaprochilodus taeniurus they get 12"!

 

[xraycer]

Its not the flavor of the pellets, its the hardness of the pellets. If you want to discontinue using flakes, then you just have to stop feeding flakes. It will likely take a month or more, but ultimately it will eat pellets if that's all that's offered. Don't worry, a healthy fish can go for months without food. Its the same as training a fish off live food and onto pellets. You can help the process along by pre-soaking the pellets before feeding to soften it up.

 

[Thekid]

Use a veggie clip and get dried seaweed from a local Asian markert.

Where did you find a flag tail at? I've been looking at all the lfs's and can't find one in Iowa.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I am having similar issues with a couple of the giant barbs or Siamese giant carp, Catlocarpio siamensis I got from Wes Wong a couple of weeks ago. They are ~4" TL. They mouth pellets for up to a minute and spit them out. IDK why they won't chew them using their Pharyngeal teeth. Will try presoaking. Thanks, guys!

 

[xraycer]

Use a veggie clip and get dried seaweed from a local Asian markert.

Its not that its not eating, the OP just wants it to eat pellets instead of flakes. I don't think he wants to make feeding nori a daily/regular thing.