ATTN: Post your Peacock Bass pix here
- Thread starter Steve_89
- Start date
these guys are starting to get nice and i have taken notice to the double eye in the tail.. i have seen this on alot of kelberis... slowly but surely they are coming around
Mine has made a little progress in the fact that he now relates me to food. Hes still skittish and wont take prep food now matter how hungry he is, but he will come up and beg and snap at the glass. Last month he would panic when I approached the tank. Progress is minimal, but progress none the less right? Hes in a fight for his life now. The Peru Mono has become a superb feeder. To the point that when it hits the water, its gone. I went through 1 dozen 2" gutloaded feeders before anyone else in the tank even had a shot at one. No joke. Then the Orinos split a dozen or so. Then the Kelberi finally gets to eat. He feeds well but not untill all the others have gotten their fill. Hes just not quick enough. What makes this frustrating is that the other fish will also take prep food. So no matter what I drop in the tank they eat, AND they eat a butt load of feeders in the process of trying to get the Kelberi a feed. So im kind of spinning my wheels to catch him up in growth because the other fish are easily eating twice what he is. And this Mono...hes growing so fast that I think in a month if this Kelberi doesnt put on some weight, he might fit in the Monos mouth. It would be a big meal, but hes got a BIG mouth. I got them both at 4" and this mono is almost capable of eating him...thats crazy growth
Venom SS;2565121; said:
yup i had a similar problem in a way.. i have to say that peru monos can really put down food, they are super fast and accurate and they are also bullies. (get a peru moni if you want that topwater smashing maniac fish) so i had just sold my peru guy and one of my wild mystery cichlas to a good member and friend here on the MFK forum. now i'm down to my 2 spot, and the 2 kelberis but honestly the new guy doesnt eat that great and is still yet to take feeders, he looks and follows but no strike. he will only scarf up black worms so i think i am going to put them all on a black worm diet so that the new kelberi can get used to his surroundings and gain some strength without the others gaining to much size on him. i'm going to see if i can get some live ghost shrimp and then possibly throw in some guppies, something really small and finesse to get him to strike. my kelberi isn't as spooky as yours. actually my new guy isnt spooky at all, he come right up tot the glass and kind of begs for food but only wants black worms and wont take feeders yet. my original guy is a beast and i'm going to see if he starts to act different without the other aggressive guys roaming the tank. when i get some need lighting i will take some updated pics since i have a surprise for you guys
.. but the tanks a bit dark right now. personally if you ask me, kelberis aren't the easiest cichla to care for because they hold different feeding characteristics, boldness, growth patterns... My new kelberi had the same problem with feeding, too. The smaller ones for some reason were not interested in feeders. I gave them bloodworm, they just tasted and spitted out. They chased the feeder and then stopped right at their face. I tried rosies, too and same result. At first I thought something wrong with them. Emailed jeff this morning, suggested to give them gupppies... oh my God, true beast came out... finished my $3 guppies in no time.
Jeff told me he gave them cichlid fry. I guess those kelberi had never seen feeders in their life. They won't eat anything with color yet.
Time to update... my new tank is kind of boring for now... no decor, no gravel.....
any suggestion???
Jeff told me he gave them cichlid fry. I guess those kelberi had never seen feeders in their life. They won't eat anything with color yet.
Time to update... my new tank is kind of boring for now... no decor, no gravel.....
any suggestion???
ahhaahah nice kelberi and beautiful tank.. put some black tiles down, and add a little bog wood and java moss or a fern
Looking good bro. I would also suggest testing your water for twice a week for at least one month just to make sure you don't see a spike. I would hate for you to losse all those beautiful fish to something that could have been avoided.
Remember, all of these kelberi were swimming in the wild about a month ago. They were darting in and out of driftwood, hiding under overhanging banks & swaying back and forth in the vegetation as the current swirled by. They were scooped up, shipped to a different hemisphere and dropped in large glass boxes that are brightly lit with no place to hide.
Think about being kidnapped, flown to Iceland and placed in a stark white room with absolutely no furnishings... someone opens a door and throws you food 2-3 times a day. How would you be doing?
MAKE THE FISH FEEL COMFORTABLE!!
Something on the bottom of the tank so that they are not staring at empty space beneath them that they can't get to or a reflection that stares back up at them. Bare bottom tanks are so completely unnatural it's not even funny.
Add some large pieces of rock or driftwood for the fish to hide amongst.
Add some large floating plants so that the fish feel like they are under something that hides them from prying eyes that are ready to dive down and catch them for dinner. Dimming the lights helps.
Add a background. Instead of wondering which direction death is coming from they can concentrate on just one side.
Essentially, make the tank to the fish's liking, not yours!! You'll find that once the fish are happy and secure they'll be more adventurous and more likely to eat.
Think about being kidnapped, flown to Iceland and placed in a stark white room with absolutely no furnishings... someone opens a door and throws you food 2-3 times a day. How would you be doing?
MAKE THE FISH FEEL COMFORTABLE!!
Something on the bottom of the tank so that they are not staring at empty space beneath them that they can't get to or a reflection that stares back up at them. Bare bottom tanks are so completely unnatural it's not even funny.
Add some large pieces of rock or driftwood for the fish to hide amongst.
Add some large floating plants so that the fish feel like they are under something that hides them from prying eyes that are ready to dive down and catch them for dinner. Dimming the lights helps.
Add a background. Instead of wondering which direction death is coming from they can concentrate on just one side.
Essentially, make the tank to the fish's liking, not yours!! You'll find that once the fish are happy and secure they'll be more adventurous and more likely to eat.
Scatocephalus;2566197; said:Remember, all of these kelberi were swimming in the wild about a month ago. They were darting in and out of driftwood, hiding under overhanging banks & swaying back and forth in the vegetation as the current swirled by. They were scooped up, shipped to a different hemisphere and dropped in large glass boxes that are brightly lit with no place to hide.
Think about being kidnapped, flown to Iceland and placed in a stark white room with absolutely no furnishings... someone opens a door and throws you food 2-3 times a day. How would you be doing?
MAKE THE FISH FEEL COMFORTABLE!!
Something on the bottom of the tank so that they are not staring at empty space beneath them that they can't get to or a reflection that stares back up at them. Bare bottom tanks are so completely unnatural it's not even funny.
Add some large pieces of rock or driftwood for the fish to hide amongst.
Add some large floating plants so that the fish feel like they are under something that hides them from prying eyes that are ready to dive down and catch them for dinner. Dimming the lights helps.
Add a background. Instead of wondering which direction death is coming from they can concentrate on just one side.
Essentially, make the tank to the fish's liking, not yours!! You'll find that once the fish are happy and secure they'll be more adventurous and more likely to eat.
Very good point Scat. I would asume and hope that he is planning on putting some big pieces of drift wood in there for them to frolic around.