Buenos Aires Tetra or Tiger Barbs

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Often the best way is to starve the fish until it eats what it should. Cichlids take to pellets pretty easily.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scrappy71113
Mealworms and floating sticks/pellets kind of float similar so it would be in no time when you start to throw in sticks with mealworms after she starts to show some healthy eating vibes with cichlids I have kept once they started to eat something it was easy to mix in food to expand their palette
I found something she likes!!!! ?
Meal worms!


I decided to get 10 Buenos Aires tetras because they're the cheaper option and if they become food, it's not gonna kill my wallet.
Now the next big question is how do I transition my lovely lady from mealworms to fish kibble? I'm going to get her weight up before I try, but definitely something I want to do.
 
Well, she's back off of food and now she's acting terrified of the tetras. One swam into the cave she was in and she started freaking out a bit.

Another idea...
When I got her, I set up an emergency 20 gallon for her, and she did really well.
She didn't stop eating until I moved her to her 40 gallon. So, I'm wondering if moving her to a smaller tank again might help make her feel a bit more secure?
Maybe gradually upgrade her over the next several months?
Like 20, 30, 40, then finally the 55 I got her. Opinions?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deadeye
How big is the jd? At over 3 inches, a 20 will be a really tight squeeze. The plan could work, but there is no guarantee that it won’t stop eating every time it’s moved.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlindsey
How big is the jd? At over 3 inches, a 20 will be a really tight squeeze. The plan could work, but there is no guarantee that it won’t stop eating every time it’s moved.
She's about 7 or 8 inches. I get what you're saying though. It was definitely a small tank when I got her, but after only two or three days of getting her home, and with her being terribly sick (I got her with a terrible case of fin and body rot), she was very social, hanging out at the front of the tank, and she had a really healthy appetite.
It was after I moved her into the 40 gallon that she went off food, and started constantly hiding. This makes me wonder if the larger tank makes her feel a bit insecure and exposed.
 
A 20 gal is a good QT tank for a short time, but at 7-8" that JD needs something in the 80 to 100+gal enclosure range, and in that larger size tank, the dithers added would act like dithers should, to make it feel comfortable.
I consider a 55 gal tank only large enough for a cichlid that gets 5.5" long
 
A 20 gal is a good QT tank for a short time, but at 7-8" that JD needs something in the 80 to 100+gal enclosure range
Do you think a 75 would be a good option?
Anything over 75 is very few and far between where I'm at.
 
75 would be fine imo.
A 40 is small for a 7-8 inch dempsey, so I don’t think it’s getting stressed due to tank size.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scrappy71113
MonsterFishKeepers.com