Catfish Will Not Eat..

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Rachel.Cody

Rachel.Cody

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 2, 2014
1,215
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38
Ohio
So i bought my Brachyplatystoma platynemum about three weeks ago and I'm getting a little worried now.. I was told he was on feeders after I already got him home, but I shook it off because i've broke lots of fish off of live. I've tried (With lights on and lights off) Silversides, tilapia, earthworms, krill, beefheart, massivore, carnisticks, just about everything i have. Everytime I put food in by him he darts off like he is scared of it and will not touch it. Tank info is 75g with sunsun 304b, 80*, PH is about 7.8, Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrates are 5 ppm. Im setting up a wetdry on it today along with the sunsun. I have a powerhead in the tank because i read that they do like current. Hes about 8-10" and his tankmates are a 6" Mala Wolffish and a 6" Achara cat. He watches the other two eat anything that comes in the tank so he has teachers. No aggression what so ever in the tank, his scratches are from darting into the filter intake and heater. Im about to throw in the towel and give him feeders. Ive had about 5 in qt for over a week so theyre ready to go. I've never had this much trouble getting a fish off of live. I don't know what else to do because he is getting skinny and I dont want to lose him.. Thanks for any advice.20150907_101840.jpg 20150907_101825.jpg Screenshot_2015-08-30-20-54-07.png
 
get him bulked up with some good feeders... then work on prepared foods again after....some brachy are hard to get off live foods. Get urself a pair of feeding tongs, use single feeders on the tongs for a couple days to get him used to the routine. Then try pieces of cut fish or other items off the tongs and he should bite.
 
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I will do try that. Thank you, I just hope the others in the tank dont think they will get feeders too.
 
You can try giving him black worms. Once he eats them steady, you can soak other foods in with black worms, fast him a bit, and offer the new foods.

A thawed fish on a thread can be tried too. My two 6" jurs went for 6 months without food before they broke and took fish on a thread.
 
I will try the thread thing. I have no source of blackworms here and i dont really want to mess with them either. He took a feeder right away so i guess thats good.
 
Understood. Just wanted to add that if you have substrate, it not messy - you can get them even on-line, wash them a bit and let them out. They will live and reproduce in the substrate.

It's rather easy if you have to do only once or once in a while
 
I like to use bloodworms. I have not had fish turn them down. Also when you make the switch I find for wilds and fish of all kinds on feeders using fillets is the fastest way to break them. My thought is that the fish flavor is similar to what they already know as food. Also you can cut them to feeder shape so they see the similar shape to boot. Thus making the change easier. Shrimp seem to be just to off the wall as far as texture and sent goes. Just some thoughts.
 
My lima shovelnose did not eat for 7 months when i got it. The only thing it ever ate was a pleco and mollys. Sometimes the only thing to get them to eat is time.
 
Rachel.Cody said:
I will do try that. Thank you, I just hope the others in the tank dont think they will get feeders too.
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+1. Right now it is in a new environment and is most likely stressed. First order of business is to fatten it up and through time will feel secure in its new setting. Once it is physically healthy and feel secure then reattempt to break it off feeders
 
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