Chinese perch-HOW TO GET OFF LIVE-PLEASE HELP

[Damascus]

I am at my wits end with this fish

6-8" perch and I cannot get it off live
It's in a 90g cube right now until I can get it off live
It will eat feeders from tongs, but not frozen feeders from tongs. I have gotten it to snag a piece of tilapia and shrimp once or twice since it was 3" but will not eat other foods other than live

I added two SB PACU to see if other fish can "teach" it that other items are food, it still doesn't care. I've tried starving for weeks and it snagged a shrimp from tongs a few weeks ago but nothing since.

Any help from people who have broken this fish off live?

 

[Damascus]

Anyone?

Is this a fish I can continue to push or is this a species that will starve itself to its own detriment/death before adjusting?

Got it to eat a 1/4 of a shrimp on a string the other night but again, nothing since.

 

[Kilograms]

I have never kept Chinese perch before ( banned where I am) , but I have had success weaning payara and tigerfish onto prepared foods. Individuals of the same species can show varying degrees of willingness to take dead food.

I think Chinese perch are notorious for being difficult to break from live so you may just have an extremely stubborn one. I would personally try the fishing line and needle/ hook method to try simulate live movement. Feed from the same place every time and slowly reduce the number of feeders while trying this and it may eventually be curious enough to take it .

Hopefully someone with more experience with Chinese perch can chime in. Best of luck!

 

[M075]

Try some fishing line to make it move and each time u feed try to give it less movement. Also if ur water is a bit rougher at the top the dead fish or shrimp will move up and down a bit with waves making it more likely that your predators will find it attractive enough to eat.

My hujeta's kinda tried to stop taking frozen since i have them live guppys every other feeding so i do that a lot less now and created some extra waves so the dead food looks alive.

However these crazy bastards will eat a algea wafer from the ground every damn time