DAT diet

[Pepper]

Hi guys, good morning to you all. I'm new here in MFK.

I have a 5" NGT and it's been feeding on small swordtails.
I've tried giving it MP but it's just not eating it.

Any comments & suggestions about what to feed it?

 

[ceewah]

just starve it until he takes the food you want to give him.

 

[Pepper]

just starve it until he takes the food you want to give him.

Okay, that sounds logical. For a 5 incher would you recommend feeding it MP already? Or wait for it to grow a little more?

 

[ceewah]

it's fine, my 3-4" dat's chomps of MP's like nothing. Just make sure you cut them small enough so they dont choke.

 

[Pepper]

I will, my fishes have their own personal clean scissors for the cutting of their MP's.

Is MP the best diet for DATs?
One more thing I almost forgot to ask, Shelled or De-Shelled?

 

[ceewah]

Take off the shell, of course. I feed mines different stuff. I give Market Shrimp, Tilapia fillets, Sinking pellets, occasionally live blackworms.

 

[Pepper]

Wow your tiger eats pellets? I envy you man.

About the prawn shells, I asked because lots of people say if you feed with shell it's good for the coloration, I'm not sure if that's a fact.

Difference of MP and Market Shrimps? educate me please.

Hmm, so basically if I starve my DAT, it'll eat anything that I put there after, right?

 

[david503bk]

Fatten your dat up first before you start the starvation mode. Offer it food you want it to eat daily. Take out the left overs. Repeat daily until successful. Good luck and don't give in. Mine took months before they caved. None of my dats eat feeders now. As for pellets mine loves massivore delight by hikari. Floating sticks is great too.

 

[Pepper]

Fatten my dat with feeders then do the starvation method. Correct?

Do you de-shell the prawns/shrimps you feed to them?
I'm still puzzled if it's a fact that the shell increases coloration.

 

[david503bk]

Yes fatten them up with feeders or whatever they are eating now. You don't want to start the process on a thin/skinny dat. I used to follow the shell theory too. It is not needed. I cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces. I just cut up one shrimp daily so you don't waste too much food. Until they get a taste for it then its not stop bulging bellies.