Do your fish get picky about food?

[FINWIN]

My Oscar and Severum have decided they aren't interested in any of the pellets I give them. This started a little over a week ago. I rotate several types and sizes. Chip (Sev) picks at a pellet or two when he's hungry. My O Brick just makes a mess of everything then pecks at the mush he makes that goes to the bottom. Then randomly swims about grabbing loose pellets in the current. He only shows interest in the pellets the other fish are trying to eat. Right now he's only eating the large Bug Bites pellets. Hesitant to give treats since he's being picky and don't want to spoil him.

Severum is eating something a lot, he was pretty round the last few days. I caught him eating the Pothos vine and nibbling on the sponge filters. He's growing well so I'm not too concerned.

I'm going to wait this out until they're hungry enough to consistently eat their pellets again. My parrot Boss is the only fish that would eat all day if you let him...he never seems to get full. He gives Brick's greed a run for its money. Patch and Kong have their moments where they tire of pellets for a day or so but then eat normally.

I refuse to get 'run around'' buying other food hoping they like it. I tried that with the Dainchini and it was a flop, so I'm donating the bags. Sometimes I'll spike the food with garlic to give it a flavor, but that only works for a day or so. Brick gulped down a chunk of garlic once and his fins stood on end.

How do you deal with picky eaters?

 

[tcav88]

Starve them they’ll eat it eventually.

 

[dan518]

Agree with the above, don't feed them for a few days, they will eat anything after that. If they don't it could be a underlying disease, water quality issues.

 

[TheReefer]

I don't like giving my cichlids pellets as they grind it up with their gills and make a mess and get very little out of it, I put them in a chunk of tilapia so they get don't make as much of a mess, plus it is more appealing to the fish.

 

[RD.]

My fish are all trained well, no picky eaters. They pretty much eat whatever pellet I decide they are going to eat.

I don't like giving my cichlids pellets as they grind it up with their gills and make a mess and get very little out of it, I put them in a chunk of tilapia so they get don't make as much of a mess, plus it is more appealing to the fish.

FYI - if a fish is spending a great deal of time, and mess, grinding food via their pharyngeal jaw, the pellet size is too large. A common mistake among hobbyists.

 

[TheReefer]

My fish are all trained well, no picky eaters. They pretty much eat whatever pellet I decide they are going to eat.






FYI - if a fish is spending a great deal of time, and mess, grinding food via their pharyngeal jaw, the pellet size is too large. A common mistake among hobbyists.

It doesn’t spend much time, I have a six inch pike cichlid and the pellets I give him are the size of a pencil eraser and he just grinds them up and bits and pieces come out. I find that putting it into tilapia or something like that minimizes it, smaller pellets he doesn’t really notice

 

[FINWIN]

I waited until pretty late to feed everyone tonight and it seems to have worked. My O danced, the Severum shot across the tank to eat, and my reclusive parrot popped out of his hidey hole like a cannonball. I remembered I had some krill unopened. It was a hit...I had larger pieces for the O and the others ate the smaller pieces. Normally I always soak the pellets and they slurp 'em up like jello. The bug bites I don't soak. My O eats the large ones and crunches but doesn't make a mess. The others eat the small ones (they swell up in the water quick).

The whole thing was strange, they just decided one day "hey, we ain't eating this" and just played with their food making a mess. During the week I would let them wait until I got back from work, I was fed up with the picky routine. Will see if they continue eating more normally.

I think I will try the tilapia.

 

[Jexnell]

Toni would not eat NLS to save her own life.....but Hikari anything would be gone before it touched the water
Casper loves NLS and wont eat Hikari

 

[Pond9]

The only brand I have a tough time with as far as fish being picky is NLS. It’s the one pellet I want them to eat the most and the only brand they seem to spit out.

 

[Coryloach]

. It’s the one pellet I want them to eat the most and the only brand they seem to spit out.

Are you sure the pellets are not too big for their mouths. Being hard pellets, fish may spit them out if they can't swallow them at once.