EBJD - Diet Issues and Growth

[Kivstev]

My new 3" Blue Dempsey just loves blood worms. Prob is that is all he'll eat. I've tried shrimp pellets, flakes, freeze dried brine, Hikari Cichlid Gold pellets, and frozen brine. He ignores all except the blood worms - He wants them either frozen or freeze dried.

I've tried other foods with garlic juice and even dipping the food in blood worm water. This fish is stubborn! He's only been in the tank 10 days with a 4" Oscar who is growing fast.

I held back all blood worms for over 2 days and he still will not touch other foods. Apparently the LFS where I got him was feeding him only the blood worms.

Any ideas on what else to try? Is it better just to give in and feed him his blood worms since he is still a juvenile and try to switch him to other foods later on once he gets bigger? I'm afraid that if he doesn't eat well now he will either be stunted or the Oscar will eat him for lunch a a month or two. Advice please and thanks.

 

[Xscream]

Give him a couple more days, 2 isn't that long. I've got a jag that is the same way but after 1.5 weeks he finally broke down and started eating krill/shrimp - before it was live feeders only.

 

[ErikFromNJ]

Although they love bloodworms, they are probably the worst food to give to your EB. There is very little nutritional value to them and will eventually cause him to become sick. Like mentioned 2 days isn't enough. Keep sticking to pellets and flake. When he's good and hungry, he'll eat it.

BW should only be used as a treat.

That oscar is going to grow twice as fast as him too. At 3'' I doubt your O will put him on the menu. Unless you see signs of aggression from him, I wouldn't worry about it.

I am actually surprised that a 3'' EB, eating nothing but BW's, is still alive. Every EB I've had, has eventually gotten sick from eating them. I only give them once or twice a month now.

Good Luck with him. He's got some great color and a nice body shape.

 

[carolinafishkeeper]

...he may be stressed out, and with a EBJD that is not good because they can easily stress themselves to death, especially at such a small size....Plus they don't do good with competition, for food or territory, they usually come out on the losing end in both battles....If EBJD"s are as rare everywhere else as they are around here, I advise getting rid of the O at least until that EBJD gets a little more size on him.

 

[Wofgon]

Try feeding Flakes 3 times or more a day. Do that for a week and eventually he/she should eat(then move on to pellets and after other frozen). Also personally i wouldn't worry about the oscar for a while, if your in a decent size tank(like a 55g or so). Its better for them to grow up together anyways.

 

[Kivstev]

Thanks to all for the advice. This is a 75G tank btw.

I don't think that the Dempsey is stressed. He is always out and about and hangs out with the Oscar often. I've seen no aggression from either, just a bit of the usual Cichlid rambunctiousness.

My main worry is an unhealthy fish from either not eating or eating the wrong food at such a young age. What I'll do is keep the blood worms out of his diet and keep trying the flakes daily and some spirulina brine twice a week or so. If he does not eat after a week, I'll probably give in to the blood worm. Wish me luck.

Spirulina brine is a better 'staple' food than the blood worm I believe? I have seen him take some of that in and spit it out. That's some progress I guess.