I was just reading another thread about the use of live feeders and feeding methods and thought the subject might be worthy of it's own thread.
When I feed live fish I add more fish than what my tank inhabitants can eat in a single go. I've got an individual kelberi in a tank by himself that is not the best looking Cichla but I love to watch it hunt. I'll drop 100 feeder goldfish into the tank which the 12" PBass takes out 20-25 almost immediately. Now the fun begins.
As with most of my tanks I have tons of driftwood in the tank. The goldfish of course all dive under the wood once the initial feeding frenzy stops and they have a chance to gather their wits. The goldfish get a little more bold once they settle in and also start to get hungry. They start to graze off of the driftwood. They also start to venture out into the tank. Over the course of the next 5-7 days the PBass hunts them and it is incredible. You can watch him literally pick out an individual and stalk it until he nails it. For those that argue herds and packs help distract a hunter from targeting in on a single animal to eat, it may help a little but I'm noticing it's a minor distraction... if that.
The PBass is very methodical and will sneak up around a piece of wood. If the prey moves I've actually watched the fish back up and come out on the other side so as to nail it. Once he is within 5"-6" of his quarry it is almost always over. That last little burst to nab the feeder is pure power.
Actually some of the most interesting behaviour is after the feeders are all gone and I need to add more. Watching the PBass sneak around the driftwood, poking his face into crevices, looking for a slight glimmer that would indicate light reflecting off af a feeder's scales. It's amazing how methodical this fish is.
Don't get me wrong, this fish can "splash and crash" with the best of them. I've seen him bust through a pile of drftwood like Lenny going through the ship after Nemo. But I've also seen some very intelligent, well thought out, sneaky attacks on said goldfish. It seems all we ever hear about is how hard Cichla splash when they hit their food, and it is fun, but watching them actually hunt is even more amazing IMO.
When I feed live fish I add more fish than what my tank inhabitants can eat in a single go. I've got an individual kelberi in a tank by himself that is not the best looking Cichla but I love to watch it hunt. I'll drop 100 feeder goldfish into the tank which the 12" PBass takes out 20-25 almost immediately. Now the fun begins.
As with most of my tanks I have tons of driftwood in the tank. The goldfish of course all dive under the wood once the initial feeding frenzy stops and they have a chance to gather their wits. The goldfish get a little more bold once they settle in and also start to get hungry. They start to graze off of the driftwood. They also start to venture out into the tank. Over the course of the next 5-7 days the PBass hunts them and it is incredible. You can watch him literally pick out an individual and stalk it until he nails it. For those that argue herds and packs help distract a hunter from targeting in on a single animal to eat, it may help a little but I'm noticing it's a minor distraction... if that.
The PBass is very methodical and will sneak up around a piece of wood. If the prey moves I've actually watched the fish back up and come out on the other side so as to nail it. Once he is within 5"-6" of his quarry it is almost always over. That last little burst to nab the feeder is pure power.
Actually some of the most interesting behaviour is after the feeders are all gone and I need to add more. Watching the PBass sneak around the driftwood, poking his face into crevices, looking for a slight glimmer that would indicate light reflecting off af a feeder's scales. It's amazing how methodical this fish is.
Don't get me wrong, this fish can "splash and crash" with the best of them. I've seen him bust through a pile of drftwood like Lenny going through the ship after Nemo. But I've also seen some very intelligent, well thought out, sneaky attacks on said goldfish. It seems all we ever hear about is how hard Cichla splash when they hit their food, and it is fun, but watching them actually hunt is even more amazing IMO.
