F0 Festae Feeding question, ID, & Pictures

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Adamson

Adamson

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Apr 29, 2012
576
42
61
Switzerland
So I was having a little difficulty getting festae here on MFK, so decided to bring some in straight from Ecuador with some friends. So now I have a trio of F0 Festae that are about 4".
Now I have never had wild caught cichlids, I have had plenty of other wc fish but not cichlids. I am wondering about how to get them hooked on pellets, as they haven't eaten in the 4 days that I have had them. Every cichlid I have ever had would go for anything I put in the tank, but I'm having trouble getting these to eat pellets. Any tips on getting them to? Should I just starve them until they eat them? That is what I have done with other species.

Oh, and pictures! I have vented them and believe I have a male and two females, but if I could get your input that would be great!

Fish 1:
923004_4867720092435_1062182203_n.jpg
944892_4867719212413_1854802795_n.jpg

Fish 2:
945770_4867715972332_1829869774_n.jpg

Fish 3:
262573_4867716932356_956565720_n.jpg
198836_4867715172312_1136371319_n.jpg

Right now I have them in a 58 gallon Oceanic, which is the same footprint as a 40br but it is maybe 4-5" taller. The plant is densely planted and has a Koralia 700 on the top. Should I keep them in here or add them to my 125g tank which houses my small ATF, some mahseer, and a BGK. None of the fish in the 125g are aggressive or fin nippers, I would only be worried about these fesate killing my GATF which is about the same length. Thanks!

923004_4867720092435_1062182203_n.jpg

944892_4867719212413_1854802795_n.jpg

945770_4867715972332_1829869774_n.jpg

262573_4867716932356_956565720_n.jpg

198836_4867715172312_1136371319_n.jpg
 
They are festaes true red terrors. You can tell by the dot on their tail. Festae's will be a circle further to the top. A mayan's dot is in an oval shape. Mayans also lack the color that a festae will have from the pics i have seen of them

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I missed a few things on that last post. I wouldn't add them to the 125 if the other fish in it can't stand up to the festae. Iim not experienced with these fish but have read a lot about them along with getting fish to accept pellets. Some methods i read that some people use are starving a few days then offering pellets again or stuffing the pellets in something they do eat EX: piece of fish fillet for piece of shrimp. Those are the only 2 methods i have read about. I hope this helps and last but not least nice looking festaes

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The way I've gotten wild south americans to eat is simple and it works!

1st get to Petco or petsmart or any LFS that sells "Kent marine" products and find "garlic extreme"

Get some earthworms. I prefer to get nightcrawlers from my local bait shop. They are farm raised and contain no pesticides.

Add a couple drops of garlic extreme to coat a chopped up night crawler and drop a few in the tank at first. Eventually they will associate the garlic with food. The benefit to the garlic is it also helps to build the fishes immune system.

Gradually substitute the night crawler pieces with garlic soaked pellets, preferably sinking type at first.(due to the night crawler chunks sinking as well) then eventually strait pellets, and then you wont have to add the garlic anymore. Their appetite will be high and they will be comfortable eating by then. Also bump your temp in the tank to 80-82 F if you haven't already done so.

I've personally done this method with wild crenicichla, wild atromaculatus, wild ornatum, wild festae, finicky parachromis eaters ect.
 
My Wild Red Devil from Rapps loves PE Mysis shrimp. Gobble gobble, and now eats anything I put in the tank from massivore, canisticks, and krill.
 
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