Feeding ~5" GATF

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teacher fish. my gatf was 4" when i got him and once i put him with the rest of my growouts . first 2 days he watched them eat 3rd day he was the first to eat
 
jonnytat2 said:
teacher fish. my gatf was 4" when i got him and once i put him with the rest of my growouts . first 2 days he watched them eat 3rd day he was the first to eat
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Its been watching my pbass eat but no signs of interest yet. Still smashing and swallowing roseys lol looking to pick up tf barbs this weekend, well see how it goes
 
My 4" VATF started out the first few feedings in Rosie reds. I put in 3 tinfoil bards and offered cut up tilapia. The atf was/is very alert and skittish. After a few attempts it ate a small piece of tilapia.

I have found that cutting the tilapia in appropriate sized strips works best. Sometimes it would eat a small piece and not eat anymore. By cutting in to strips the atf would get a larger meal if it only had one piece and didn't eat more. Now it is eating better and not so thIn like it was.

Good luck!
 
If the fish is healthy, try your best to get it on sticks NOW. The stress of transfer to a new tank can often be the impetus to trigger a change in feeding behavior. Younger ATF are also far more likely to feed on bugs and the like on the surface than are larger fish. Take advantage of this behavior.

If you haven't already done so, get a trio of teacher fish. Tinfoil barbs work the best.
 
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Chicxulub said:
If the fish is healthy, try your best to get it on sticks NOW. The stress of transfer to a new tank can often be the impetus to trigger a change in feeding behavior. Younger ATF are also far more likely to feed on bugs and the like on the surface than are larger fish. Take advantage of this behavior.

If you haven't already done so, get a trio of teacher fish. Tinfoil barbs work the best.
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Its healthy and devours roseys as soon as they get dropped into the tank, no interests in carni sticks yet. Picked up 4 tf barbs just yesterday, theyre on the smaller side so I'll have to grow them out a bit first. The LFS didn't have medium ones available.
 
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I used river sprat to train mine. She was 4" back then, so stubborn she's so thin as a pencil lol. She's still not taking carnistick but will swallow cut fish as soon as it's put into the tank.
 
Picked up 3 medium sized tf barbs today and will be following chicxulub's write up. Finishing up the last of the feeders this week and starvation shall begin, I'll also be training a scomb at the same time as the gatf. If all goes well I'm hoping to have these two off live by 2 to 3 weeks.
 
Even the gatf I picked up at 10" that was said to only eat live ate tilapia for me within a couple days. I don't think you'll have an issue. Since you've been feeding rosies you could throw in a freshly killed one and see if they hit it. If so just throw a strip of tilapia in the next time. Perhaps you already are but if not make sure you're dropping in the feeders in the same place every time. The fish pick up on the "feeding spot" and learn that's where food comes in.
 
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