Feeding a CK Juvie

[Myarbro]

Hey guys! I have a couple questions about feeding a new, juvie CK. He is around 4-5 inches in length. He is in a large tank with some other cichlid juvies and I have had him for about 6 days. I know that it might take time for him to get adjusted to the new home before he eats, but I was curious none the less. As they do, he stays hidden when the lights are on. I know he is not eating during the day when I feed the other tank mates. I have dropped various things in the tank not long after lights out and I am unsure he is getting to it. Despite it being dark and the cichlids are resting, when I drop in blood worms, feeders, talapia, brine, or shrimp in, the cichlids come right out of there slumber and devourer it.

So the problem is that I am worried that the CK is not getting the opportunity to eat with the glutinous cichlids around. Any suggestions? Should I move him to a smaller tank until he gets big enough to compete for food?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[USMCtanker]

this can be tricky. i usualy turn off all lights then get rdy for bed, after that like 30 min 45 min later ill drop some blood worms in with out turning on light, i then got a small flash light an as saw him eating. i have also in past gave my ck a tube to hide in. then what id do was get another long tube an put it near entrance to his tube, drop blood worms down the pipe an out they come right into his.
later i had rigged the pvc pipe he was hiding in so it had a top part i could put the other pipe in.i cut his tube in half an added a T pvc part in middle. then i could drop the food right into his pipe. but in time he started to come out an feed with other fish even with lights on.

 

[bcfd144]

good idea tanker...
I have my CK in his own tank rt now. I did have him in my angel tank with the angels and a BGK, but decided I would just give him his own grow out tank till he is large enough to go into another tank with either my cichlids or one of my ray tanks.
I have kinda the same problem though, but with my BGK. He has two places he likes to hide. so I usually just drop a cube of frozen blood worms or use a turkey baster to squirt some blackworms into his hiding spots. that way, he will have food in his area when he is ready to eat. I do also have a small 2" indo date in the tank with him and the angels, so I do have to watch to make sure the dat doesnt find the BGK food. I usually just drop in another frozen cube of bloodworms to distract the Dat from finding the BGK food.

 

[KnifefishFan]

im assuming he has a hiding spot? well ill take the frozen bloodworms and manually put it inside the hiding spot. that way he doesnt have to leave his spot and he will eat the food you put inside hiding spot.

 

[ratrodmike]

I had the same problem with my 8" CK. I've only had him for about a month now. The first week or so he didn't show much interest in food at all. I tried frozen bloodworms, pellets, frozen silversides...finally one evening he came out of hiding and devoured some frozen krill. Now he's out even during the day and will eat pretty much any frozen food I throw in there. I think he just needed extra time to adjust to his new home.

 

[Myarbro]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Knife fish fan, I really dig the avatar pic. Yes, he has over 5 options for good hiding spots.

I will try putting some frozen blood worm blocks just inside his choice spot and see of that works out.

If not, I will try the pipe method.

If all else fails, I will put him in my smaller tank. I might have to do that anyway with my juvie Fire Eel, because I am having the same problem with him as I am the CK.

 

[benzjamin13]

Yeah...just give it some time. While it adjusts to it's new environment, it will observe other fish. Once it gets hungry enough and notice what the others are eating, it'll go for it.

 

[KnifefishFan]

Knife fish fan, I really dig the avatar pic.

Hehe thanks. like benzjamin13 said, give him time. after he is comfortable with his new digs, you will see CKs are PIGS lol. gl man