A day wouldn't be starving them, especially if they're n̶a̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ edit- mature specimens. I'd give it a week before I even started to worry myself.
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Floating pellets
- Thread starter TakkerDada
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A day wouldn't be starving them, especially if they're n̶a̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ edit- mature specimens. I'd give it a week before I even started to worry myself.
That's normal. They need to realize that the stuff floating is actually food, since they're programmed that food has to sink. Starving them should work, or you could drop both the sinking and floating pellets at the same time and they might accidentally eat the floating pellets with the other ones. I've trained my fish to eat anything don't worry too much about it.
Ime a lot of species that prefer not to feed at the surface will do so if it's a treat (in my case that means something freeze dried, like mysis shrimp or blood worms) or a food they like well enough or if they're hungry enough.
Otherwise, there's typically no motivation to leave their comfort zone. Among my fish are kapampa gibberosa and various geos, each of which naturally like to sift sand and feed near the bottom, but they'll all come to the surface for food-- actually, some of the kapampa will hand feed at the surface.
Otherwise, there's typically no motivation to leave their comfort zone. Among my fish are kapampa gibberosa and various geos, each of which naturally like to sift sand and feed near the bottom, but they'll all come to the surface for food-- actually, some of the kapampa will hand feed at the surface.
Most cichlids are bottom feeders in nature, because the most dangerous place for them to go is the surface, because that's where predation comes from in the form of birds. They will learn to go to the surface, but need time to ignore the ingrained fear.
So instinctually they are wary of going to the top.
above ..... a river edge in Colombia.
Below a Cenote on Mexico where Rocio (jack dempseys, and other cichlids) live.
So instinctually they are wary of going to the top.
above ..... a river edge in Colombia.
Below a Cenote on Mexico where Rocio (jack dempseys, and other cichlids) live.
Man, thanks for the help. Should’ve asked before buying the floating pellets, will be careful next time. Thanks once again
Don't worry too much. I've had to train different fish to switch from sinking to floating, and vice versa. They will figure it out. They might not be going to the surface simply because they are afraid, some fish are more hesitant than others to avoid predators, that's why they will do the fast strike at the surface but eat more gently off of the bottom. Once they realize it's safe they should take to it. With my dovii I feed sinking hikari because you can get the 2.2lb bags on Amazon for cheaper than the floating food. I have gravel in one of the dovii tanks, but I feed in a dedicated area where there is no decor and it's just open ground. They know how to suck in mouthfulls of just pellets and the gravel is no issue for them. Once you figure out how much they like to eat there won't be any leftovers and they will get into the routine.
