getting gars off feeders

[Polypterus]

so polypterus, do you just not offer any live foods, only prepared, untill they finally do eat?

No never... I never starve a fish I just always consistently try new foods until taken. And they always are taken eventually... Starving is not an option IMO and I never do so and will not do so. Getting gars on other feed items just takes a bit of effort and time. It is not hard at all and if your failing it is because your lazy in doing so. It can be done easily with some effort and attention.

 

[dmopar74]

No never... I never starve a fish I just always consistently try new foods until taken. And they always are taken eventually... Starving is not an option IMO and I never do so and will not do so. Getting gars on other feed items just takes a bit of effort and time. It is not hard at all and if your failing it is because your lazy in doing so. It can be done easily with some effort and attention.

thanks for the clarification. i had a florida a while back that ate like a champ till i added some pbass, then the gar refused to eat. i ended up selling the gar before it starved. i now can see the importance of a proper environment for gars.

the gars for sale around here are all on live, its nice to know how to wean them off. thanks again.

 

[Polypterus]

thanks for the clarification. i had a florida a while back that ate like a champ till i added some pbass, then the gar refused to eat. i ended up selling the gar before it starved. i now can see the importance of a proper environment for gars.

the gars for sale around here are all on live, its nice to know how to wean them off. thanks again.

I think a good thing is in this and that is " My gar did fine until I added P-bass"
Some others may just want to take notice of this little observation.

 

[channarox]

I think a good thing is in this and that is " My gar did fine until I added P-bass"
Some others may just want to take notice of this little observation.

for all those of you asking about gars and bass.

 

[uting]

seriously I have never seen a gar not eating pellets.

 

[coelacanth3]

As I posted, my gar ate a thawed silverside yesterday. Today it took seconds and he took it right away. About the starving question (and I'd really like to hear more from the experts here), My research suggested that a bigger gar could go a week without feeding with no discomfort. My gar took the thawed fish on day six after all the feeders had been eaten, which is good, because I would have put feeders in the next day if he hadn't. I assumed that it took him that long to get really hungry. I just hope I wasn't inadvertently being cruel. Anyway, it is clear that he will eat a large thawed fish every day now. He is the most aggressive thing in the tank, so I don't see anyone interfering from here on out.

 

[coelacanth3]

PS....

Since the gar started taking dead food the other fish in the tank are far more relaxed, even my dragon gobies, who are twice his size and are never near him (they are always on the bottom, of course). It is really nice to see everyone swimming in a relaxed way. I know it isn't just because he was hungry, because they were more tense when he was getting plenty of live feeders every day.

 

[CDickes1988]

PS....

Since the gar started taking dead food the other fish in the tank are far more relaxed, even my dragon gobies, who are twice his size and are never near him (they are always on the bottom, of course). It is really nice to see everyone swimming in a relaxed way. I know it isn't just because he was hungry, because they were more tense when he was getting plenty of live feeders every day.

Er... dragon gobies are brackish...

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

i believe he said his tank was brakish in a earlier post.
my gar still refuses to eat anything other than live.

 

[CDickes1988]

Ah so he did, got my posters mixed up!