Getting GT off live

[MonsterFishCreeper]

I bought a GT from Rapps a month or so ago which may actually be one of his wild caught ones. He wouldn't eat any of the pellets I tried sinking or floating. The other day I got desperate and tried a nightcrawler and he smashed it. He is still refusing shrimp, peas, and pellets but will eat the worms consistently. What's the best way to transition him to pellets and in the meantime is there any other live foods I could offer him to balance his diet a bit? Starving him onto pellets didn't work for about a full month so I would rather not go that route.

 

[neutrino]

There's not really one guaranteed method, but freeze dried worms (like blood worms) and freeze dried shrimp (like mysis) have worked for me-- including with wild GTs I've had. Another thing that's worked for me is a soft pellet, like HBH soft krill, as a starter pellet. Sometimes finding the right pellet is the key. Obviously, not all pellets are equal in taste, smell, or appeal to a particular fish. Some food brands have a 'finicky eater' pellet, or 'first' flake or pellet to appeal to new fish spoiled on other foods.

Also, is he in the tank alone? Sometimes having competition for food makes a big difference.

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

Thanks for the pointers. He is in the tank alone and due to his attitude he may need to stay solo unless I could find a similar sized female. He spends a good portion of the day standing off and attacking his own reflection lol. I had him crushing a few trout worms earlier today and I snuck a sinking hikari gold pellet in but once he felt it was hard he spit it out. Maybe the soft pellets will work.

 

[neutrino]

Yeah, any wild GTs I've had (A. rivulatus) had lots of attitude, even at 2", not easy to keep with other fish or even each other.

 

[Thekid]

Try cutting the worms then soaking the pellets in the worm juice.

 

[Frank Castle]

Try cutting the worms then soaking the pellets in the worm juice.

Wailua Boy said fish love sardine oil....try soaking foods in sardine oil. Earthworms are great too though, mealworms are OK, waxworms, butterworms, CB Tobacco Hornworms, Crickets, Dubia Roaches, ...


......and you can use any live food to "scent" new oofferings by rubbing, mushing, smearing etc it on the new foods

 

[aztsm]

I feed my wild caught stalsbergi from rapps Hikari Food Sticks. Was the one thing they took too initially. I now mix with gold and bio gold.

 

[convict360]

lets see some pics of this bad boy lol

 

[Beetlebug515]

I second the Hikari food sticks or "carnisticks". They float and quickly get very soft. That has been my go to for converting off of live. I've only had one fish that i still cant get on to pellets.

 

[MonsterFishCreeper]

I know his tail rot still looks bad but it finally stopped progressing. I treated paraguard for a week which did nothing for it then waited a week and just finished 4 doses of triple sulfa over the last four days. Hoping it heals eventually because he has tons of potential.