I could never get mine on pellets but he eats tilapia, raw shrimp, krill(frozen or fd), blood worms, and silversides
3in when i got it and 6-7in now. i fed it live the first day and then got him on bloodworms and fd krill it was easy from there starved him a few days and he took tilapia and now he pretty much eats anything but nightcrawlers and pellets.