Help With My LargeMouth Bass

[mikko boy]

Hi guys, been a long time since i lasted posted. I am having some trouble keeping my LMBS alive for a long time. My longest LMB just lasted a year. I have been experimenting on what to feed them. before i used to give them Katabas (mosquito minnows) but some of my friends told me they can easily transfer diseases and are often dirty so i switched to feeders which are commonly either juvenile carps or goldfishes. i even have tried mealworms but still my problem with them is after weeks of feeding... they somehow become disoriented, they become still and refuse to feed. they bump into the aquariums fixtures and after a few days they die. they also lose they pattern and turn to plain green in color losing they black streak.

what seems to be my problem... kindly enlighten me. thanks.

By the way, LMBS are legal to keep here in the Philippines

 

[monstermonkee]

feeders are just as bad as the minnows. They all transfer diseases unless you have your own breeding stock of feeders or qt your feeders. You should try converting it onto pellets or frozen foods.

 

[Owain4]

how big of tank do you have them in???

 

[mikko boy]

feeders are just as bad as the minnows. They all transfer diseases unless you have your own breeding stock of feeders or qt your feeders. You should try converting it onto pellets or frozen foods.

thanks for the insight

 

[mikko boy]

how big of tank do you have them in???

i have them in my 100 galon tank. they are 10 inch long.

 

[SickSauce]

Bigger tank or outdoor pond. Mix of Pellets/Shrimp/Insects for My LMB

 

[Shenanigans]

What size are you getting them at? I would get babies and treat them just like cichlids, oscars or other large aggressive fish. Ive never heard of this problem but my young ones readily took pellets and frozen foods, avoid the live fish. I always gave my LMBs live but they were wild and i didnt want to convert them completely nor was I trying to keep them as pets. also, i have always had disease problems with my LMBs(caused by feeders). pellet and frozen are the best way to go if you want them to stay healthy

 

[mikko boy]

What size are you getting them at? I would get babies and treat them just like cichlids, oscars or other large aggressive fish. Ive never heard of this problem but my young ones readily took pellets and frozen foods, avoid the live fish. I always gave my LMBs live but they were wild and i didnt want to convert them completely nor was I trying to keep them as pets. also, i have always had disease problems with my LMBs(caused by feeders). pellet and frozen are the best way to go if you want them to stay healthy

wow, great insight. i got them when they were at around 6inches. is it possible if i feed them with superworms only? i have done this before but they still died. is it possible they are sensitive with the water?

and what kind of pellets are you feeding them with?

thanks

 

[Owain4]

wow, great insight. i got them when they were at around 6inches. is it possible if i feed them with superworms only? i have done this before but they still died. is it possible they are sensitive with the water?

and what kind of pellets are you feeding them with?

thanks

thats the problem you have, its way easier to feed train fish when they are smaller, and the bigger they get the more stressed they get moving around.

 

[Shenanigans]

i feed them anything, the last batch i had i fed mostly Wardley floating cichlid pellets. as with all my fish, I try to feed a highly varied diet. My bass found cut raw chicken to be tasty. Earthworms are always a good choice. I also find the monkey-see-monkey-do to be effective. try keeping them with species that are easily trained or are already trained. my sunnys learned quick and the bass followed suit. if you want small ones and can legally collect, try spotlighting at night in late summer.

if you have never used spotlighting to collect, the principle is simple. At night the young come into the shallows to rest. Move slowly along the shore with a flashlight. This part takes a little practice in seeing the fish among the rocks. when you see a fish, just hold the light on him and slowly move a net to him. I always had more luck slowly bringing the net down in front of the fish and then quickly scooping everything in the path. It takes practice and develop your own technique. Ive used this method to stock my native tank with anything from sunnys and bass to perch and pickerel. Its a good way to get fish under 3"