How long have u waited?

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Gr8KarmaSF

Gr8KarmaSF

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Whats the longest time you've starved a fish into eating what you give it?

Ive been trying to battle it out with my Dat for a week now and he still is not taking pellets! :swear: Should I wait longer and risk losing her or keep up the fight?!?!?
 
Howdy,

I have to tell you up front that I don't have experience with carnivores. However, an educated guess is easily derived from general biology. Predators can starve for much longer than herbivores or omnivorers can. After all, mother nature does not send them a tasty meal every day. As such, lions, anacondas, Silurus glanis can go long without food, whereas parakeets and guinea pigs have to eat every day or their intestine collapses. An herbivore's gut flora dies and they will not be able to process food even if they resume eating again. Different for carnivores who don't need that specific gut flora for breaking down cellulose. They eat proteins, which are much easier to digest. Back to fish: You can starve omnivores for over three weeks assuming they are in good health. Thus, I believe a dat can go at least as long.

However, I have another proposal for you: Why don't you slowy wean him off life food and start introducing pellerts successively? That's easier on the fish and on your nerves ;)

Good luck,

HarleyK
 
That is some great info!

I agree, Predatory fish can go a long time without eating. Most people overfeed there fish as well, especially Oscars and Red Tail Cats. I once read a document which stated these type of 'glutton' fish only eat 2-3 times a week in the wild.

I 'accidently' fasted a 8" texas cichlid for almost 5 weeks. I forgot I had him! (I know, I'm bad, this was a long time ago)..

Arowanas fast themselves in the wild on purpose, from what I understand..

Have you tried using a hunger enticer? In order to get my lionfish to eat prepared food, I would often soak their goldfish in a Garlic Extract (Garlic XTREME by Kent), then once they recognized me as a food source, I began to soak krill in garlic as well. I would put it on a feeding stick, and wave it in front of it's face.

Does the Dat have competition for food? I noticed this will always make fish try a new diet, because they don't want to loss the food to the competition in the tank.

Maybe go from Live Food, to Frozen meaty foods, then to Pellets.. The transition should be easier. Most fish that 'suck in' their prey, such as the Lionfish, have a hard time going for pellets. I still have yet to get my Lionfish to eat pellets, but they will eat krill off the top of the water.

Hope that helps!

Miles
 
Ive waited for 3 weeks max for a marbled sleeper goby( it still didnt eat my MP tho). I dont reccomend starving the fish for too long as it begins to burn up most of its reserves and fats leaving it very weak and susceptible to disease.
 
Month for a senegal bichir, 1.5 months for a female jack dempsey.

I didn't break in; I let those bastards STARVE. And they caved in, oh yes they did!
 
turtall said:
Just don't wait as long as I did (sucker was just about ready, too).
Click to expand...
:ROFL:

Yes, don't go to the extreme. My dats love beefheart. Only the larger ones that I recently bought would not eat it yet, but he's a 12" monster. so he's the only one who catches the XXL feeder I put in there (about 4"). They will eat freeze dried krill which floats at the top, same as the carnivore pellets. But it takes time. My silver dat eats anything, pellets, dead fish, rotting fish...anything. He is getting very round.
 
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