How long should i starve my Armatus?

[vamptrev]

ive never rely tried too hard because ive always loved watching him eat.

im on day 4 or 5 of starving him. i had him strike at smelt a few times but that was it. ive tried the string but he didnt fall for it.

he is getting very aggressive because he is so hungry. he is starting to push around my aro that is twice his size.

i guess the question is how many days should i go b4 i give in? hes gettin skinny and i feel bad.

 

[Bsixxx]

I starved mine for a week and a half and durring all that he took a peice of shrimp.. So I gave up and got him back on feeders..
but yours is probably atleast 4-5" bigger than mine so he might take longer..or shorter..

good luck

 

[West1]

I have a Ta that is 8.25" and I starve him strong. Since day 1 he swam in my tank, I feed normal market shrimp for my other fish and he just looks. My Tat is smaller than your Armatus and I starve him for 2 weeks before giving in to 2 dz feeders.

So I would say 2 weeks max (so far)

 

[vamptrev]

its been 10 days and no bites. so today i thought about throwing dead feeders in to see if he would eat them.

the first one i threw in he ate so quick i dont think he knew it was dead.

the second time i froze about 5 feeders and then threw them in, and he eventually ate all 5 after thinking about it for a few.

im wondering what to do next. mix frozen feeders with my smelt when i feed? starve again? start cutting up the frozen feeders?

 

[West1]

its been 10 days and no bites. so today i thought about throwing dead feeders in to see if he would eat them.

the first one i threw in he ate so quick i dont think he knew it was dead.

the second time i froze about 5 feeders and then threw them in, and he eventually ate all 5 after thinking about it for a few.

im wondering what to do next. mix frozen feeders with my smelt when i feed? starve again? start cutting up the frozen feeders?

I would say keep going on the 10 day starvation diet. If he took dead food that fast after 10days, on the next 10 days try to toss in market shrimp first(Or what ever it is your trying to get him on first). It sounds like a fast process for you (being that they say it is harder to get Armatus off live before Tats, NOT!!!), I'm still starving my 8.25" Tat every 14 days I throw in feeders (so I quarentine feeders for 2 weeks) but everyday I add market shrimp for the other fish and they dont even try to hit it (my 1st Tat took shots for 2 days then threw in the towel)

G/L and keep me posted (I might be able to try something that you did diff)

 

[JD7.62]

Im not going to say where I heard this, but I guy I have talked to has had his armatus go 50+ days with out eating! He is not going to starve in a 14-21day attempt to get him on prepared foods.

 

[West1]

Im not going to say where I heard this, but I guy I have talked to has had his armatus go 50+ days with out eating! He is not going to starve in a 14-21day attempt to get him on prepared foods.

Damb! With a fast growing fish like that, don't you think it might mess with his growth (as far as growing e-regular)? To grow as fast as they do, I would assume that it could effect them in the long run. You build a foundation on a house that is not sturdy, It will not last long (JMOP)??? Although I never owned Armatus but just guessing

I'm sure that Armatus is as skinny as a Discus and he probably leans forward cause his tusks are to heavy

I thought 14 days was a lot (maybe I'll try a few more day, nothing close to 50+ ...WOW)

 

[DB junkie]

I'de make sure to try different foods. I can get mine to eat smelt every once in a while but only by mixxing it with market shrimp. I have to sneak it to him. It's like it knows what it ate, then after a piece of smelt it's more carefull about what it grabs next and will NOT eat 2 pieces of smelt back to back. Will eat shrimp like there's no tomorrow.....scallops and nightcrawlers seldomly refused......but smelt it seems to not be so fond of......yet.

 

[DiXoN]

you could try cutting up smealt into dead feeder sized shapes.
i once starved an asian aro for a month before it started to eat dead foods you would not think they could last this long but fish if in decent shape can last ages.

 

[marmot]

JD used a fishing line and simulated live food with market shrimp. I believe the first time he hit it he actually couldn't get the line out of his mouth at first, and eventually it pulled free

The first time I tried to feed the same fish after I had acquired him, I tried the fishing line technique three days after being put into my tank. He bit the shrimp and ended up swimming around with me desperately holding on, and eventually the shrimp shredded and popped out of his mouth. Now he "remembers" the look and smell, and just eats the shrimp every night. I stuff a few pellets into the shrimp I feed him just to make sure he's getting his balanced nutrition.