How to get my wild fish to eat pellets

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PEANUTBUTTER

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 18, 2014
127
14
18
Canada
I have a 16" wild male jag who won't touch a pellet, loves feeders though so I was wondering how to get him to eat pellets cause I don't want to constantly have to but feeders I don't want him getting sick also I have a female devil I recently acquired along with the jag and she just grabs the pellets chews them up then spits them out, she does eat flakes though. So how could I get my 2 cichlids to eat?
(I use Hikari gold pellets and koi pond pellets)
 
Well those koi pellets are probably mostly wheat so I'd do away with those first.

Next Id try starving them.


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I have a 16" wild male jag who won't touch a pellet, loves feeders though so I was wondering how to get him to eat pellets cause I don't want to constantly have to but feeders I don't want him getting sick also I have a female devil I recently acquired along with the jag and she just grabs the pellets chews them up then spits them out, she does eat flakes though. So how could I get my 2 cichlids to eat?
(I use Hikari gold pellets and koi pond pellets)

Try the hikari massivore pellets. That's what I did with my jag who was strictly raised on feeder fish. You might have to strive him but it's worth it and don't give in. Once he started eating those I switch over to the regular hikari pellets. I tried nls pellets but he wouldn't touch them. Good luck and don't give in to starving him.

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Soak the pellets in water with a piece of meat or fish or worms, let it absorb the flavor and "smell" and when you put it in the fish should eat it after a while or maybe straight away.

I had a small Dat that would only eat hikari gold if they were inside of pieces of frozen smelt
 
Have you tried frozen fish like tilapia or shrimp? You can try stuffing them with pellets too.

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Starve it for few days then feed it with the food you want him to eat, if he's not eat after few minutes take the food out and do it again next day, he's will eat eventually, I don't believe breaking a cichlid is harder than an ATF...took me over a month to get it to eat pellet stick :) show it who's the boss here!
 
How long have you held off feeding anything but pellets? Starve your jag for a month or so and he'll still be fine. Just don't give in.
 
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