I wanna get my fish off feeders

[Pyramid_Party]

I got a 5-6 inch Chinese Perch. He only eats live food. I give him gold fish and occasionally a few Ghost shrimp.

I was thinking about breeding him some food, because I didnt wanna feed goldfish because they suck as a food source and are unhealthy.



I then just decided I wanna halt that project of breeding for food, and just try and get him on something else. The tough part is this fish is very picky and an obligate fish eater.


He eats shrimps, so I thought maybe I should try krill. Then I can also try pellets.


What do you guys think I should try and get him on? Any tips/tricks? Remember that its a perch I am dealing with, who is very picky. One time I tricked him and tossed a tubifex worm cube in there and he bit it then spit it out fast.

I just need to get him off feeders, and I think the time to do it is now.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Anyone?

 

[channarox]

shouldve started early.
try starving.
if that doesnt work,try teacher fish.
has always worked for me.
chinese perch can be a pain to get off live.

 

[benzjamin13]

I'm still trying myself. It's tough. Chinese Perch are really stubborn or really dumb. I know Rallysman got his on Hikari: Carnivore Sinking Pellets

 

[SNRMADE]

Check out the sticky in the peacock bass section on how to get you fish off live food.that technique worked for me.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

I dont know about a teacher fish, I dont know what I could use for that. Plus I dont know ow that will be, maybe there would be fights.

I didnt wanna try this earlier because I was a bit nervous the fish may die. I worry about it not eating for a day sometimes. 1 reason that it could die if not eating forawhile and also it may make the fish more aggressive and he may start to attack or try and eat other fish. I only got 3 fish and they are all around the same size. The pleco is the smallest, he gets chased sometimes if he goes to the top and hangs out in the Perches territory.


I am probably going to get about 2-3 different foods and try and see if I can get him to eat something. He wouldnt go for Tubifex worms, he spit them out.

 

[channarox]

I dont know about a teacher fish, I dont know what I could use for that. Plus I dont know ow that will be, maybe there would be fights.

I didnt wanna try this earlier because I was a bit nervous the fish may die. I worry about it not eating for a day sometimes. 1 reason that it could die if not eating forawhile and also it may make the fish more aggressive and he may start to attack or try and eat other fish. I only got 3 fish and they are all around the same size. The pleco is the smallest, he gets chased sometimes if he goes to the top and hangs out in the Perches territory.


I am probably going to get about 2-3 different foods and try and see if I can get him to eat something. He wouldnt go for Tubifex worms, he spit them out.

IMO just get a barramundi.
they look like chinese perches and will learn to eat anything given.

 

[cichlaguapote]

If he eats shrimp as in raw market shrimp I would just leave him on that for now and mix in other things as you go. IMO there's not alot of sense mixing in smaller foods as chinese perch get big fast with a massive appetite which means you probably won't be feeding those small foods like tubifex, etc anymore soon.

Getting it on anything that doesn't move is a feat in itself. I got one of mine on market shrimp using a feeding prong to similate movement of the shrimp peice. The prong is made by ocean nutrition, retails for about $1.49. I starved for a 2-3 days before that(mine are 4-5") and like I said only one chinese perch fell for that the other is more shy and didn't go for it. So at larger size's they can go a day or two without eating but the longer they go without food the more you may interupt their growth rate as well.

HTH

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Yeah, I am thinking about rigging something up so I can simulate the food to look live. Today I tried to feed him something else beside live food and heres what happened:


Got back from the store an hour ago, picked up krill, pellets, 15 goldfish, and 15 guppies. I threw in a guppy, then threw a krill. He hit the Krill! But spit it out..

I try again, I throw another guppy, then a krill, he hits it! But spits it out again!


So I thought, I'll try again later. Cleaned out the uneaten krill etc.


I start to leave the room and the fish is up at the front of the glass like usual when he begs for food. So I come back and throw a krill down hard on the water, he hits it hard! Hes got it in his mouth and hes biting, hes almost got it down! BUT WAIT!!

He starts to go into a spitting/coughing motion, he does this 5-6 times, then he spits out the krill!!! OH NO!! I ALMOST HAD IT!!!

Im excited I got this progress so far, and I will try again. I think after a few more sessions he will eat the krill!

 

[channarox]

Yeah, I am thinking about rigging something up so I can simulate the food to look live. Today I tried to feed him something else beside live food and heres what happened:


Got back from the store an hour ago, picked up krill, pellets, 15 goldfish, and 15 guppies. I threw in a guppy, then threw a krill. He hit the Krill! But spit it out..

I try again, I throw another guppy, then a krill, he hits it! But spits it out again!


So I thought, I'll try again later. Cleaned out the uneaten krill etc.


I start to leave the room and the fish is up at the front of the glass like usual when he begs for food. So I come back and throw a krill down hard on the water, he hits it hard! Hes got it in his mouth and hes biting, hes almost got it down! BUT WAIT!!

He starts to go into a spitting/coughing motion, he does this 5-6 times, then he spits out the krill!!! OH NO!! I ALMOST HAD IT!!!

Im excited I got this progress so far, and I will try again. I think after a few more sessions he will eat the krill!

sounds like progress.
my barras do this when i was getting them to eat non live.