I've got some Paddlefish!

[Madding]

You could crush the pellets up and periodically drop the dust in. That may provide them with a more natural-sized meal without having to try worrying about getting your plankton going.

I do this with baby African Arowana (also a very fragile filter feeder when young).

 

[WattaMelon]

Fantastic fish Moontanman, thank you for the heads up in PM. I need to check back around here more often!

If they snatch individual but tiny foods, can you just do a microworm and daphnia diet? I assume you'd have to feed often. Almost like feeding fry live foods, but use a large pipette kind of deal?

 

[Moontanman]

I bought some Micro pellets today and they ate them immediately. I'm gonna make a feeding ring and see if i can feed them like that. The Micro pellets are slow to sink but they are much smaller and most fish jump right on them.

So far three of them have damaged their snouts a little bit but the rest are unmarked, they are not spookie fish at all, they swim around my arms as i clean the tank. I expected them to be more like iridescent sharks but they are calm and just swim all the time.

 

[Madding]

Awesome! Good luck with them.

 

[Moontanman]

The paddles are doing great, feeding is still problem because they are so messy and I have to over feed to make sure they get all they need. I am going to have major surgery soon, i hope they survive me not taking care of them for a couple of weeks. i intend to set up my 75 for them before the end of the summer, probably have to have a 125 by mid winter or so, i might put them out side in a 300 gallon vat before then.

they are very cool to look at but not the most intelligent acting fish I've ever kept, so far no sign of personality at all.

 

[fatherof5]

Hope your surgery goes well,have you come up with an idea yet to solve this little proplem?

 

[Moontanman]

Hope your surgery goes well,have you come up with an idea yet to solve this little proplem?

I've started feeding them in small amounts, no more than a couple dozen pellets at a time.

 

[Moontanman]

I am sitting here watching my paddlefish feed, it's late the lights are out and they become quite active at the surface grabbing pellets from the surface by turning up side down and gulping them one at a time. I have to wonder if this behavior is rooted in wild fish eating insects from the surface at night.

if these fish are indeed runts and will stay much smaller than their wild relatives then they are very keep-able fish.

 

[fatherof5]

Way cool!! So are these your prize fish now?

 

[new2natives]

congrats on getting them Moon, i just found this thread (still need to read it all)

i will PM you about details, but CONGRATS !!!