My jag has stopped eating

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sirasoni

sirasoni

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2006
739
1
0
Palos Verdes, CA
Well, title pretty much explains it all. He used to pound through a million pellets a day, now he won't touch any. Hikari, wardley, omega one...nothing. I finally broke down and gave him some ghost shrimp out of another tank, but I really want to get him back on a pellet diet. Nothing has been added/removed from the tank, he acts the same way, etc. He even comes up to the top to "sniff" at the pellet(s) before he turns away. :irked: Any suggestions?
 
how many times and how much do you feed him each day?, also is there any varitey in his diet?, cichlids are known to go on these food strikes if you feed them the exact same thing all the time. If he's not eating pellets try some more varitey.
 
I was feeding him about twice a day, probably about 10-20 hikari gold medium sized pellets each time. Although hikari is the staple, he also gets some other types of pellets and bloodworms/ghost shrimp as treats every so often.
 
sirasoni;960722; said:
I was feeding him about twice a day, probably about 10-20 hikari gold medium sized pellets each time. Although hikari is the staple, he also gets some other types of pellets and bloodworms/ghost shrimp as treats every so often.
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how large is he?, i feed about 15 pellets once a day to my 14" ones, and i think that's plenty. i'd say feed him less pellets, but mix it up with earthworms once in awhile, or some other somewhat meaty source.
 
It's completely natural for fish to "fast" for a few days and it's nothing but good for them. Helps to clear out their system. I wouldn't start getting concerned unless it's been more than 10 days. Try doing some big water changes and offering different types of frozen foods like krill, silversides, beefheart etc. When he knows he needs to eat he'll eat.
 
He's 9-10". K thanks guys I'll keep you posted. Man I'm used to other fish going on hunger strikes but not big cichlids. They usually go so crazy over food ya know?
 
sirasoni;960909; said:
He's 9-10". K thanks guys I'll keep you posted. Man I'm used to other fish going on hunger strikes but not big cichlids. They usually go so crazy over food ya know?
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even for my cichlids that were raised on pellets and won't touch live food, they'll eat earthworms. i've had success with them.
 
sirasoni;960909; said:
He's 9-10". K thanks guys I'll keep you posted. Man I'm used to other fish going on hunger strikes but not big cichlids. They usually go so crazy over food ya know?
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Yeah, I know what you mean. I had an oscar, yes I said oscar, that didn't eat for almost 2 weeks. I got him going again with some large live bait shrimp. One of the perks of living in Florida. But like I said, I wouldn't really worry until it's been awhile longer or you see signs of emaciation.
 
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