My shovelnose catfish will only eat live food

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mudslinger

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 18, 2008
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Williamsburg, VA
I picked up a shovelnose catfish from an LFS about a month ago. I did ask if he was eating and the employee said yes, bloodworms, flakes and ghost shrimp. He even demonstrated this for me. After arriving home I placed him in my 125 which houses two 4 inch albino oscars, one 2 inch salvini, three 2 inch convicts. Off the bat he was eating bloodworms, krill, pellets, mysis shrimp. Pretty much whatever hit the water. The week after, I bring home a 3 inch ocellaris peacock bass. He is picky and only take feeders. So after a week I noticed a lot of food going un eaten at the bottom of the tank. But the shovelnose was fat on the feeders. So I removed him and placed him in a 30 gallon quarantine tank all by his lonesome. To this day... he won't eat! Well he will eat feeder goldfish and rosie reds but no frozen, freeze dried or pellets. How can I get him back on a non feeder diet? :nilly:
 
put food in the tank every day, if hes doesnt eat it take it out. eventually he will take to the non live food;no fish will starve itsself.
 
Feed the feeders pellets or what ever before you feed the feeders to your cat. Or, try feeding the catfish at night with the lights off.
 
I've been adding food daily and removing the un eaten food. He isn't skinny, still has some belly on him. He did hide behind the filter intake for a while but I noticed last night he is getting a bit exploratory but still won't eat LOL.
 
On a good note my peacock bass is now eating table shrimp!
 
You will never get him to eat non live if there is a regular supply of it going in the tank.
While he is on his own, dont feed for a week then try every 3rd day untill he takes other food (dont bother with flake).
 
switch to some silversides and krill.... you should be able to hand feed him after starving a couple days... silversides and krill isn't live and it's plenty of protein... also i have yet to meat any fish that will turn down frozen blood worms... so right there is a pretty good diet.... tilapia might work too... it can get pretty expensive to feed large fish... lol thats a lot of hikari to feed one of those guys.... the food i mentioned it should devour right away no worries... i wouldn't even waste my breath with pellets... my fish grow hardcore with the above and it's cheap... at least where i am.
 
My rtcxtsn hybrid wouldnt eat anything for two weeks after bringing him home and he is about 18" I forced a few massivore pellets down his throat 5 days ago and then went out of town for 4 days. I came back and he gobbled down just about everything I threw in the tank. I feed my catfish frozen shrimp alot (thawed and warmed of course) so you could try that. My point is just try starving him for a while and then feed him. He will eventually take it.
 
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