Its up to you, but since they look healthy they could probably go a few days without eating if they don't accept the pellets right away.
Parachromis managuensis
- Thread starter jwd
- Start date
They've eaten every day that I've had them except for today (they've been eating blood worms). I'll leave them alone for the weekend since this is at my office and try again on Monday. Might come up here Sunday and try. I have 3 pellets in there right now and they've swam past it several times.
John --
Just quit feeding them. don't feed them anything over the weekend. Let 'em just sit in the tank, I wouldn't even worry about lights. If you have a window in your office where they can see the difference between day and night, leave the tank lights off all weekend, too. Take Monday off. When you get back in the office on Tuesday, turn on the tank lights and move around the office a little bit so they start getting used to seeing you move around in the room. Drop 2-3 pieces of pellet in the tank in the afternoon. Leave it in there. They'll eat it when you're gone.
They don't need lights on in the tank if they have some ambient sunlight. They don't need food everyday, either. A fish can go at LEAST a week without eating no problem. A fish is kinda halfway between a snake and a mammal--but close to a snake.
How old, or how long, are these fish? I've found that the older a fish is, the longer it takes them to get used a new tank. Little 2-4 inch fish move from one tank to another like nothing happened. A 6 inch fish, or bigger, will act like it's the end of the world and spend a good week or two getting acclimated.
Just quit feeding them. don't feed them anything over the weekend. Let 'em just sit in the tank, I wouldn't even worry about lights. If you have a window in your office where they can see the difference between day and night, leave the tank lights off all weekend, too. Take Monday off. When you get back in the office on Tuesday, turn on the tank lights and move around the office a little bit so they start getting used to seeing you move around in the room. Drop 2-3 pieces of pellet in the tank in the afternoon. Leave it in there. They'll eat it when you're gone.
They don't need lights on in the tank if they have some ambient sunlight. They don't need food everyday, either. A fish can go at LEAST a week without eating no problem. A fish is kinda halfway between a snake and a mammal--but close to a snake.
How old, or how long, are these fish? I've found that the older a fish is, the longer it takes them to get used a new tank. Little 2-4 inch fish move from one tank to another like nothing happened. A 6 inch fish, or bigger, will act like it's the end of the world and spend a good week or two getting acclimated.
On Jeffs website it says they're 4 1/2" but they look like 5". I can't avoid going in on Monday but I will drop a few pellets in there before I leave for home. Thanks for the advice! Also, they're close to a window so they'll have whatever light gets through my blinds.
I'll shoot him an email. I thought about it yesterday but didn't email because I want to get them pellet trained. It wouldn't hurt to know though.
Okay so this is where we are now.
David, I tried your method and it hasn't worked yet. I agree with your instruction and I'll keep it up.
Frank, I emailed Jeff and he got back to me immediately. He said that they begged for pellets at his place. He used sinking pellets. I finally found some local on my lunch break but they only had Cichlid Gold medium size which is 5mm so I cut them in half and dropped them in. When they come out of hiding maybe they will eat it! One was hovering over the top of the halved pieces a moment ago and swam away. About to just drop a blood worm cube in, they're driving me crazy!
David, I tried your method and it hasn't worked yet. I agree with your instruction and I'll keep it up.
Frank, I emailed Jeff and he got back to me immediately. He said that they begged for pellets at his place. He used sinking pellets. I finally found some local on my lunch break but they only had Cichlid Gold medium size which is 5mm so I cut them in half and dropped them in. When they come out of hiding maybe they will eat it! One was hovering over the top of the halved pieces a moment ago and swam away. About to just drop a blood worm cube in, they're driving me crazy!
Hi JWD,
I've kept these guys for many years. First off, at the moment they have YOU trained. If they reject pellet food they eventually get yummy worms. I would recommend choosing a pellet food and feeding a tiny bit every other day till they start eating. They will not starve and will eventually eat what's available. Once they've been on pellets for a few months you can introduce an occasional treat. Night crawlers from your local bait store are awesome nutritious snacks all my Jags have loved.
You said this was your first fish. You're basically starting with a pet tiger. these aere awesome fish but do your homework in regards to tank size and tank mates. They grow fast and unless you have a pair may grow intolerant of each other.
Here's a link to one of my favorite Jag pairs https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/future-monster-jag.306554/
Hi Maduro! Yeah, I shouldn't have fed them bloodworms the first two times they wouldn't take the pellets but I'm going to stay strong and not feed them for a while. In my earlier post I stated that this isn't my first fish keeping experience. So far they're playing nicely. They're the only two fish in this 125.
You have a very nice pair!
