PE Mysis and Picky Pikes

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TheSinisterSOB

TheSinisterSOB

Gambusia
MFK Member
Aug 10, 2011
522
3
18
A little place called C At Hell
Hello,

I have come back to the hobby after a long hiatus, and currently have a 125g that is set up with dwarf pike. I have been feeding my little guys Piscine Mysis, but it has gotten a bit more expensive than was initially anticipated.

Last night I dropped some frozen krill in the tank, and they went after it for a brief second, then swam back up to the top of the tank like I had just tossed in gravel or something.

Did I spoil them with the Piscine Mysis? And is there any tricks or tips to get them to take the other food? I know getting fish to take different food is a task, but these dwarf pike wont even bother the feeder guppies in the tank unless they havent eaten all day.

Would I have more success if I were to introduce the krill and the Piscine Mysis, then slowly reduce the amount of mysis?

I'm looking for any suggestion, I just dont wanna have to starve my little guys to get them to eat a different type of food.

Thanks in advance
 
When I was at Petsmart yesterday I bought some frozen silversides for my snooks for the first time. Apparently my Cincta thinks they taste great too because she chowed down on several of them.
 
Thank you Balton. I will definitely have to try frozen silversides. I might have to cut them up, but will give them a try. Not sure if the 2 Petsmarts in the area will have them, but the local mom and pop LFS I use should.

I did get my pike to chow on the frozen krill, but had to dice it up and soak it in some Entice with the PE Mysis...They really went after it once it thawed all the way...Maybe it was giving them brain freeze.

My next challenge is pellets and figuring out how to stem the aggression of the paired pikes, with the two pike that havent had a chance to pair up yet...Good times :D
 
I know how you feel. My EBJD primarily ate mysis shrimp. The PE brand is very very expensive.... so I switched to Hikari Jumbo Mysis shrimp. The switch went without a glitch. You can buy in bulk at dr foster and smith. Only a fraction of the price if you compare price/cost per oz.
 
Ahhh yes, I always thaw out any frozen foods and inspect before feeding. I noticed when thawing out mysis shrimp... at times you will get duds (some pieces look brown, so I throw away). You'll notice this too with blood worms...some will look green/brown vs the vibrant red they should be.
 
I havent been able to find a mysis shrimp that could compare to PE for the protein. I will have to check out F&S, thanks for the heads up.
 
TheSinisterSOB said:
I havent been able to find a mysis shrimp that could compare to PE for the protein.
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Hikari is a reputable company and I highly doubt there is a big difference in protein content. PE has a strong marketing force behind it, which to an extent is why they can charge as much as they do. PE is a great product, so is Hikari. If its freshwater vs salt water mysis shrimp, in my experience, all Hikari mysis shrimp I have ever bought seem to be freshwater (I have personally tasted the shrimp from the bag and cannot detect salt).
 
PE Mysis is the best mysis I've ever used. Its more shrimp per oz, the shrimp are whole, not in pieces, and they are generally larger. Hikari is good, but it just doesn't stand up to it in my experiences.

Cocktail shrimp from Walmart. You can get a 2lb bag of the small shrimp, 350 per pound, for $9. That last a long time, even more so since you have dwarfs. You will still need to cut it up though.

I got my notos onto pellets and flake by adding them to the container that had the bloodworms thawing in it. They soak up the smell/flavor, and when you pour it all in together they hit everything that moves. It took mine about a week and a half before they readily starting taking the flake and the pellets, but they did. Just be patient and persistant, it will pay off! :)
 
The PE Mysis has 70% protein, which is the highest I've found for frozen goods. Most other frozen foods have 10%. There are lots of pellets with high protein values, but I'll be damned if I can get 4 little fish to each them, and I can get a 2 year old to eat baby food!
 
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