Pickerel onto pellets

[Wiggles92]

Try pieces of fish fillet (tilapia and other white fish) and/or market shrimp first before moving on to pellets; that will help it get used to dead food while still providing it with good nutrition. Once it's on either of those, either start packing the pieces of fish/shrimp with pellets (so it gets used to the taste of them) or give it the freeze-dried krill. After it's feeding on either one of those foods, try giving it just pellets or a pellet/krill mix and slowly wean it on to just pellets. You can always give it pellets during feeding time otherwise during these steps just to see if it will make the switch early.

This worked for me for training my gars to take pellets, and gars and pickerel have a somewhat similar hunting strategy and prey preference in the wild, so it might work in your case, too.

 

[Industrial]

I would look into people weaning freshwater barracuda on pellets, since they are almost identical in nature.

Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to try to get pickerel on a pellet diet. These fish are adapted to eat minnows and worms in the wild, and feeding them pellets doesn't really give them the same nutrients they would get from bait fish or red worms. For convenience, you may want to try krill and smelt/silversides. Once the pike recognizes that you are attempting to feed it, it should try whatever natural looking food you would drop in.

 

[iHonesty]

I don't mind feeding the pickerel worms...it's just that I know that pellets are a much more nutritious vitamin for the fish to consume. If i manage to get him onto pellets, I will surely post a video. I will be trying gar weaning strategies to wean it down, as Wiggles said, they are similiar in that fashion. Same with FW barracuda. Hopefully i have some luck!

 

[davdev]

I don't mind feeding the pickerel worms...it's just that I know that pellets are a much more nutritious vitamin for the fish to consume.

Says who? They may be easier, but I wouldn't say they are more nutritious than than animals natural diet. Think about all the crap that gets put in dog food, and then realize as far as the manufacturers are concerned, fish are way further down the rung of quality. Live food will help keep the pickeral active, and if given quality feeders something that is more in line with their normal food.

 

[indiana.dutton]

Try holding a pellet or at first some dead fish or dried krill and wiggle it under the surface, close to his nose but not too close

 

[iHonesty]

Says who? They may be easier, but I wouldn't say they are more nutritious than than animals natural diet. Think about all the crap that gets put in dog food, and then realize as far as the manufacturers are concerned, fish are way further down the rung of quality. Live food will help keep the pickeral active, and if given quality feeders something that is more in line with their normal food.

I always thought it was best to have a fish eat pellets, due to nutrient ratios. For instance, fish that strictly eat bloodworms get too much a dose of protein and it causes problems down the road for their digestive system. They need a dose of fat in their diet to balance it out. I dont know the nutrient value of red worms, or necessarily why it would be best to feed one or the other. I always just thought pellets were best for fish in captivity.

 

[davdev]

I always thought it was best to have a fish eat pellets, due to nutrient ratios. For instance, fish that strictly eat bloodworms get too much a dose of protein and it causes problems down the road for their digestive system. They need a dose of fat in their diet to balance it out. I dont know the nutrient value of red worms, or necessarily why it would be best to feed one or the other. I always just thought pellets were best for fish in captivity.

I wouldn't recommend just one type of food, so yeah, going all bloodworm is probably a bad idea, but if you go with a combo of worms, minnows, crayfish etc, they will get all the nutrients they need. If you have a fish that needs a few more greens (which pickeral don't), then you can always add some in the form of Romaine Lettuce or kelp. It really all depends on the fish, just like cats and dogs have completely different nutritional needs, so do fish. A pickerel is like a cat in that it is a strict carnivore and doesn't need vegetable material, though you could provide it by gut loading the feeders. The easiest way to get pellets into a pickerel is too give the pellets to the feeder just before giving the feeder to the pickerel. I know a lot of people have issues with live feeds, but in this case, it is better for your pickerel.

 

[jetajockey]

I've got mine eating pellets. The way I did it was accidental, I was feeding him gambusia and he got used to hitting them right as they touch the water since there is competition in the tank. So instead of gambusia or similarly sized feeders I just drop a floating pellet or stick in there and he hits it just the same, I just have to make sure he's looking in the direction of where I'm dropping it in.

 

[iHonesty]

I wouldn't recommend just one type of food, so yeah, going all bloodworm is probably a bad idea, but if you go with a combo of worms, minnows, crayfish etc, they will get all the nutrients they need. If you have a fish that needs a few more greens (which pickeral don't), then you can always add some in the form of Romaine Lettuce or kelp. It really all depends on the fish, just like cats and dogs have completely different nutritional needs, so do fish. A pickerel is like a cat in that it is a strict carnivore and doesn't need vegetable material, though you could provide it by gut loading the feeders. The easiest way to get pellets into a pickerel is too give the pellets to the feeder just before giving the feeder to the pickerel. I know a lot of people have issues with live feeds, but in this case, it is better for your pickerel.

alrighty then, I suppose worms and stock fed feeders will be his diet. I didnt know that it could be a good idea to feed fish this way, thanks.

 

[iHonesty]

I've got mine eating pellets. The way I did it was accidental, I was feeding him gambusia and he got used to hitting them right as they touch the water since there is competition in the tank. So instead of gambusia or similarly sized feeders I just drop a floating pellet or stick in there and he hits it just the same, I just have to make sure he's looking in the direction of where I'm dropping it in.

Thats awesome man!