Picky Azul

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I'm finding the best way to break cichla eating habits are to trick them. One method that is working at the moment is defrost blood worm and mix with broken pieces of pellets and crushed pellets then refrozen. I refreeze in pill packets like paracetamol so they are in small portions. These are easily popped out. I started of with a little crushed pellet and added more every time I done it. Now they're crammed and taking them all. I think it'll only be a matter of time till they are hitting pellets.
 
davenmandy said:
I've owned an azul, close to 7.5 inches now, for about 3 or 4 months, maybe a bit longer. From the very beginning he was very timid, always hid, doesnt like to come to the front of the glass unless hes really really hungry. He's in a tank with a 4.5 inch broko and a 4 inch xingu, as well as a 5 inch tig. He stalks the tig a bit which is what is concerning me as my old mono ate my TSN last christmas eve. So I used freeze dried krill and freeze dried shrimp to get them onto pellets, or non live, since they are all wild caught and thats all theyve ever know. It worked with amazing success for the broko and the xingu, they SMOKE the top for pellets now and I can just pump em full of food now to get em into my big tank soon. Problem is the azul, who was so picky with food to begin with, doesn't touch the pellets. He did take the krill and shrimp every now and again, but most times hed spit them out. One or two pieces. I should tell you as a bass he was always a strange eater, when I first got him I dumped in 10 rosy red minnows and he only ate about 2 an hour. Never owned a bass that didn't devour all minnows in the tank within minutes, especially since he was a decent size. Since the broko and the xingu are doing so great on pellets I don't want to put anymore live in there, but I also don't want the much smaller xingu and tig to become the azuls desperate meal. I have tried smelt and shrimp, I think the azul tried a shrimp once and never again. Any suggestions? Go back to just krill and dry shrimp for a bit? Starve the azul? Toss in a big goldfish or two? At what point is too long and should I cave and just give em minnows again? The broko and xingu always go to the glass right before feeding and smoke the top as soon as it hits, the azul just kinda hides around the decoration and shows little interest. I don't want to hinder the progress I've made getting the other two off live, but the azul already chases the xingu and gets all dark around the tig. I have yet to try massivore because I didn't wanna mess with a good thing with the floating stuff and them hitting the top, and my guess is I should probably cut off the pellets and try to coax him onto the krill and dry shrimp, but I'd like to hear your guys advice.

Thanks.

P.s. As soon as I sell my Temensis and Mono this weekend there will be no threat to put the azul into my 400 gallon with a 11 inch kelberi, 10 inch orino, and 8 inch guyana ocell, and they all eat both pellets, shrimp, smelt, and worms, with teh exception of the ocell which was recently wild caught and only just started eating only worms after being starved for a month. The orino is a bit mean, and will definitely harass him for the first couple days, but considering how timid it is, what are your guys thoughts of the other bass teaching the azul how/what to eat? Didn't work the best with the ocell but he did at least get onto worms, but he was always calm and nothing ever touched him or bothered him, and he does show slight interest in other food but as you all know when bass hit the food, its f'in crazy in there and he is too new and small to throw his hat in the ring yet, the azul would be slightly smaller than him.
Click to expand...

My azul ate a juruenses, you might wanna watch your tig.

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Well, I put the azul in the big tank. Unfortunately, my orino is a big bully to new cichla. He's been bugging the azul and only letting him chill in one corner of the tank, top right back corner. He won't move from there because the orino won't chase him when he's there. However he has been a bit roughed up, and I don't see him trying to eat anything in his stressful situation. Will feed when my hangover subsides, but I get the feeling I'm gonna need to put the azul back in the growout for a bit, as much as I don't want to.

Edit: thanks to the last poster for spelling juruense correctly, cannot stand everyone calling them jurunese, giant pet peeve of mine lol.

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He's been in the big tank for a week now. Didn't eat for the first couple days. 3 days ago he darted hard and ate a big piece of smelt, but just one. Yesterday didn't eat. Today he ate a piece of shrimp, again just 1. But he ate. Therefor he knows its food. So when he doesn't eat it's just him being pure picky right? He's not doing well in the new tank, the orino only lets him chill in one spot, he looks super stressed. But at least he's eating, hopefully time will help him chill out with the other bass and fade out the orino's problem with him.


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You could be right. The thin is though, he's eating now. Not much but at least he's eating frozen. Maybe I can toss him back in the small tank and he may ease up on the other fishes and still eat. But the orino isn't that much bigger, but the aggression isn't subsiding.


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Moved back to small tank. Pisses me off cuz the xingu and the broko (the broke nearly destroyed the xingu for the first month) are getting along so well now and growing like weeds, smoking pellets 3 times a day and always looking pregnant. Tig is also growing quite well. Now that the azul is back its back to trying to get him onto pellets, back to him likely chasing and tearing up the xingu, and just a shame cuz everything was going so damn well other than the orino not leaving the azul in the big tank. Zzz....


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