Picky jag diet suggestions

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
R

Reaper13

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2013
430
5
18
Southeast
I've tried starving this guy for months. He will only occassionally eat a somewhat soggy pellet. Mealworms, crickets, tilapia fillet, etc he'll tear up. I've been trying pellets for a week to 2 weeks then a couple meal worms to not starve.
It's 3-4" long, but absolutely rejects pellets.

Any suggestions on diet to get the same nutrition as a pellet would provide. Maybe soaking tilapia fillets in vitamins or maybe injecting crickets etc?
 
Sounds like the battle I had/am having with my JD. Doesn't eat anything except worms and starving him does nothing. Guess we probably both screwed up feeding them that way in the beginning. I've just accepted that he'll probably have an expensive feeding diet forever. Besides, in the wild I have to wonder how much more they could be eating other than fish and other little things.
 
I started with pellets and I don't even bother feeding when I 1st get them for 2-3days. I didn't start any bad habits. It just refuses pellets
 
I am in a similar situation with both my Jags..i have found a way to trick them into eating pellets which works on my female and sometimes on the male...it doesn't really solve the problem completely but i can still get some pellets in them...i generally feed mine thawed market shrimp and frozen blood worms...i take the shrimp slice through it to create a space where i can insert a chunk cut off a bloodworm cube and then a piece of pellet...the male was taking down the whole thing no problem then he started spitting them back out... i think it may be because i was putting too much pellet in...i have gone back to giving him just the blood worm in the shrimp for now...the female takes down a piece of pellet in the shrimp without problem..but will not eat pellet alone at this point...the male is about 8 inches and can eat a whole small shrimp this way..the female 5.5 inches eats about a third of a small shrimp...i think it will work better as they increase in size...i am sure there are those that have used similar and other methods...i just hate to starve them...



Sent from my DROID RAZR using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Is the Jag alone in the tank? I've noticed if you have a porker fish like an Oscar in the tank other fish in the tank will start to follow suit and chow anything in there. I've got a couple jags and various other cichlids with my fat Oscar ad they all took to taking pellets like 2nd nature after just a day or two. Even got my Aro pellet trained in 3 days. If that's not an option, try breaking up Massivore and stuffing it into tilapia chunks. Should work well.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Biggest thing is that unless there is something obviously wrong with the fish's health...don't sweat it. Most of the large guapotes will go through period where they will eat less...or hide...or be overly skittish. Whatever you try to offer, only put in a very little and wait to see if they respond. If not, let it go for a couple days. When they are hungry, they will eat. Good luck.

Mo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom