Questions About My Red Tail Payara

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KingQuest

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 18, 2007
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Aurora, CO
Ok i have had him for about 4 months, he is about 6" or around there. I have been feeding him feeder gold fish, and i want to start feeding him something thats not live. I have heard that it is super hard to get these guys off of live foods but is there a special way to do it?? i have tried starving him for a week and tried to feed if some freeze dried krill, and some other frozen foods but he would not eat anything:irked: All my other fish are eating pellets, sticks, frozen, and freeze dried foods but he just wont. Any suggestions? Thanx
 
i week of starvation is nothing, if it is in good condition and has been feeding well you should go a lot longer than that to starve it.
i just got my red tail eatng dead foods after 7 days but i never fed feeders from the off, its always harder to get them on dead foods after feeders.
 
same problem here.
i had redtails eat freeze dried after a few days without any tankmates.
my current redtail wont take dead after 1 mth starvation.
i gave up and am feeding him feeders.
but hes starting to take shots at whitebait.
 
KingQuest;1366990; said:
Ok i have had him for about 4 months, he is about 6" or around there. I have been feeding him feeder gold fish, and i want to start feeding him something thats not live. I have heard that it is super hard to get these guys off of live foods but is there a special way to do it?? i have tried starving him for a week and tried to feed if some freeze dried krill, and some other frozen foods but he would not eat anything:irked: All my other fish are eating pellets, sticks, frozen, and freeze dried foods but he just wont. Any suggestions? Thanx
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You do have a good back bone for getting off live foods due to everyone else in the tank eats non live-goods. He will start eating as he gets really hungry from the "learned behavior" from the others eating. I say the biggest trick is the owner. We feel bad cause our fish is not eating and buy feeders. Try to stick to feeding one specific food (expl, 5 times a week, and so your other fish don't get their diet completly messed up) so the Red gets used to seeing and smelling one type of food more (I would think that he would get used to it, rather that a load of diff things) and will get more comfy to take shots. I'm in the same situation (just gave in to feeders after 2 weeks:)), one thing that I do is when I chop up my market shrimp I always place pcs at his nose with a stick. I see little progress. The first time he swam away. Now he pushes it and I did see him one time smell it. Plus once he don't take it, my Gar comes up and tries to eat it. As long as my Gar eats it in front of him, Its cool. Kind of like "You don't want it, watch this...CHOMP". I believe in "Monkey see, Monkey do"
Hope this helps as I have little exper. with Red Tail Payara and more with VATF and this is where I learned how to get fish off of live (I hope :ROFL:)
 
i think now is the best time to starve him. he is prob very comfortable in the tank, and hasnt been on live for that long. if he dosnt eat for a week or two i would give him 1 feeder to get his metabolism going again. then starve again. i have had way too many parasite problems, and am now starving all my fish. good luck, keep us posted.
 
thanks for all the advice i still in the process of starving him:( When i feed my other fish he just sits there waiting for me to put in a feeder hes a begger lol but i hope it works but i will keep you all posted thanks again:D
 
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