RBP wont eat???

[Dankzville]

i got three red belly piranhas and they dont seem to want to eat!!! i tried krill,frozen shrimp,and live feeders,..... tried a mouse too and didnt even take one bite!!! i got a 2 4inch and a 5inch in a 55 right now!!! i have had them for like two weeks !!! filters good waters clean temps good...any ideas thank you

 

[Diogenes]

never seen an RBP that wouldn't go after live food. Don't know what to tell you chief. Try garlic and hunger... They can live a long time without eating. Also maybe cover the tank with a towel after you feed. They get nervous.

 

[Ullopincrate]

They should eat unless something is wrong so that needs to be narrowed down quickly. full water parameter check post results + temp. If you have feeders in tank leave the room and turn off lights on tank after your parameter test. sometimes they are shy and don't like to be watched. Describe your tank. Do you have "comfort" places for them? Also don't EVER put mammals in with them..(ex: mouse) It's not a good idea no matter how you look at it. They prefer what they find in nature.

 

[Dankzville]

i just did 50% water change too PH is good water temp i keep at 78-80 and i have tried turning off all lights and watch from distance too nope!!! i have a top for it and only left one bulb in not even bright so only like 1/3 tank lights up.. they chomp the feeders in half thats all LOL!!!! i seen maybe 4 total gone out the 2 weeks i had them!!! my tank has plants for them to hide i dont have no pieces of drift wood for them hide yet but will.... theres plenty room and its alwayts clean!!! i plan on adding more plants and stuff for them to hide but yeah there will be maybe one small feeder gone a day and btween 3 thats crazy!!! i figure they all be gone next couple days... im try some pellets and try some beef to i stuck in a inch size chicken breast and two took a bite and that was all she wrote some one please help

thanks for the input guys!!!

any suggestions appreciated!!!!

 

[Dankzville]

never seen an RBP that wouldn't go after live food. Don't know what to tell you chief. Try garlic and hunger... They can live a long time without eating. Also maybe cover the tank with a towel after you feed. They get nervous.

garlic and hunger???

 

[Diogenes]

garlic and hunger???

garlic increases the appeal of food to fish. Marinate your food in garlic to get them eating.

Hunger...well hunger is a physiological reaction prompted by the desire to eat food. It originates within the central nervous systems of most animals. If the desire to eat in your P's is strong enough then they will eat. They can go along time without eating. They don't use nearly as many calories as mammals, because they are cold-blooded and don't need to burn calories to maintain a stable body temperature.

So like I said before. Let them get hungry, and try and marinate your food in garlic. If your tossing all kinds of **** in there for them to eat (ie mice), you're probably making them nervous. They're not going to eat until they're not nervous. Try cutting them food into smaller pieces. Even though P's have teeth, they still don't generally enjoy food larger than their mouths. Keep your hands out of the tank for a while, turn the lights off, put a towel over the tank when you're feeding them. Just some ideas...

 

[Dankzville]

garlic increases the appeal of food to fish. Marinate your food in garlic to get them eating.

Hunger...well hunger is a physiological reaction prompted by the desire to eat food. It originates within the central nervous systems of most animals. If the desire to eat in your P's is strong enough then they will eat. They can go along time without eating. They don't use nearly as many calories as mammals, because they are cold-blooded and don't need to burn calories to maintain a stable body temperature.

So like I said before. Let them get hungry, and try and marinate your food in garlic. If your tossing all kinds of **** in there for them to eat (ie mice), you're probably making them nervous. They're not going to eat until they're not nervous. Try cutting them food into smaller pieces. Even though P's have teeth, they still don't generally enjoy food larger than their mouths. Keep your hands out of the tank for a while, turn the lights off, put a towel over the tank when you're feeding them. Just some ideas...

thanks alot!!!!!!! ill try some of those ideas and let you know how it comes up!!! yeah i say its been about 3 days or so since they ate anything... so i took everything out i e... feeders, shrimp, ........ what do you think about earrthworms i read on another forum they like them but they say only earth worms.....? thanks for all your help!!!! hopefully they eat!!!
i wanna stick them in a bigger tank and add a few more... local petco is moving locations and some nice sales on big azz tanks and stands....... you think my bigger one will eat my other two >>>??? lol!!! id have to say he is a lil over a inch bigger and older too.... ill post pics sometime!!!!
THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!!!

 

[GarNiac]

well, I have 12 red bellies, they are no bigger than yours, I moved them into an outdoor pond recently; they were really skitties at the beginning, or should I say they were afraid of human, and that was when I put them in the tank before; now groups of them could finish a frog with double in size in just minutes;
your RBPs already show some progress by " chomping the feeders in half ", just like you said, here, I think just leave them as it is right now, they will eat anyway; I had experience once with smaller RBPs, 7 of them, around 2" each, (just before they die because of the high chlorine level in the water, tht was sucks) just moments after I bought them, I put them in 50 gallons tank, considering the size of the RBPs, I put the tank on my terrace, with direct expose of natural light, the tank had no hiding space at all; the RBPs wont eat anything for 3 days, even when I put feeders in the tank, but on the next days I checked, my RBPs have finished all the feeders. Following after that, my RBPs would eat anything meaty I put in the tank with no problems at all.
just a little trick I did to get the RBP to eat at the begining, when putting feeders into the tank, I only put 1 feeder, cause that way would drive the appetite of your RBPs better,
as for the "size" for the same type of piranhas, I dont thing there would be any problem with that. Mine one was the same as yours; among my 7 RBPs, 3 of them were over an inch compare with the rest, but they got along nicely,
cheers

 

[Dankzville]

well, I have 12 red bellies, they are no bigger than yours, I moved them into an outdoor pond recently; they were really skitties at the beginning, or should I say they were afraid of human, and that was when I put them in the tank before; now groups of them could finish a frog with double in size in just minutes;
your RBPs already show some progress by " chomping the feeders in half ", just like you said, here, I think just leave them as it is right now, they will eat anyway; I had experience once with smaller RBPs, 7 of them, around 2" each, (just before they die because of the high chlorine level in the water, tht was sucks) just moments after I bought them, I put them in 50 gallons tank, considering the size of the RBPs, I put the tank on my terrace, with direct expose of natural light, the tank had no hiding space at all; the RBPs wont eat anything for 3 days, even when I put feeders in the tank, but on the next days I checked, my RBPs have finished all the feeders. Following after that, my RBPs would eat anything meaty I put in the tank with no problems at all.
just a little trick I did to get the RBP to eat at the begining, when putting feeders into the tank, I only put 1 feeder, cause that way would drive the appetite of your RBPs better,
as for the "size" for the same type of piranhas, I dont thing there would be any problem with that. Mine one was the same as yours; among my 7 RBPs, 3 of them were over an inch compare with the rest, but they got along nicely,
cheers

thank you too i bet that outdoor pond is friggin nice!!! if there wasnt winter in minnSNOWta i would get more and make me a pond typee outdoor place too!!!! ill try post pics of my 3 RBP's later thanks for the input!!!! i actually did take all out and only left one

 

[hot_boi07]

try dimming the light and throw some other fish in
mine did the same too then i threw in two balck convict in and after a day or two the convict were ogne and they were eating again i think