So you want your new African Tiger Fish to eat pellets?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Oxymus said:
Update:
Day 16: My GATF still NOT accept food stick and killed another barb (barbs are 3 inches)
What's other fish can be a teacher fish with less being kill by my GATF? he's already killed 2 barbs so he will kill them again and again.
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How big are the barbs compared to the gatf? I got barbs that are 2" compared to my 5" gatf. I recently got 1" barbs and removed the 2" cause they were eating the food and the next day one of the barbs had a giant gash in his body. Do you turn the light off at night?

Do you have any current in your tank? Temperature should be at 85F
 
My bad I read your post really fast didnt see the 3" barbs. Like chicxulub said your gatf is desperate. Just keep trying. Some of the people here who broke their gatf it took anywhere between 1-2 MONTHS!
 
I wouldn't go so far as to say his GATF is desperate already, it sounds to me like a predator being a predator.

This is going to be a tough one to break; he's eating his teacher fish. :lol2:

If he's not checking out the pellets after he eats all of the barbs, let him starve for a week and try to the fishing method.
 
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DayumDanny said:
How big are the barbs compared to the gatf? I got barbs that are 2" compared to my 5" gatf. I recently got 1" barbs and removed the 2" cause they were eating the food and the next day one of the barbs had a giant gash in his body. Do you turn the light off at night?

Do you have any current in your tank? Temperature should be at 85F
Click to expand...
My GAFT is 5 inches and barbs are 3 inches (more than half size of the gatf)
Temp is 83F right now, current is close to 5k in a 90 galons growth out tank.
I'm using LED light so in daylight it just 50% the light output, and at night it will be lowest setting moon light effect.
 
Chicxulub said:
4- Start as soon as he's in your tank.

It is well documented both on this site and others that a change of environment can be the impetus necessary for causing a stubborn fish to change its diet. As such, as soon as you introduce your new tiger to your tank, he should never get feeder fish again! You can't allow the fish to take up his or her old habits.
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I agree. Before getting into the hobby, I was one of those who thought fish had a "5 second memory." As I quickly learned, you can change their behaviors depending on the stimuli. my fish begs for food every time I raise my arm; raising my arm = dropping in food (to them). It's kind of funny, I can see my fish from my bed (1 room apartment). When I'm stretching in bed after a nights sleep, I look over and they're already going nuts and pressing their faces against the glass lol

If you're trying to change something, it's best to completely change their environment. Just like how a drug addict getting out of rehabilitation should change their home environment to discourage any memory of old behaviors.

With new fish I try to pellet train (or get on the right brand of pellets), I don't feed anything but that until they accept it. Of course, teacher fish is helpful(!) The only thing I'd caution is how mature the fish is. Small fish can get stunted if it's a stubborn type (for example- payara, ATFs, etc.). They tend to only eat a certain type of food (live). They'll be smaller and probably have a shorter life span. Think malnutrition: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/teen-s-strange-ramen-addiction--165713286.html
 
Update:
Day 22, after my gatf slaughered those red tail tinfoil barbs I thought my gatf might hate some silvery color looking fish. So, I went out and search for other teacher fish, I found some albino tinfoil barbs that in gold color and introduced those barbs in my tank...unexpected supprise my fatf leave them alone and don't even bother to chase them down like he did to those red tail barbs. These albino barbs spend LOT of time near the surface to search for food instead bother my gaft like those old barbs. My gaft actually spend sometime shaol around these new barbs near the surface at well but still not take a bite yet. Atleast I saw him go up and take a look at the food stick but then going back down..it's good sight right? :)
I have to work out of town in next few weeks and only come home on the weekend so this gatf must need to learn to eat pellet LOL.
 
UPDATE:
Day 24: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
My GATF ate his first pellet /cheer :)
So after all this I think depend on the invididual fish behave with thier teacher fishes, my gatf pretty sure hate silvery color look fish red tail tinfoil barb (he killed 3 of them), it has no aggressive behave over albino tinfoil barbs.
The next part is find some tank mate that's not is silver color, I'm like silver arowana though but I kinda worry my gatf will kill it :)
 
Oxymus said:
UPDATE:
Day 24: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
My GATF ate his first pellet /cheer :)
So after all this I think depend on the invididual fish behave with thier teacher fishes, my gatf pretty sure hate silvery color look fish red tail tinfoil barb (he killed 3 of them), it has no aggressive behave over albino tinfoil barbs.
The next part is find some tank mate that's not is silver color, I'm like silver arowana though but I kinda worry my gatf will kill it :)
Click to expand...

Whoooo! :nilly: :cheers:

Good job! Very good job!
 
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