Starving a Needlenose

[cartisdm]

Ok I've had my needlenose (Ned) since January. He's healthy and happy but I'm ready for attempt #2 of breaking him of a feeder fish staple. I went about two weeks the first time and he eventually got so jumpy that he would strike at anything that broke the surface (including my hand). But he wouldn't eat anything still. Finally I felt sorry for the poor guy so I went back to good ol' rosie reds. Now keeping a steady supply of feeders is starting to get old and sometimes tough for me to keep up with (even though they're cheap I don't really like seeing them die all the time).

I need help on trying to break him from rosie reds. What do you suggest? And how long is too long to starve a needlenose before calling it quits?

 

[Fish on Fire]

Switch to guppies.

 

[cartisdm]

Switch to guppies.

I would but my LFS sells these tiny fingerlings that are barely worth calling fish as their feeder guppies.

...and it still doesn't solve my problem of having to keep a constant supply of feeders

 

[M|L]

have you tried hand feeding him? hand feed him for a week or so on feeders. then, he'll come to recognize that whatever is in your hand is food. so, after a week, hand feed him prepared food.

get my drift?

 

[dzb912]

try freeze dried shrimp
whenever i had fish that only ate feeders also
and they loved freeze dried shrimp

 

[cartisdm]

try freeze dried shrimp
whenever i had fish that only ate feeders also
and they loved freeze dried shrimp

I've tried freeze dried krill. It resembles a rosie red in shape and floats so I hoped that would work but I didn't have any luck

 

[IKeepPacu]

i bought a needlenose a few weeks back, and just kept feeding my polys and knives their usual OSI blood red parrot pellets as their staple. the entire 75g tank eats them. the needlenose took longer than any fish however to finally start taking prepared foods, holding out for a good 9-10 days before i saw him eat.

now, anything i put in the tank, he'll eat right away, even if its a new food. feed the prepared foods, and if others in the tank are eating it, he'll follow along.

 

[dragonfish]

I'ld give it up. Haven't heard of anyone having great success with them on anything but live. If you go too long, they will get too weak to eat.

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

I would try the hand-feeding suggested earlier, and using something like frozen silversides as the food item to switch it to eventually

 

[morgancouple]

We have a needlenose also and it was my understanding when we bought him that is all they will eat. We used to get the feeders for 12 cents each at petsmart.....between all the fish and a ton dying we were going through about 150 a week. I started buying them at another store for 5 for $1, a little more expensive but they are bigger and not as many die and don't seem to have all the ick and other fungus, I only go through about 50 a week now so it has turned out to be much cheaper. Just keep a 10g full of them.