Switching to frozen bait

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Trucker84

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 14, 2008
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A couple weeks ago i switched my piranha to frozen bit fish instead of live feeders. I've been using mostly herring and sardines. sometimes they eat, sometimes they dont. i really dont think they like eating stuff sitting on the bottom. And its a real pain to fish out the uneaten pieces in my 140gal planted tank. Plust it makes the piranha rather upset any time i have to put my net in the tank, especially if it goes down to the bottom where they hang out. I was wondering if anyone has tried running fishing line or something through their food to suspend it in the middle of the tank.
 
I've done that when I first had piranhas, it worked but sometimes they will take a piece of the fish line together with the food.
 
first make sure that the bait fish you are using doesn't have anything added to it like salt or other attractants.
second, idk how large your ps are but the larger they are the longer it takes them to get used to a new food, especially when switching from a mostly or all live diet.
to avoid putting the net down to the bottom, use something else like a fork tied to the end of a stick or something.
and as far as fishing line goes, it works just fine. just don't wrap the food in it, use a larger line like 100lb so theres no chance of them biting off a peice and swallowing it, and never use a braided line because it can get stuck on their teeth.
i used fishing line for a while, but then realized wire would work much better.
 
i use a large circle hook tied with fishing line to the center brace of my tank... i filed down the barb and the point so the piranhas cant get hurt.. im not sure but i think the size of the hook is 3/0

ive had no injuries so far.. and ive been using it for almost 2 months now..
 
MyFishEatYourFish;1997582; said:
i used fishing line for a while, but then realized wire would work much better.
What do mean? How are you using wire.

thanks............rick
 
rickyricardo;2026656; said:
What do mean? How are you using wire.

thanks............rick


I started with a long piece of thin wire. I folded one end over several times, twisting with each fold as much as possible. After you have a fairly thick and sturdy end, bend it so it can be used to hold onto the tank or lights or something. You can then use the thin end to stab through a piece of fish or shrimp and make a loop. Be sure to twist this as well so the sharp point doesnt stab your fish. If you would like you can fasten a couple more wires to the main wire, and have a few feeding points. I have found that this method seems to encourage a feeding frenzy. Before they wouldnt feed with me anywhere near the tank, but after about a week of doing this, it is hard for me to get the main wire hooked before they are trying to rip it out of my hand.
 
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