Texas not eating all feeder fish

[numbah84]

I put in five ~1/4 inch convict fry for my Texas to grub on but she neglected to actually hunt them all down, she hunted two which left a gang of three little convicts that she seems to have forgotten about. The convicts have been running around the tank for 3 days now. Will my texas eventually get them or should i try to remove them then re offer them to her?

 

[duanes]

Texas cichlids are not really piscavores (fish eaters) in nature, but omnivores, where much of their diet are insects and algae.
When analysis has been done on wild species and majority of the gut was detritus, and insects, next vegetation, and in very small amounts, other crustaceans and fish remains.

 

[ehh]

Texas cichlids are not really piscavores (fish eaters) in nature, but omnivores, where much of their diet are insects and algae.
When analysis has been done on wild species and majority of the gut was detritus, and insects, next vegetation, and in very small amounts, other crustaceans and fish remains.

Duanes knows best.

 

[numbah84]

Great info, thank you so much! Just for future reference which SA/CA cichlids are more piscivorous?

 

[duanes]

In Central America, Parachromis and Petenia.

 

[numbah84]

Ahhh so the big boys are mainly the ones who are piscivorous, awesome! Thanks again.

 

[cambrew]

If you want to try feeding it something alive my texas loves eating crickets and is a lot more healthy than feeder fish especially if you gutload them with tropical fish flakes.

 

[jaws7777]

I think a good pellet would be the best ad a staple. Nls and omega one

 

[Drstrangelove]

Just to mention general information on animals that eat other animals, it's not uncommon for them to ignore prey that is too small to be worth the effort. Crocodiles for example, will not actively hunt prey that is too small, so as they get larger, food that was once on their diet is passed over.

A lot of other animals are opportunistic. If the fish is right there near it's mouth and looks like it's not paying attention, it might get eaten. But the hunter won't go looking for it especially if it tries a few times and loses it in foliage or caves.

As others have mentioned, fish as a food item, isn't necessarily what many carnivorous fish are looking for when they have evolved eating crustaceans and insects.