so i've had a 6" sveni for a couple months now. every fish in my tank eats pellets except this guy. i starved him for a month or so and he didn't eat anything... just wondering if it's just my pike cichlid or is everyone else having trouble training theirs to eat pellets?
training pike cichlid to eat pellets -_-
- Thread starter Jimmy16
- Start date
When I first got my Saxatilis pike, he refused pellets. It took me a month or two to get him weened from live food. My intermediate food was bloodworms. I made sure he was eating well for the first week or so, giving him a chunk of bloodworms once a day, then I put him in my community tank and fed pellets. He'd watch them and occasionally suck them in and spit them out. About once a week I'd hand-feed him a tiny chunk of bloodworms just to keep his appetite up, but for the other tankmates I only fed pellets. It took him a while to realize that his bloodworm snacks weren't nearly as frequent as his other tankmates' dinner. Then one day, out of nowhere, he just started inhaling tons of pellets. I haven't had a problem since.
So my best advice is to make sure the fish are healthy and eating first once you get them, and then set out to pellet-train them. It probably wouldn't hurt to give them a snack now and then just to make sure their appetites are up.
So my best advice is to make sure the fish are healthy and eating first once you get them, and then set out to pellet-train them. It probably wouldn't hurt to give them a snack now and then just to make sure their appetites are up.
My Sveni won't touch pellets either. I've tried starving him a couple of times but always give in after a couple of weeks. I've only owned a few pikes and they've always eaten pellets, including my current Cincta, except for this Sveni. I thought he might learn to eat the pellets with his aggressive-eating tankmates, a group of snooks, they strike fast and hard...but no luck yet.