I recently bought an Ornate Polypterus (could'nt have been more than 6-7 days ago) and he looks healthy but he isn't eating much. I put 3 feeder fish in the tank (comet goldfish if memory serves) and although I never saw him eat any. I woke up and found one gone for three nights. I found no corpses/skeletons and the only other fish in the tank are a bristle nosed pleco and a pipe fish, which I highly doubt played any part in the dissapearance. Anyways, I've heard that feeder fish tend to have low nutritional value but have harmful oils and may carry diseases into the tank. So I've been trying to get my bichir to eat pellets and chopped raw shrimp. However he just completely ignores them, what should I do?
What should I be feeding my Ornate?
- Thread starter Oldmano
- Start date
Oldmano;1565425; said:
I don't think I actually SAW my ornate eat for the first year I had him. Feed right before lights out. Also my ornate and my lap often go on weeks long hunger strikes, its normal don't be too concerned. Steer clear of the feeders stick with the chopped seafood and pellets.
Also, I've noticed that temperature seems to play a very direct role in my polys feeding response (well duh fish are cold-blooded...i know). Under 75 degrees they eat very little or don't eat at all...over 80 degrees they are PIGS.
Mine loves his blackworms and sinking carnivore pellets (w/ the occasional feeder). More recently I have tried massivore delite and he seems to enjoy that too.
as a treet give it some raw beef heart (but you must make sure that you only give it the meat and not any veins or arteries.)
it can't digest those.
I like to give a wide diet of live shrimp, beef heart,feeders,blood worms,
Mine gets really worked up over oto cats.
just think of what it whould be like to only get meat and potados evry day boring hu.
make it more intresting for it ,I'm sure if it could thank you it would.
just think lobster .....you know what I'm saying.....lobster.
life is better when you injoy it.
it can't digest those.
I like to give a wide diet of live shrimp, beef heart,feeders,blood worms,
Mine gets really worked up over oto cats.
just think of what it whould be like to only get meat and potados evry day boring hu.
make it more intresting for it ,I'm sure if it could thank you it would.
just think lobster .....you know what I'm saying.....lobster.
life is better when you injoy it.
since i removed most of the hiding places,my ornate has gotten more and more bold.
he eats more often now,although not much.
he eats more often now,although not much.
Yes, that seems to be at the heart of the problem, my bichir is somewhat (okay... a huge) wimp. He rarely comes out of his hiding place, even when it is nearly pitch black and there is food around. He gets bossed around by a pleco a third his size. I guess he's just settling in, I've had him for only a week.