What would you do?

[DEVIANT NATION]

I have 4 young kelberi. Largest probably 4.5 inches smallest about 3 inches in a quarantine tank being treated with prazipro and trying to get them to eat. Will have had them for 2 weeks tomorrow and they haven't eaten anything at all yet. Have tried blood worms, krill, floating sticks, and a couple frozen silver siders. The only time they will really act like they might eat the food is if the water return flips it real fast but as soon as they get within a couple of inches of it and realize it isn't really alive they don't touch it. I have tried throwing the food at the top of the water like I have seen others mention on here and I get no response. I do have 2 tinfoil barbs in the tank also they are probably 4 inches. And are completely crazy when there is food in the tank, they swim so crazy trying to grab food all over that I actually saw one practically swim into the side of a kelberi just hanging out, and if a kelberi does start to look at some food slowly it gets distracted by the tinfoils flying by its face.

So would you keep trying what is going on? Would you get rid of the tinfoils in exchange for maybe an oscar that is not quite so fast and crazy? And if so how big should the oscar be in relation to the kelberi? While answering please keep in mind that I don't have access to feeder fish I can trust, and my local fish stores are almost none existent so I don't have much access to different dither or trainer fish. I can get an oscar easily though. And I can get crickets, do you think they would eat crickets or is it good or bad to feed them crickets.

Just want to do the best for them. Thanks for any advise.

 

[shelbybmc]

Man I'm surprised they haven't turned and started eating yet... It wouldn't hurt to try the oscar. That worked for me once before. I dont know about crickets maybe someone else could chime in on that. I would guess they are better than feeders but don't take my word for it.


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[festaedan]

Id move the barbs. The competition for food might be a bit much for the bass. An oscar ,if anything, will eat food more voraciously than the bass at this point. Once the bass are eating well they could be with barbs and oscars but for now I think they would do best without anything that will outcompete them for food.
Have you tried live blackworms? It worked for my old mono

 

[DEVIANT NATION]

Id move the barbs. The competition for food might be a bit much for the bass. An oscar ,if anything, will eat food more voraciously than the bass at this point. Once the bass are eating well they could be with barbs and oscars but for now I think they would do best without anything that will outcompete them for food.
Have you tried live blackworms? It worked for my old mono

i haven't been able to find live black worms around here. If I could get live earth worms would they work? Or maybe some red wigglers? I can get earth worms more easily but might know where I could get red wigglers.

 

[DEVIANT NATION]

Man I'm surprised they haven't turned and started eating yet... It wouldn't hurt to try the oscar. That worked for me once before. I dont know about crickets maybe someone else could chime in on that. I would guess they are better than feeders but don't take my word for it.


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yeah I am surprised too. The 3 bigger ones look fine and looked fat when I got them they are just starting to look a little skinny now, but the one small one was definitely not getting as much food as the other three before I got them and now he is looking really skinny. I hope they eat something soon. I am going to take the tinfoils back right now not sure if I will get an oscar or not we will see when I get there I guess.

 

[gangster]

Bottom line "... They need to eat.
Get clean feeders. Feed one at a time. After 2 or 3 feeders try a silverside. If all else fails get em eating then try another food. They are too small to starve.


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[DEVIANT NATION]

Bottom line "... They need to eat.
Get clean feeders. Feed one at a time. After 2 or 3 feeders try a silverside. If all else fails get em eating then try another food. They are too small to starve.


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Thanks Gangster. I took your idea and decided to take the chance and tried to get some feeders out of the best ones I could find at the store. I dropped 4 of them in the tank one at a time and they hit them instantly each kel got one. Made me feel really good to see the little guy grab one he was fast enough to get the second feeder into the tank. I got a few extra so I can try your feeder then silverside idea. Should I try that tomorrow or give them a day in between trying that?

I am just glad they ate something, and am totally amazed how fast they hit the live fish and never once got excited about anything else I dropped in there before. Cool to watch that's for sure!

 

[DEVIANT NATION]

Gave them 4 more feeders tonight. Tried the feeder then silver sider then feeder then silver sider thing. They aren't falling for it yet. If I throw a silver sider in there they literally don't even move. But a live one and it is gone before it gets 2 inches away from the surface of the water. I tried one live cricket too. It got hit by 2 different kels but immediately spit it out almost in one motion. Crazy how fast they are.

 

[kendragon]

Try dead feeder gf stuff with pellet. Once they are use to dead they may take silverside but would be best if on pellet. Get off feeders as soon as possible.

 

[DEVIANT NATION]

Try dead feeder gf stuff with pellet. Once they are use to dead they may take silverside but would be best if on pellet. Get off feeders as soon as possible.

How long is too long to let them go without food I really don't want to feed them feeders. I only got enough for a couple days and am out now and like mentioned in original post I really don't trust my local stores for feeders. I took the risk this time because I was stressed they were starving but both my local fish stores never have good looking feeders. Water doesn't look too awesome there is always a few dead ones on the bottom. I just don't know weather to even take the risk again or not. Really wish I didn't have too this last time.