Where to start?
- Thread starter carden
- Start date
I feel lucky the way things went with my Gar.
I starved him for three days, and kept on handfeeding my Oscar.
After 3 days I put a dead fish into the water, and my Gar immidiatly swam up and took the bait out of my hand!
And he still does!
I can stroke mine after feeding and he won't mind.
I clean my tank and he swim along my hands, very cool fish!
Good luck with yours!
I starved him for three days, and kept on handfeeding my Oscar.
After 3 days I put a dead fish into the water, and my Gar immidiatly swam up and took the bait out of my hand!
And he still does!
I can stroke mine after feeding and he won't mind.
I clean my tank and he swim along my hands, very cool fish!
Good luck with yours!
ok, im going to try and be nice. you DO NOT, let me repeat, DO NOT need to starve. in fact many of us feel that it is ill advised. i have gotten in arguements before on this. my largest gar did not except shrimp untill he was 16". then they had to be floating!! only f'n floating. ever try to make sure all ur shrimp floated? errggghhh!! now he will except all shrimp. my suggestion is broden what he will take live before switching to dead. try worms. then cut shrimp in the shape of worms.
Personally the 6 incher I wouldn't want to starve so just keep with feeding live, even though I wouldn't have fed live to start with. But it's okay, but starving him at that age could stunt him if he's starving for a few weeks.
The 11 incher....just starve for a week, then try some cut up shrimp soaked in garlic(as ewurm said). It might take awhile for him to understand but he should try and eat it. I use a skewer and put the shrimp on and put it near the fish when I was first getting mine to eat shrimp. They will go to the top now to eat the shrimp/pellets.
If this doesn't work...come back were here to help again.
The 11 incher....just starve for a week, then try some cut up shrimp soaked in garlic(as ewurm said). It might take awhile for him to understand but he should try and eat it. I use a skewer and put the shrimp on and put it near the fish when I was first getting mine to eat shrimp. They will go to the top now to eat the shrimp/pellets.
If this doesn't work...come back were here to help again.
I would say don't starve at all. Just try to introduce the new foods in unique ways. Maybe use some tongs or tweezers to wave the food in front of their face. Sometimes they need that moving action to hit something. If they decide they like the taste and will eat it, then just try dropping it in. If it floats (like freeze-dried krill) and is brightly colored, they are much more likely to take it than if it is something plain, like market shrimp, which sinks and is plain white.
I haven't had to starve any of my gar. A couple of them went 2-3 days without food, but it wasn't becuase I starved them, they were just too stubborn to eat what I provided. And I've had the best success with going straight from live feeders to freeze-dried krill. The orange color, and fact that it floats, makes it more likely to be taken than other prepared foods.
I haven't had to starve any of my gar. A couple of them went 2-3 days without food, but it wasn't becuase I starved them, they were just too stubborn to eat what I provided. And I've had the best success with going straight from live feeders to freeze-dried krill. The orange color, and fact that it floats, makes it more likely to be taken than other prepared foods.
the technique i usually use (and it's worked on countless gar specimens) is to use frozen silversides or some other raw fish (cut tilapia can also work). use rigid acrylic tubing as a feeding stick and just place the fish on the end of the stick. put the food in front of the gar's face and move it around a bit.
eventually the gar will see/smell it and when it's hungry enough will take the food. just introduce this to the fish every day until the fish takes it. the gar does not need to be starved, but if it doesn't take the food the first time, just remove the food and try again later in the day or the next day. the gar will eventually come around.
i've used this technique on all species and various sizes. patience is key. once the fish is trained on silversides/other raw fish, they will often readily take to other foods such as floating pellets, FD krill, etc. i eventually move them on to raw/cooked shrimp. good luck--
--solomon
eventually the gar will see/smell it and when it's hungry enough will take the food. just introduce this to the fish every day until the fish takes it. the gar does not need to be starved, but if it doesn't take the food the first time, just remove the food and try again later in the day or the next day. the gar will eventually come around.
i've used this technique on all species and various sizes. patience is key. once the fish is trained on silversides/other raw fish, they will often readily take to other foods such as floating pellets, FD krill, etc. i eventually move them on to raw/cooked shrimp. good luck--
--solomon
