i can't figure out why my Texas and Jack have decided not to eat the pellets i put in they like the flakes and go for them as they fall and if i put bloodworms in they eat them as they fall to but never from top. is there a way i can ween them to eating from the top and eating the hikari pellets?
Why won't they eat from the top?
- Thread starter raziel
- Start date
letting them just plain starve will do the job better than anything else. They can go over a month without food, so don't hesitate to use such a tactic. When they are hungry, they will eat whatever you offer in whatever manner you offer it.
Listen to P45. I recently got a very nice A. festae from Rapps that wouldn't eat anything but sinking flakes. Fed him one good "last meal" and starved him. I offered him the floating pellets every day and would net them out after about 5 minutes. Took about a week and he hit the pellets as soon as I dropped them in.
I know how you feel, I was scared to starve my new prized fish at first but I didn't want to have to deal with flakes and sinking crap ( eaiser to remove uneaten floaters).
I know how you feel, I was scared to starve my new prized fish at first but I didn't want to have to deal with flakes and sinking crap ( eaiser to remove uneaten floaters).
Thats not exactly the most nice way to do it. Another way you could get them more comfy from eating from the top is put some floating plants/driftwood on the surface....fish are scared to come to the surface to feed cuz it makes them feel 'vulurable'...thus some cover will make them feel more comfy. Also try dimmin the lights...like turn the lights on the tank off but leave another light on that still shines some light on the tank....that way they will get more used to eating with out fear. OR you could get some cichlids that already eat from the surface....thats how my pikes learned...
...from my other fish eatin from the surface. But starving them is a pretty sure fire way....as evil as it sounds....
...from my other fish eatin from the surface. But starving them is a pretty sure fire way....as evil as it sounds....
if it don't work as long as i know i won't strave them to death i will do that thanks for the infoDo not try this with Frontosa! They should not eat food from the top. Any air they suck in can be very dangerous to them. I know you didn't mention them in your post but I wanted to inform the newbie of the problem.
Fronts? Africans? Anyways I have fronts they only eat sinking food and only if I'm on the other side of the room. Yes, floating food is bad for fronts I second that. On my Black Nasty tank the juvs will only eat sinking food but my Aquaclear 300's throw the pellets down far enough so they will eat them. But yes I had your problem. Starving them a little does work though as well.
Peanut_Power said:Thats not exactly the most nice way to do it. Another way you could get them more comfy from eating from the top is put some floating plants/driftwood on the surface....fish are scared to come to the surface to feed cuz it makes them feel 'vulurable'...thus some cover will make them feel more comfy. Also try dimmin the lights...like turn the lights on the tank off but leave another light on that still shines some light on the tank....that way they will get more used to eating with out fear. OR you could get some cichlids that already eat from the surface....thats how my pikes learned...
Thats a swell idea!
Another tactic is to put tankmates that would eat food from the surface. The other fish would also be inclined to follow suit. I even got clown loaches feeding on floating pellets!
Even My Birchir eat floating pellets now. Only put in Floating Pellets and take them out before they finally sink. All my CA now eat anything trown in the tank. Floating or Singking.