Getting Wild Fish To Eat Flakes

[Rex740]

Hello, I went dipnetting recently and caught some wild fish for my fish tank (mollies, killies, sand darters...). My problem is that these wild fish do not understand that flakes are food. I have had them for two days now and both feedings they ignored the food. Any idea on how to get them to know it is food?

 

[drobbyb]

Try adding an additive like garlic guard. Sometimes this will get wild fish to eat flakes, but not always. Wild fish are a bit finicky about flakes and this is a common problem. I would skip feeding them for 2 days and try again. If they still won't eat, I would try frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. You could also try chopped earthworm. Even wild fish can't resist! Just make sure you chop it up small enough so that it will fit in their mouths.

 

[trojannemo]

i dont know why you're having this issue man. the salvini and (possibly) urophthalmus i caught that day are already eating the pellets i feed the other cichlids. i didnt do ANYTHING, but they see a small red ball falling in the water and go for it.
why dont you try pellets instead of flakes? i've always liked Tetra-Color Granules...i've been feeding those as staple to my rainbows and angels for over a year. never failed me with any fish! give it a try

 

[bitteraspects]

getting them to eat a certain food is pretty easy. only feed them what you want them to eat.
out it in the tank, wait a few minutes, if they dont eat it, remove the food (to avoid the excess ammonia), and try again tomorrow.
eventually they will eat it.

 

[Jallen]

I'd put in live food with a few flakes and hope that they eat the flakes in their frenzy or at least associate it with feeding time.
Then gradually decrease the amount of live food and increase the amount of flakes you put in at feeding time.

 

[Rex740]

Well also it is not just them in there. While they avoid the food, my skirt tetras and cherry barbs and frenzying over it. I do not think the commotion has to do with anything since they do not even know it is food.

Trojannemo: Pellets will not work for me because unlike you, I did not keep any of the cichlids I caught (gave all my cichlids away to Danny) and instead kept hard to feed fish with tiny mouths and peaceful behaviors. Just my luck.

This is the third day and still no luck.

 

[bitteraspects]

It may take weeks. Just keep at it, they will catch on.
Its actually good that there are other fish with them. Dithers will help them recognize that its food, and eventually they will mimic their actions.

 

[Rex740]

I am thinking they are just still traumatized of their new envrionment. They are all still pretty shy and try to hide and escape (pushing against glass) often.

 

[helterskelter]

Get some brineshrimp eggs and hatch them. (feed with in 2-3 days of hatching or their pointless)

You fish are use to eating wild live foods so their looking for something to wiggle as it moves.
differ fish though will teach them what to do also (apart from the killi's their well known for not takeing flake foods only live)

Or get some grindle worm cultures and feed that!

 

[bitteraspects]

datnoids and arowana are notorious for "only eating live food", but can be trained. in my years of fish keeping, i have only been unsuccessful once while trining on pellets and that was with a nandus nandus. but even my NGT's accept all dry foods now.
just stick to feeding what you want them on, and they will eventually give in. fish will not starve themselves if food is available.
if your fish goes 2 weeks without eating, feed it some live food, and go right back to your training schedule.

 

[Rex740]

I had some progress it seemed from a sand darter, the least expected to eat. Well, first you must know the sand darter sits at the very bottom and is only about an inch. A flake was floating down near him, when it went into his view he started turning around toward it slowly (Its a fish that ambushes in the wild). As soon as he was about to attack it, the flake landed on the gravel and became motionless. So no luck since as soon as it landed, the fish stopped noticing it. it happened again too but the flake reached the bottom again...

 

[Rex740]

I have reached somewhat of a break through. Today when I came home I looked at my tank and the male molly wasnt hiding in the back top corner like it usually does. Instead it was near the heater. I put some flakes in and out of no where, the molly that had always ignored the food, was just immensely starving and attacked the flakes without even cautiously trying to figure out what they were. Hopefully the female molly will catch on soon and mimic the male. The killies seem to not care at all about flakes. The flagfish just ignores the flakes and just swims up and down against the back of the tanks glass. The sand darters did not get anything since not much food falls to the bottom and they hide. I did notice though that after the feeding time, the two sand darters came out of hiding and actively searched around a little bit, I am assuming they sensed the food. I will try to find a way for them to get food.

 

[matchstickman47]

you could have tried pushing the flakes down so they sink... fish are more aware of whats infront of them

 

[Rex740]

The flakes do sink, it's just many dont make it to the very bottom and the sand darters need movement in their food, so they have to grab it before it touches the ground.

 

[Rex740]

Ok, my only concern now is the sand darters. I tried really hard today. They want the food, they are interested, but they never attack in time and so it touches the ground and they lose interest. I need to get the flakes to move around a little after/once it touches the ground. I also tried shrimp pellets, the fish are interested but it sinks fast and once it hits the ground, no more interest. I got to find out how to give them food...