• We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Converting Cichla off Live Food

DIESELMACK;446432; said:
figured I'd post this over here as alot of people ask this question, and this is what I do to convert my pbass off live foods.
____________________________________________________
Heres what to do to condition them:

--------------DO NOT THROW THE FEEDERS IN ALL AT ONCE! start to feed them by throwing one feeder at at time....let the bass see you in front of the tank and hold your hand right above the water surface with the feeder....when you have their attention..drop the feeder.....if they hit it immediately-great! if not, wait untill they dispatch that feeder...eat it. then repeat with every feeder....this is a little time consuming but will condition them to hit whatever drops to the water.....after a week of using this process the bass will come to the surface awaiting you to drop the food and will hit the feeders with tenacity!!!
-----------------once you've accomplished this...have some freeze dried krill at hand....after approx 2 feeders drop a krill in the tank....it will be hit! but dont be discouraged if they spit it out....keep up the process...feeder....krill....feeder....then cut back to dropping krill only....they will take it. eventually they will nail the krill just as they did with feeders...then you can continue the cycle by trying other foods to see what they may prefer better........and every so often give em some feeders to keep them on their toes!! This is a fool-proof method of breaking them of live food and it works.
good luck....and after they start hitting the surface...add a mop to your aquarium supplies
Also...dont start too early...fatten them up until they are 6-7" before converting them over, by this time they should be nice and healthy and ready for other foods.
*Cichla properly converted feeding on thawed shrimp
____VIDEO CLICK LINKS BELOW____

http://www.youtube.com/?v=PI21NQhbiWQ
____AND____

http://www.youtube.com/?v=MnBD8zb9vuw
Click to expand...


i'm going to defintalty try this once my peacock get bigger..thanks for the info..
 
hi, this is a great info! i'm a n00b on cichla keeping so i'm very grateful for great tips like this!

how long do i have to starve them before i can do this process? my temensis' swam away and hide everytime i put my hand over the surface :(
 
Great info! Very helpful stuff. Definitely sounds like it would work. I've been trying to get mine to come off of feeders and onto prepared foods & pellets and I haven't had much success but I am going to try this method. Thanks! :thumbsup:
 
mine were all too eager to grab some frozen shrimp the first time i gave it to them still working on gettin them to take the pellets
 
hmm i tried mixixng live goldfish with massivore.... one by eone.. usually spit them out... seem kinda hard ... need lots of patience...at least my rtc clears those massivore and is really happy and fat. least it the only fish that converted lol.. my redtail cat usually ignores pellets...

do we have to start from
Gold fish to frozen fish/krills then to pellets?
is there other alternative ?
im trying to skip to massivore delites pellets....
perhaps i should try other hikari food... like sticks...
 
Mine are about 1.5" you said to wait till they are larger. Why not do it whell they are young and new to the tank before they get used to being fed feeders? mine are on guppies right now.

Im going to get some frozen food today with my feeders!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom