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Converting Cichla off Live Food

Angler;3335293; said:
Hmmm. This frozen goldfish thing is a very interesting method. I think I am going to try this tommorrow. Chopsticks are pretty dang smart too!
If you freeze the goldfish, would this also kill any disease parasites?
How do you go about freezing them? I guess there isn't really a humane way.

Not disease, but most parasites will be killed. That's why salmon are recommended to freeze for 3 days prior serving raw, but not tunas.
After you get feeders from LFS, leave the whole bag in freezer for about 30 min. I think that's the most humane way to "immobilize them", then you can store them in ice cube tray.

CichlaRyan;3335273; said:
are you using chopsticks? ^.^ wow... good idea man. my hands smell like frozen fish for like an hour before its rancid oder leaves >.<

haha... any alternative way?? I use chopsticks to pick up blackworm, too.
 
My Pinima and Kelberi would only eat feeders. After just two days of mixing live feeders, frozen feeders, and frozen silversides, they are eating all three things:headbang2.

I have to drop the frozen fish in from a height so it shoots through the water like a live fish. If they don't hit the fish right away, they realize what's up and they don't touch it. But at least it's a start.
 
Angler;3341526; said:
My Pinima and Kelberi would only eat feeders. After just two days of mixing live feeders, frozen feeders, and frozen silversides, they are eating all three things:headbang2.

I have to drop the frozen fish in from a height so it shoots through the water like a live fish. If they don't hit the fish right away, they realize what's up and they don't touch it. But at least it's a start.

Wow... that's good to hear. Same are mine. Some only eat when food hit the top water hard. :headbang2
 
X-Tank;3341750; said:
Wow... that's good to hear. Same are mine. Some only eat when food hit the top water hard. :headbang2


man,,... just tried that meathod today no intrest he doesnt have the shashing action. :irked:
 
allright then ill keep trying i even tried to put a line through the gills of the goldfish to make it move like it was allive no go.. =/
 
X-Tank;3228125; said:
I freezed half of feeders, and kept another half alive. When I fed my Cichla, I mixed half live and half frozen to them. Wow.... they took them indiscriminately. I was SO surprised. About couple hours later, I gave them only the frozen small goldfish feeders, guess what... they ate them no problem. I am going to keep trying this, gradually mix some chopped anchovy or something else. [/COLOR]
X-Tank;3334270; said:
Proven to WORK. :D 2 weeks after they accepted frozen feeders (goldfish in this case), I mixed some frozen silverside and anchovy. Gradually I increased the proportion and finally to 100%.

X-Tank;3341937; said:
it will take time, took me almost 3 weeks to convert.

This is over 8 weeks into I first fried frozen feeders, then to frozen silverside and anchovy. Now more than 50% of my Cichla are on Tetra jumbomin pellet, 25% are still occasional pellets and mostly FD krill, 3 kelberi are still on frozen anchovy only. Today I came up with this idea.. I am sure not the first one to try. Here we go, as expected... they took as nothing changed. I am very sure when they get used to pellet taste, they will soon accept pellets.

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X-Tank;3438941; said:
This is over 8 weeks into I first fried frozen feeders, then to frozen silverside and anchovy. Now more than 50% of my Cichla are on Tetra jumbomin pellet, 25% are still occasional pellets and mostly FD krill, 3 kelberi are still on frozen anchovy only. Today I came up with this idea.. I am sure not the first one to try. Here we go, as expected... they took as nothing changed. I am very sure when they get used to pellet taste, they will soon accept pellets.
Great idea!!! I tried putting some cichlid gold in the gill like how they do it at sea world for their killer whales but they put im vitamins;) no clue how i know this:screwy: but.....hey it works:headbang2 But sometimes my smaller pbass are able to weed out the pellet amazingly:(