I know I've already started a similar thread just a couple of days ago but it wasn't getting much of a responce, and so I will try one more time. I need to find a solution to this problem and FAST. I will make it very detailed this time so that you will know exactly what I have tried so far. I will also try posting on some other boards but I'm surte that MFK with its thousands of members will be the place to provide some answers first...
Ok so here is the scoop: After spending some time searching and negotiating, I was able to aquire a group of 4 young adult petenia spendidas (red form). The fish arrived on Wednesday, and since they were shipped right after Christmas, I suspected that they may not have been fed throughout the weekend.
Couple of hours after introducing them into the tank, I offered some FD Krill but it was completely ignored. In fact, these fish did not even come to the surface the way cichlids do to take a closer look at what is being dropped in. I then did the same with some hikari gold (staple pellet that all my cichlids are used to). Again, despite looking hungry they ignored it all. At the time I did not think much of it. I figured that when dealing with pescivorous species such as these, best way to "welcome" therm to a new home would be to offer some live food. So I ran to a LFS and bough 20 or so rosies. These were acceptedright away and devoured with gusto!
Next day (Thursday) I could tell that snooks are pretty much settled in. They could be observed flaring and displaying at each other, and came to the surface each time I approached the tank. They also started looking hungry again -- their bellies were a little concave. Seeing how they are begging for food, I dropped in some pellets. This time each fish imedeately pounced on food. But as soon as a pellet was grabbed, it was being spat out right away! It didn't look like they even had a chance to get the tatse. It was like if they didn't like the texture itself. Again, I gave some FD krill making sure to choose larger pieces and it drew no reaction what so ever. So I figured that perhaps they need to be starved some more, netted out uneaten food and went on my way. As a precaution I e-mailed seller asking what he was feeding them.
Friday: Got a reply from seller. He says that snooks were raised almost entirely on a diet of FLAKES! Occasional feeder was offered as a treat (usually when there were other cichlid fry to be culled). According to him, they were always easy to feed because they would grab just about anything. Acting on this advise I offered them a little bit of Tetra Min Pro flakes but I swear these fish looked at me as if I was crazy -- tetramin flakes were just tiny in comparescent to their heads! Next, I pre-soaked a bunch of pellets for about 15 minutes or so. After these were in the tank, a true feeding frenzy began only to stop as soon as fish realized what they are eating., Again, they would grab a pellet and spit it out, then grab another. Maybe a couple were eaten after all but I would not count on it. They looked ravenously hungry but would still refuse all kinds of dry foods. I reported my latest expereince to the seller and asked him for the exact brand of flakes he's been feeding them. A reply came almost immedeately: He feeds all his fish some sort of a flake that is being sold in bulk by this one manufacturer in CA. It stays big and thick even in the water. A good replacement would Cyclop-eeze flakes but after calling a few stores in my area I found out that no one carries them. Then I made the biggest mistake...
Once again I ran out to LFS to buy some feeders. This time I decided to get the most for a buck and so purchased 50 comets (and I think my friend who works there gave me more without saying anything). This is when I learned that apparently petenias have a nasty habit of throwing their food around!
Maybe they were just incredibly hungry but they would go after 3-4 fish at once, stuffing them into their huge mouths but unablke to swallow. Eventually after making countless chewing motions, they would grow tired and release contents of their mouths allowing torn and mangled chunks of fish fly all over the tank! 
This wasn't just a few scales and/or tiny pieces of fins "normal" predators leave behind! I ended up spending most of the evening with a fishnet in hand fishing out remains of anihilated feeders. By the time I decided that its time for me to get some sleep there were still at least 20-25 comets alive and snooks had bulging bellies. I knew that the hunt will continue through the night and into this morning...
Saturday... The tank looks like a warzone There are bodyparts scattered EVERYWHERE. Snooks look severly bloated. They are apparently feeling great because I just caught one male and female acting as if they are getting ready to spawn. They are digging a pit in the sand and gently headbutt each other 
And I don't even have a grow out tank available to raise some fries 
Here is the bottom line: I can not continue feeding them live foods. Aside from the obvious risk of desease, it's costly, and apparently with these fish can be EXTREMLY messy. Besides, I have a feeling that once males get over a 12-14" mark they will no longer be enticed by a 1" long feeder comet, and given incredible appetites of these fish I could never breed enough feeders and get them to consumable size to maintain petenias well fed. What should I do? I've always had great success with hikari gold pellets and freeze dried krill. Never had a cichlid refusing this kind of food and thought that it would be ideal for bay snooks too. Is there a different type of pellet that I could try? I thought about floating stick but if they ignore krill, wouldn't they ignore sticks as well? One thing I have yet to try is market prawn. This I have a feeling will be quite messy as well. Should I just continue starving them? And if so, at what point do I give in and feed them something. If they grab pellets but refuse to swallow, will they eat them eveantually after going hungry for 3, 4, 5 days?
Ok so here is the scoop: After spending some time searching and negotiating, I was able to aquire a group of 4 young adult petenia spendidas (red form). The fish arrived on Wednesday, and since they were shipped right after Christmas, I suspected that they may not have been fed throughout the weekend.
Couple of hours after introducing them into the tank, I offered some FD Krill but it was completely ignored. In fact, these fish did not even come to the surface the way cichlids do to take a closer look at what is being dropped in. I then did the same with some hikari gold (staple pellet that all my cichlids are used to). Again, despite looking hungry they ignored it all. At the time I did not think much of it. I figured that when dealing with pescivorous species such as these, best way to "welcome" therm to a new home would be to offer some live food. So I ran to a LFS and bough 20 or so rosies. These were acceptedright away and devoured with gusto!
Next day (Thursday) I could tell that snooks are pretty much settled in. They could be observed flaring and displaying at each other, and came to the surface each time I approached the tank. They also started looking hungry again -- their bellies were a little concave. Seeing how they are begging for food, I dropped in some pellets. This time each fish imedeately pounced on food. But as soon as a pellet was grabbed, it was being spat out right away! It didn't look like they even had a chance to get the tatse. It was like if they didn't like the texture itself. Again, I gave some FD krill making sure to choose larger pieces and it drew no reaction what so ever. So I figured that perhaps they need to be starved some more, netted out uneaten food and went on my way. As a precaution I e-mailed seller asking what he was feeding them.
Friday: Got a reply from seller. He says that snooks were raised almost entirely on a diet of FLAKES! Occasional feeder was offered as a treat (usually when there were other cichlid fry to be culled). According to him, they were always easy to feed because they would grab just about anything. Acting on this advise I offered them a little bit of Tetra Min Pro flakes but I swear these fish looked at me as if I was crazy -- tetramin flakes were just tiny in comparescent to their heads! Next, I pre-soaked a bunch of pellets for about 15 minutes or so. After these were in the tank, a true feeding frenzy began only to stop as soon as fish realized what they are eating., Again, they would grab a pellet and spit it out, then grab another. Maybe a couple were eaten after all but I would not count on it. They looked ravenously hungry but would still refuse all kinds of dry foods. I reported my latest expereince to the seller and asked him for the exact brand of flakes he's been feeding them. A reply came almost immedeately: He feeds all his fish some sort of a flake that is being sold in bulk by this one manufacturer in CA. It stays big and thick even in the water. A good replacement would Cyclop-eeze flakes but after calling a few stores in my area I found out that no one carries them. Then I made the biggest mistake...
Once again I ran out to LFS to buy some feeders. This time I decided to get the most for a buck and so purchased 50 comets (and I think my friend who works there gave me more without saying anything). This is when I learned that apparently petenias have a nasty habit of throwing their food around!
Maybe they were just incredibly hungry but they would go after 3-4 fish at once, stuffing them into their huge mouths but unablke to swallow. Eventually after making countless chewing motions, they would grow tired and release contents of their mouths allowing torn and mangled chunks of fish fly all over the tank! This wasn't just a few scales and/or tiny pieces of fins "normal" predators leave behind! I ended up spending most of the evening with a fishnet in hand fishing out remains of anihilated feeders. By the time I decided that its time for me to get some sleep there were still at least 20-25 comets alive and snooks had bulging bellies. I knew that the hunt will continue through the night and into this morning...Saturday... The tank looks like a warzone
There are bodyparts scattered EVERYWHERE. Snooks look severly bloated. They are apparently feeling great because I just caught one male and female acting as if they are getting ready to spawn. They are digging a pit in the sand and gently headbutt each other And I don't even have a grow out tank available to raise some fries Here is the bottom line: I can not continue feeding them live foods. Aside from the obvious risk of desease, it's costly, and apparently with these fish can be EXTREMLY messy. Besides, I have a feeling that once males get over a 12-14" mark they will no longer be enticed by a 1" long feeder comet, and given incredible appetites of these fish I could never breed enough feeders and get them to consumable size to maintain petenias well fed. What should I do? I've always had great success with hikari gold pellets and freeze dried krill. Never had a cichlid refusing this kind of food and thought that it would be ideal for bay snooks too. Is there a different type of pellet that I could try? I thought about floating stick but if they ignore krill, wouldn't they ignore sticks as well? One thing I have yet to try is market prawn. This I have a feeling will be quite messy as well. Should I just continue starving them? And if so, at what point do I give in and feed them something. If they grab pellets but refuse to swallow, will they eat them eveantually after going hungry for 3, 4, 5 days?
