Payara (Cynodontidae et al.) ID and Care Guide 2.01

[Chicxulub]

He looks healthy enough to me, simply appears as one who came out of the wrong side of a fight and/or is a fresh import

 

[Bansheeboy4040]

Having trouble breaking my fish from live, any hints? And is it ok to just stick to live? I've tried shrimp cut up and I've tried tilapia

 

[Bansheeboy4040]

It's been a almost a week I dont want him to die from starving

 

[Chicxulub]

Tank size and depth?

I've had good luck in breaking payaras with live crickets. Yes, this can be as problematic as it sounds. When they get hungry, they go for the movement on the surface. After they start reliably and aggressively eating surface crickets, let them get hungry again and throw in a soft floating pellet like a Jumbo Carnisticks and your payara will smash it.

 

[krichardson]

It's been a almost a week I dont want him to die from starving

The fish should not starve to death after a week or two.Don't buy anymore live feeders and the payara will eventually take what you drop in for it.I trained mine with tilapila cut into streamlined strips tossed in near the filter output.The water will move the strip around and it will draw the payara's attention....and when it is hungry enough it will attack it.

 

[Bansheeboy4040]

Tank size and depth?

I've had good luck in breaking payaras with live crickets. Yes, this can be as problematic as it sounds. When they get hungry, they go for the movement on the surface. After they start reliably and aggressively eating surface crickets, let them get hungry again and throw in a soft floating pellet like a Jumbo Carnisticks and your payara will smash it.

Tank is 180 gallon, and he wont even look near the surface, I had tilapia almost work he went for it bit it and then just dropped it

 

[Bansheeboy4040]

Tank is 180 gallon, and he wont even look near the surface, I had tilapia almost work he went for it bit it and then just dropped it

Also is it 100% necessary to get him off live, I heard there no nutrition in feeders

 

[Chicxulub]

Tank is 180 gallon, and he wont even look near the surface, I had tilapia almost work he went for it bit it and then just dropped it

Keep doing that, then. Your technique worked, he recognizes it as food, he just doesn't want to eat it.

Also is it 100% necessary to get him off live, I heard there no nutrition in feeders

A lack of nutrients, the wrong type of nutrients and the presence of thiaminase, an enzyme that most tropical fish can't metabolize. There's also the very real problem with feeders being parasite ridden cesspools.

Prepared food or pellets vs lfs feeders is about like food prepping healthy food vs eating a McDouble you found in a dumpster.

Now obviously feeding live food that you've raised yourself that happens to be the correct natural prey item for the fish to which they're being fed is ideal. The problem with this is that most people simply don't have the capacity to manage such an operation. At this point, you're basically going all in for aquaculture just to get food for a fish that would be 90% as healthy if fed pellets.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with it if someone wanted to go that route, I just see it as infeasible for most MFKers.

 

[krichardson]

Tank is 180 gallon, and he wont even look near the surface, I had tilapia almost work he went for it bit it and then just dropped it

Yep you had him but gave up..a few more days of that with nothing else offered and it would have been eating the tilapia lol.

 

[Bansheeboy4040]

Keep doing that, then. Your technique worked, he recognizes it as food, he just doesn't want to eat it.



A lack of nutrients, the wrong type of nutrients and the presence of thiaminase, an enzyme that most tropical fish can't metabolize. There's also the very real problem with feeders being parasite ridden cesspools.

Prepared food or pellets vs lfs feeders is about like food prepping healthy food vs eating a McDouble you found in a dumpster.

Now obviously feeding live food that you've raised yourself that happens to be the correct natural prey item for the fish to which they're being fed is ideal. The problem with this is that most people simply don't have the capacity to manage such an operation. At this point, you're basically going all in for aquaculture just to get food for a fish that would be 90% as healthy if fed pellets.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with it if someone wanted to go that route, I just see it as infeasible for most MFKers.

Ok thank you so much for the info I'll keep an update sorry for all the questions