Have any tips for getting these guys to eat? Mine seem very picky, I got them to eat shrimp, but past few days they won't eat anything. My water is parameters are good, so I am stumped as to why they aren't eating.
True piraiba aka Brachyplatystoma filamentosum
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Our 5 started out super strong and had been devouring fish pieces and also some pellets at first but several weeks ago started to be very reserved and hesitant, lots of spitting out too. IDK why or what to make of it yet. Maybe they don't dig the cool off in the weather and hence in their water temp.
I ended up putting in some live minnows and they disappeared very quickly. I then switched back to tilapia and they have been eating that just fine for the last few days. These guys aren’t quite as simple as most of the other “big” cats I have raised, ie Redtail, TSN, Hybrids…all of those seemed to eat anything I threw in the water. Hopefully the bigger they get, the less picky they will become. I am not a big fan of feeding live, but they sure seem to produce better growth.
T
Texasrockwell
very interesting datum. Much appreciated you reporting. Ours continue to largely abstain and be difficult. I will not feed them live feeders.
Our 5 youngsters seem to feed better but changed tactics and now feed at night on what's left from 5 temensis and 2 murray cod.
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The Peru piraiba - another example of great timidity and hesitation, but at least takes the mullet piece after all:
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The Peru piraiba - another example of great timidity and hesitation, but at least takes the mullet piece after all:
Update on the 5 youngsters.
Still puzzled by the small size of Peru piraiba - peers worldwide report that this fish doesn't exceed 3ft. We see the same. It is NOT capapretum, clearly different when babies for sale. I wonder if it is a 3rd species in addition to the true piraiba / B. filamentosum and the false piraiba / B. capapretum???
Still puzzled by the small size of Peru piraiba - peers worldwide report that this fish doesn't exceed 3ft. We see the same. It is NOT capapretum, clearly different when babies for sale. I wonder if it is a 3rd species in addition to the true piraiba / B. filamentosum and the false piraiba / B. capapretum???
In regards to eating, I've experienced similar reactions. I picked up a larger piraiba last year that refused to eat for a month until it starting taking to cut up shrimp. Refused anything else and was not a good eater. Once I took that fish out of quarantine I mixed it with some large bala sharks. Quickly after adding it, it starting taking to everything, even pellets. I'm not sure if the balas showed it that other things were food sources or if it just felt more comfortable in a tank with dithers, but my advice would be to fight the hard battle and not give in to live feeding.
I've now kept three of these, one supposedly from Brazil, and two supposedly from Peru. The ones I got from Peru ate with gusto right of the bat, but I acquired them at a much smaller size. I think the larger ones you see for sale have more time the wild and therefore are harder to adjust to premade food. In my experience though, they all come around to pellets and all other food sources in time with good water, adequately sized tank, and suitable tankmates.
I've now kept three of these, one supposedly from Brazil, and two supposedly from Peru. The ones I got from Peru ate with gusto right of the bat, but I acquired them at a much smaller size. I think the larger ones you see for sale have more time the wild and therefore are harder to adjust to premade food. In my experience though, they all come around to pellets and all other food sources in time with good water, adequately sized tank, and suitable tankmates.
P
paroon shark
Thank you so much for describing some of your experience with piraiba. How long have you kept the Brazil one and the Peru ones and what sizes have they reached in your tanks?
I’ve kept the one from Brazil
I’ve kept the one from Brazil for just over a year now. Acquired him at about 8 inches long and he’s about 16 inches long now. Has notoriously been a finicky eater and I believe his slower growth is the results of his skittishness around food. I recently moved him from a set up with other larger catfish to a larger community type tank. He’s really settled in there and finally started eating everything with gusto. Piraibas in general seem sensitive to tank mates, so bully type species will upset them. This one has also maintained a much darker color and lost its spots around the 12 inch mark.
I got two from Peru in late October this year. Both of them ate with vigor from the start and have blown me away with their explosive growth. I acquired them as babies, about 3 inches long. They are around 10 inches long now, which is more than 2 inches per month, an astounding growth rate if you ask me. One in particular is an absolute brute and dominant over the owner, also really doesn’t like a tiger shovelnose it shares a tank with. These have maintained a much lighter color, almost chrome like with more prominent spotting. The more beautiful of the variants, in my opinion.
I’ve kept the one from Brazil for just over a year now. Acquired him at about 8 inches long and he’s about 16 inches long now. Has notoriously been a finicky eater and I believe his slower growth is the results of his skittishness around food. I recently moved him from a set up with other larger catfish to a larger community type tank. He’s really settled in there and finally started eating everything with gusto. Piraibas in general seem sensitive to tank mates, so bully type species will upset them. This one has also maintained a much darker color and lost its spots around the 12 inch mark.
I got two from Peru in late October this year. Both of them ate with vigor from the start and have blown me away with their explosive growth. I acquired them as babies, about 3 inches long. They are around 10 inches long now, which is more than 2 inches per month, an astounding growth rate if you ask me. One in particular is an absolute brute and dominant over the owner, also really doesn’t like a tiger shovelnose it shares a tank with. These have maintained a much lighter color, almost chrome like with more prominent spotting. The more beautiful of the variants, in my opinion.
