Tips on feeding fish needed

nmprisons · 09/01/2006, 01:45 PM

So, after only a week in my tank, the smaller of my two leaf fish accepted frozen food with a vengence yesterday. I was really excited about it and it.

However, there was once catch. I am feeding him frozen PE mysis shrimp and I need to dance them around in front of his little face for him to have any interest in eating them. To do so, I tied the shrimp to a pice of fishing line.

Two of the times he ate the shrimp, he refused to let go of the line and so it was like I was fishing for him (so much so that once i could have pulled him from the water before he let go). I don't want him to become wary of the frozen foods and so I don't want this to happen again. is there another way to dance small frozen foods in front of him without risking the possibility of him latching on too hard to retrieve the line? I was thinking about using a piece of white thread or something like that.

any tips would be much appreciated.

dc · 09/01/2006, 01:53 PM

Since he's eaten them, maybe you could try shutting off your flow and using a small baster or something like that to drop it in front of his face. You may have to watch your levels and do more water changes till he 'gets' it. Good luck with it.

nmprisons · 09/01/2006, 01:57 PM

yeah ... i thought about that. i tried a couple of times, but they are so slow to react that, even if they wanted to eat it, it just falls right in front of them and, after it sits on the ground they are not even interested.

do you think i could use a small baster to keep pushing it around or would it just kick up a ton of sand?

dc · 09/01/2006, 02:21 PM

Boy that would be a toss up, be real careful? I've seen little feeder tubes you might try. I'll see if I can find one on the net.

dc · 09/01/2006, 02:26 PM

This one looks interesting, not quite what I was thinking.

Drs.Fosters

LobsterOfJustice · 09/01/2006, 02:30 PM

I've heard that "sea Squirter" is pretty useless.

I would start by feeding him live brine shrimp out of a turkey baster or syringe. He should eat this no problem because they will "dance around" on their own. After he starts to make the association that these tools mean food he should eat frozen foods out of them and maybe eventually flake or pellet.

nmprisons · 09/01/2006, 03:15 PM

live brine shrimp seem too small to interest these fish, or am I wrong?

btw ... my dad lives in towson, i am visiting next weekend to do a little crabbing.

LobsterOfJustice · 09/01/2006, 09:41 PM

Brine are not much smaller than mysis, I figured if the fish ate mysis it would go for brine.

This is what I did for my dwarf lion. I started out my dropping live FW guppies and ghost shrimp right into the tank. Eventually I would drop pieces of krill and silverside right into the water column, and the water flow would make him go after it (maybe drop it in front of a powerhead). Now he takes everything I drop in the water including flakes and pellets.

09/01/2006, 01:45 PM	#1
nmprisons Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,520	Tips on feeding fish needed So, after only a week in my tank, the smaller of my two leaf fish accepted frozen food with a vengence yesterday. I was really excited about it and it. However, there was once catch. I am feeding him frozen PE mysis shrimp and I need to dance them around in front of his little face for him to have any interest in eating them. To do so, I tied the shrimp to a pice of fishing line. Two of the times he ate the shrimp, he refused to let go of the line and so it was like I was fishing for him (so much so that once i could have pulled him from the water before he let go). I don't want him to become wary of the frozen foods and so I don't want this to happen again. is there another way to dance small frozen foods in front of him without risking the possibility of him latching on too hard to retrieve the line? I was thinking about using a piece of white thread or something like that. any tips would be much appreciated. __________________ 25gallon tank up and cycling since 7/29/06 Mostly LPS reef (lords, micros, duncans, etc.) with some ricordia florida and zoanthids. Current Tank Info: 25 gallon, 28lbs of Marshall Island and Kaelini Live Rock, 2x65 power compact lighting, IFS Protein Skimmer

09/01/2006, 01:53 PM	#2
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	Since he's eaten them, maybe you could try shutting off your flow and using a small baster or something like that to drop it in front of his face. You may have to watch your levels and do more water changes till he 'gets' it. Good luck with it. __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

09/01/2006, 01:57 PM	#3
nmprisons Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,520	yeah ... i thought about that. i tried a couple of times, but they are so slow to react that, even if they wanted to eat it, it just falls right in front of them and, after it sits on the ground they are not even interested. do you think i could use a small baster to keep pushing it around or would it just kick up a ton of sand? __________________ 25gallon tank up and cycling since 7/29/06 Mostly LPS reef (lords, micros, duncans, etc.) with some ricordia florida and zoanthids. Current Tank Info: 25 gallon, 28lbs of Marshall Island and Kaelini Live Rock, 2x65 power compact lighting, IFS Protein Skimmer

09/01/2006, 02:21 PM	#4
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	Boy that would be a toss up, be real careful? I've seen little feeder tubes you might try. I'll see if I can find one on the net. __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

09/01/2006, 02:26 PM	#5
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	This one looks interesting, not quite what I was thinking. Drs.Fosters __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

09/01/2006, 02:30 PM	#6
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	I've heard that "sea Squirter" is pretty useless. I would start by feeding him live brine shrimp out of a turkey baster or syringe. He should eat this no problem because they will "dance around" on their own. After he starts to make the association that these tools mean food he should eat frozen foods out of them and maybe eventually flake or pellet. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

09/01/2006, 03:15 PM	#7
nmprisons Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,520	live brine shrimp seem too small to interest these fish, or am I wrong? btw ... my dad lives in towson, i am visiting next weekend to do a little crabbing. __________________ 25gallon tank up and cycling since 7/29/06 Mostly LPS reef (lords, micros, duncans, etc.) with some ricordia florida and zoanthids. Current Tank Info: 25 gallon, 28lbs of Marshall Island and Kaelini Live Rock, 2x65 power compact lighting, IFS Protein Skimmer

09/01/2006, 09:41 PM	#8
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Brine are not much smaller than mysis, I figured if the fish ate mysis it would go for brine. This is what I did for my dwarf lion. I started out my dropping live FW guppies and ghost shrimp right into the tank. Eventually I would drop pieces of krill and silverside right into the water column, and the water flow would make him go after it (maybe drop it in front of a powerhead). Now he takes everything I drop in the water including flakes and pellets. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles