Oddball Feeding

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bshockstubb

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Well. I got these oddballs yesterday. They havent really ateanything yet and now im getting worried.


3 (3") senegalus bichirs
1 (5") African Butterfly Fish
2 (2") lace syno
1 (5") Black Ghost Fish

They are not interested in the livebearers I added in there. not even the ABF

the synos are the only ones that are "eating" grabbing some leftover flake and stuff.

Im planning on getting some beef heart for my bichirs. Could I dehydrate this and feed it to them like that?
And perhaps some ghost shrimp and earthworms. will they eat them?

Im most worried about the ghost. i never see him. he hids all day. im planning on getting the same kind of food like my bichirs and making a little dish or clip i can put by his cave at night where he can eat it. is this a good idea?

My ABF hasnt gone for any live fish yet. idk why. im hoping he goes after the beef heart...and if he dosent..perhaps some live crickets?

my syno seem to be doing well at scavenger although i am going to provide some tubifex so they dont go after my bichirs slime coats...

so any ideas or help?
 
Hang in there!! :)

I am not sure about ABF, being a top dweller insects are probably a good idea, do you know what they were feeding him at the store?

BGK is nocturnal, the more heavily planted and hiding spaces you provide the more you may see it.

Bichirs are also nocturnal, although many have them that are active all of the time. They may just need to settle in some. Are there lots of places to hide so they feel secure?

Beefheart may not be the best thing for fish (too fatty) although people feed it, can you get frozen foods like brine shrimp, bloodworm, mussel, clam, etc?

BGK will probably go for ghost shrimp, but they are not very nutritious. Another idea is chopped up earthworm obtained from a clean source. Also, you could try live blackworm if you can get them.

For thawed foods you may find it easier to use a medicine dropper or something similar to place the food near its target.

I feed all of these foods to my tank inhabitants, feeding time is crazy! To make sure everybody eats I put food right in front of my BGK, my eel, and I use to put stuff up in the plants near the senegal, but he's really settled in so well that he jumps right into the melee! Keep trying, if there are any leftovers the BGK will scavenge them up too.
 
Thanks

There are alot of places for them to hide. And i'll see if I can get some of these frozen foods. Beef heart is pretty fatty but i think if i dehydrate it...it will become more lean.
 
seems like a lot of fish to add at once.try putting blood worm in after lights out for the bgk its the only way i get a look at mine ;) he cant resist coming out for live ones wriggling on the sand :nod: what size is your tank by the way?
 
You've only had the fish for a day, it's normal if they don't eat after you get them. Most of my fish take 3 or more days to start eating after I put them in the QT tank ;)
 
k. thanks.

its aproximatly 50 GL right now. perfect size considering that all of them are under 5"

But what do you gusy think of dehydrating meat?
beef heart/ shrimp/ whatever else comes to mind.

it would make it alot easier to feed them that since Im usually on the run most the time and feeding live blackworms everyday is too time consuming. I would love to spend time to watch my fish eat heathier foods and being able to have live cultures...but i dont have the time.

i need food that I can grab put it in and leave.
 
try hikari sinking canivore pellets, my young bichir ate a few of these at a time.

avoid over feeding though, always make sure the last lot of food has gone before you put more in.

beef heart can be used as a treat now and then but shouldn't be part of there day to day diet.
 
okay.

so hikari sinking canivore pellets on are the list.

ill give them the beef heart like 2-3 times a week.

what about the ghost? chopped earthworms and whatelse?
[btw. ive seen those ghost tubes...are they worth the money and whats so special about them?]
 
the butterfly fish will need something that floats , we use freeze dried krill and blood worms ........crickets small and large if you have time , and if you can get them .

give the knife places to hide , I know of someone that has some that come out during the day , but they are said to more active at night , and should eat krill as well .


try to vary the diet if you can as much as you can .


we have the same fish with the exception of your BGK , we have an African brown knife , really have no problems feeding them .


and don't worry , they should all get hungry soon , once the settle in .
 
i ment to get the brown knife but i geuss i looked at the wrong tank when i pointed it out.
oh well. 10 bucks for a BGK isnt bad.

its funny though, as soon as the lights go off. he comes out.
as soon as i turn them on. he goes back into his cave.

:lol:

i could feed them krill. ive seen it cheap at the store...
crickets are fesible as well.

bloodworms. ive seen people feed bloodworms alot...but i havent tried my hand at them.
are they the same as blackworms?

can they live in the tank or do they have to be bought all the time. and is there a way to culture them?
 
Blood worms are insect larva ,some kind of mosquito I think , I've never used live , either frozen or freeze dried .


Put a few more caves in there , you might see the knife more . :)

the brown knife is out with the other fish , we got it about 2 months ago , had it alone in quarantine for a month , seems fine .
 
My 2 Senegals love bloodworms,I only use freeze dried less chance for disease.

I put 10 Ghost shrimp in the tank Sunday afternoon.They were all gone by Tuesday.

They also eat tubifex worms,algae wafers and flake food.I'm also trying cichlid crumbles.
 
okay so im going shopping tomorrow morning

on my list so far is:

krill
mussel
eathrworms
perhaps whitefish if i can find it

anything else i should add?

p.s. haha. it sounds funny. but i really want to dehydrate something.
could i do it with anything? :p
 

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