Pearl Gourami Has A Secret

[RainboWBacoN420]

So my pearl gourami has been in quarantine for almost two weeks now, after taking out the male that was pecking at her, she's finally found the courage to swim around and act pretty normal for the most part. Still not eating though, I've tried Seachem: Entice, and sometimes it works, but she mostly rejects anything I try to give her. I do have one ram horn snail in there to eat any leftovers that fall to the bottom, so the food disappearing made sense because of his presence. But last night, I tried feeding her again, I had soaked some micro pellets in the Entice, and poured the pellets in and watched them sink slowly right by her, she didn't care at all, didn't even investigate them. So I turned my bedroom lights off and hid behind my bed and watched her for about ten minutes. After she had noticed I was out of sight, she began skimming the bottom of the tank as if she was looking for the source of a scent. She passed by the food a few times, obviously noticing it, but not really doing anything. Then she came back, looked around, saw that I wasn't there, and went on to eat the food.
Now I'm not sure if it was the Entice that persuaded her to feast on the pellets, or if she just likes to be sneaky and only eat when I'm not looking. But what I'm concerned about it the future when she'll be in the 55 gallon, if she'll eat at all in there with the neons and the male gourami who go for food the second it hits the water. For now, everything is alright, but I'm thinking of what might be to come as future problems when it comes to feeding.  

 

[TallTree01]

As she is a new fish it is to be expected that she is shy and reluctant to go nuts at new food in a new environment. Give her time and she'll come around I'm sure.

 

[ricbea]

Hi,
 
I just posted a similar experience with my BN ancistrus. It took him fully 2 weeks before he would come out in the daytime for feeding, now he has settled he is out pretty much as the spirulina pellets hit the sand. As TT said above she just needs some time to settle and gain her confidence.
 
Richard.

 

[NickAu]

 
I just posted a similar experience with my BN ancistrus. It took him fully 2 weeks before he would come out in the daytime for feeding,

I have 2 mature BN's that have learned when its  feeding time and when they see me they always go the the spot where I feed them, I can gently lower  the food down to them by hand and they no longer scurry away. I also have Kuhli Loaches that know when its food time and to come to the front of the tank. This has taken several months of feeding at set times and set places my Kuhlis are also not afraid of my hand when there is food in it. My Betta thinks every time  I walk past the tank its food time, And my new Corys well I think the Betta is teaching them to beg for food.
 
Give it time and patience you can teach any fish to be hand fed. Spend time with the fish everyday watch them dont make sudden movements or loud noises and in no time your fish will be used to you, and associate you with food and come to you begging for food Gouramis are Like Bettas and easily seduced by food, Use things like Blood worm or even small crickets.

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

 
Give it time and patience you can teach any fish to be hand fed. Spend time with the fish everyday watch them dont make sudden movements or loud noises and in no time your fish will be used to you, and associate you with food and come to you begging for food Gouramis are Like Bettas and easily seduced by food, Use things like Blood worm or even small crickets.

This is the practice I've been taking with all my new fish. You don't know how ridiculously slow I take my movements just to bend down to the tank and watch the fish. And it always pays off, because all of my fish like to greet me now.
The female Pearl greets me now, she just seems so picky when it comes to eating. She'll swallow the pellets, spit them out, swallow and spit them out again.
Unless I've had the pellets soaked in Entice. Last night, I placed just two pellets without the Entice, her reaction wasn't.... Well she didn't care. So I soaked some more in the Entice and as I added them in, the second they hit the water she darted towards them and ate them really slowly.
Maybe she's warming up? I'm not sure, but she only eats when Entice is with the food.