Best method for switching fingerling black crappie to non live foods?

I did a search here and on the web and didn't come up with much. I have a group of 1-1&1/2 inch SL black crappie fingerlings. I've switched a lot of fish to pellets and flakes and considering the predatory nature of these fish I was wondering what foods they are prone to accept based upon actual experience. I've found that (possibly due to their pronounced superior mouth position) they are less likely to eat off of the tank floor - frozen bloodworms are taken when floating down in the water column, but much less so once they hit bottom. I'm guessing that sinking pellets (like the old tetra bits/discus food, which have been an old standby of mine), might be less attractive to them.

Edited by IvanMike, 22 August 2011 - 07:15 AM.

Maybe my crappies were especially gluttonous or something, but I never had problems feeding them sinking goldfish pellets. Have you tried feeding them pellets and have they rejected them? What is your feeding regimen like? Do you give them live/frozen food after they reject the pellets?

Edited by EricaWieser, 22 August 2011 - 08:28 AM.

Maybe my crappies were especially gluttonous or something, but I never had problems feeding them sinking goldfish pellets. Have you tried feeding them pellets and have they rejected them? What is your feeding regimen like? Do you give them live/frozen food after they reject the pellets?

good questions - these are brandy new fish so I haven't tried much. Some are a week in the tank and some are a day. So far I've only tried an offering of cichlid flakes with curiosity, but no real interest. The bloodworms were fed a day later (and then a couple of days later) just to make sure they were healthy. But to answer, no, I didn't "give in" immediately, but I tried out the bloodworms just as an experiment.

So the long and short of it is I haven't tried anything for real. With fish from picky cichlids spoiled by former owners to natives I've had good success with the "appetite makes the best sauce" method, but I am aware there are some fish (pike cichlids being notorious examples) which really don't acclimate to prepared food and actually decline w/o live food.

I'm not surprised that your crappie were pigs - I've read reports of them reaching 3" in their first year in the NE which is pretty darned respectable. I've also read that unlike white crappie, black crappie have a higher intake of crustaceans so I'm hoping to use krill when they get older in addition to pellets (if all goes well).

some fish (pike cichlids being notorious examples) which really don't acclimate to prepared food and actually decline w/o live food.

This one I have had good luck with switching over. We imported a group of 12 wildcaught xingu III's to keep in a massive 18'x4'x4' tank. In with them was a group of 6 wild oscars along with larger panaque plecos and a few lepro plecos. The pike cichlids didn't eat for the first 6 days, but within the second week they were eating SOME pellets (massivore pellets) and by the end of the third week would go crazy for them.

I'm not surprised that your crappie were pigs - I've read reports of them reaching 3" in their first year in the NE which is pretty darned respectable. I've also read that unlike white crappie, black crappie have a higher intake of crustaceans so I'm hoping to use krill when they get older in addition to pellets (if all goes well).

I was just going to ask, what is wrong with freeze dried/frozen foods? They still get what they want, and in the forms they prefer, but is still not a "live" food.

Start with freeze dried bloodoworms. Gradually start mixing in the crushed up flakes or pellets every time you feed. Once you are sure they are eating the prepared food, then you can use the bloodworms as a weekly treat for a little variety.

This one I have had good luck with switching over. We imported a group of 12 wildcaught xingu III's to keep in a massive 18'x4'x4' tank. In with them was a group of 6 wild oscars along with larger panaque plecos and a few lepro plecos. The pike cichlids didn't eat for the first 6 days, but within the second week they were eating SOME pellets (massivore pellets) and by the end of the third week would go crazy for them.



I was just going to ask, what is wrong with freeze dried/frozen foods? They still get what they want, and in the forms they prefer, but is still not a "live" food.

nothing at all actually.

Some pikes will eat prepared, some won't. Even Wayne Liebel had to shell out for some goldfish for some of his pikes...

I know you are looking for those with crappie experience (which I don't have), but may be able to offer another suggestion. I, too, have had to use the "don't offer any other foods other than pellets" method before with mixed success. My most troublesome time came from trying to convert warmouth to pellets. I tried the starving method, but I was afraid it would die. So, first I fed lots of frozen bloodworms to get the fish to associate me with food. This fish was skittish and would flee whenever I got into the room. After a week or so of getting the warmouth to associate me with food, I then only offered prepared food. I chose the Hikari Carnivore Sticks. First, the stick shape is reasonably close to a piece of worm. Second, once in the water, the stick becomes soft quite quickly.
The fish went a few days without eating, then greedily accepted the carnivore sticks and ate round pellets days afterwards. These carnivore sticks are pricey, but I bought a tiny bag, and have only used half the bag (after using this method with 3 additional warmouth after the said fish.

In conclusion, the starving method works, but I prefer to get the fish to associate you with getting fed...