I have had a newly caught from the wild redear & pumpkinseed in my 10 gallon quarantine tank for about 9 days, and they don't seem to be eating. Heater is keeping the temp 76F. Here they are: pics in ID assistance
I have dropped various bits of foods in there -- freeze dried blood worms, goldfish flakes, koi pellets, pieces of lunch meat, chopped up cooked shrimp. But the food just seems to sit in there for a couple of days, and I remove the old stuff off the bottom uneaten. They also hide up against the filter and rarely move during the day.
My bluegill start eating very quickly, like in 4-5 days, and my greengill was eating from my hand in 3 days. Any ideas on how to get them started eating? Also do you know how long they can go without food?
Thanks
Shorty
Getting new pumpkinseed & redear to eat
Started by
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, Mar 04 2007 05:49 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 04 March 2007 - 06:00 PM
If fish are feeling vulnerable they won't eat. Probably being in a larger tank with cover and muted lighting would help. Fish can go for a long time without eating, since they have a lower metabolic rate than we do as mammals.
#3
Guest_sandtiger_*
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Posted 04 March 2007 - 11:00 PM
Is this a cycled QT tank? If not I would check your parems, in fact...I would do that anyway.
#4
Guest_shortypen_*
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Posted 05 March 2007 - 12:55 AM
Is this a cycled QT tank? If not I would check your parems, in fact...I would do that anyway.
Not sure what you mean cycled. Very simple tank, just enough rocks to cover the bottom, a rock decoration, heater, and very simple filter made from plastic jar - pillow batting inside it, bubbler & tube to pull water thru the jar and out. After a fish has been thru it, I clean and dry the tank. When new fish comes in, I fill with fresh tap water that has been sitting in a water jug for several days to get the clorine out.
Thanks
Shorty
#5
Guest_hmt321_*
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Posted 05 March 2007 - 09:21 AM
Tank cycle in a nut shell
Fish expel ammonia through gills and urine, there are bacteria that can colonize your tank that "eat" ammonia and convert it to nitrite, there is yet another bacteria that will convert nitrite to nitrate.
ammonia > nitrite > nitrate
ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic
nitrate (the end result of the cycle) will not hurt your fish under concentrations of 20 ppm (weekly water changes of 25%, will control nitrate in most tanks)
here is a link to a short (but informative article about the nitrogen cycle) http://fins.actwin.c...in-cycling.html
I would be willing to bet that your ammonia is spiking big time.
that could cause your fish to not eat, among other things
Fish expel ammonia through gills and urine, there are bacteria that can colonize your tank that "eat" ammonia and convert it to nitrite, there is yet another bacteria that will convert nitrite to nitrate.
ammonia > nitrite > nitrate
ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic
nitrate (the end result of the cycle) will not hurt your fish under concentrations of 20 ppm (weekly water changes of 25%, will control nitrate in most tanks)
here is a link to a short (but informative article about the nitrogen cycle) http://fins.actwin.c...in-cycling.html
I would be willing to bet that your ammonia is spiking big time.
that could cause your fish to not eat, among other things
#6
Guest_Gambusia_*
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Posted 05 March 2007 - 12:39 PM
Get a test kit or if you have one test the water quality of the tank
#7
Guest_shortypen_*
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Posted 05 March 2007 - 10:39 PM
They started eating today -- so either I just didn't wait long enough for them to get hungry, or they have an internet connection and have been reading this group... 
Thanks
Shorty
Thanks
Shorty
#8
Guest_edbihary_*
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Posted 05 March 2007 - 10:42 PM
That's good news. I don't understand, though, sunfish have always eaten for me within a day or two.They started eating today...
#9
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 07 March 2007 - 10:20 PM
I don't understand either, I didn't think that sunfish were good enough with a keyboard to access the forum... and I heard they were still upset with being left off of the forum header...
That's good news. I don't understand, though, sunfish have always eaten for me within a day or two.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#10
Guest_nativecajun_*
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Posted 23 March 2007 - 08:45 AM
That's good news. I don't understand, though, sunfish have always eaten for me within a day or two.
My sunfish. Same story. Place sunfish in tank. Next day put food in tank. They eat it and do not care what store, water, can, etc etc it came from. And about the green sunfish eating out of your hand. That is why the green holds a special place for me. So trainable and nice looking. May lack the color of the more decorated varieties but they are smart and I just like the look of them. I used to have this green in a tank to himself. When I would return home from fishing with left over crickets I would wave one in front of the tank. That green would go nuts. I would then hold the cricket above the tank around six to eight inches. He would jump and take the cricket out of my hand. One funny thing happened to me and him. Probably more funny to me than him. I held the cricket up high as usual and he jumped and caught it as usual but he had a different landing. RIGHT ON THE CARPET. Was so funny. Every time I go fishing and catch a nice green I have to restrain myself from bringing it home. Nice fish.
#11
Guest_smbass_*
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Posted 23 March 2007 - 02:43 PM
I have 3 greens right now and they almost act like little bass, and they definitely have more jumping ability than most lepomis sunnies.
#12
Guest_choupique_*
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Posted 25 March 2007 - 11:33 PM
Greens are awesome to me too. They are very good jumpers, having a pail full fishing and they start leaping out left and right. They are also often good at finding their way out of a tank.
I have found pumpkinseeds and redear/shellcrackers to be a bit harder to get to feed than greens or other sunnies. Other than live foods, it can be tough.
Both seem to like a good deal of hiding spots, so that could be some help. Most floating plants are easy to grow, and they filter the light giving them the cover they need.
I have a pair of pumpkinseeds that sometimes eat Hikari floating carnivore pellets, and sometimes they don't. The redears seem to rarely refuse those pellets. They won't eat any other prepared foods at this time. In the past they have eaten other pellets, especially when they are outside in the pond for the warm seasons.
Right now I feed them super worms, a larvae of a beetle that are sold as reptile food - look like giant mealworms. Small fish are eaten with gusto by both species too. Of course they both like snails, but raising enough "clean" snails to feed larger ones can be a problem.
I have found pumpkinseeds and redear/shellcrackers to be a bit harder to get to feed than greens or other sunnies. Other than live foods, it can be tough.
Both seem to like a good deal of hiding spots, so that could be some help. Most floating plants are easy to grow, and they filter the light giving them the cover they need.
I have a pair of pumpkinseeds that sometimes eat Hikari floating carnivore pellets, and sometimes they don't. The redears seem to rarely refuse those pellets. They won't eat any other prepared foods at this time. In the past they have eaten other pellets, especially when they are outside in the pond for the warm seasons.
Right now I feed them super worms, a larvae of a beetle that are sold as reptile food - look like giant mealworms. Small fish are eaten with gusto by both species too. Of course they both like snails, but raising enough "clean" snails to feed larger ones can be a problem.
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