I have a 2" pumpkinseed (from zimmerman, who btw is turning out to be gorgeous) and a 2" green sunfish hybrid (possibly with a pumpkinseed but not sure) that I rescued from the pet store. They both avidly ate anything I put in the tank, which was mostly pellets. Recently though I fed them both a whole red wriggler. After that, the pumpkinseed stopped accepting anything the next day. Now all I can get him to eat are fish flakes! He won't even look at a worm or pellet anymore. My green sunfish still goes after anything but now spits out the pellets and only mouths the worms. What happened?! Why do they all of a sudden only like flakes now?
Sunfish feeding issues?
Started by
Guest_juhason_*
, Mar 01 2014 07:24 PM
13 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 01 March 2014 - 07:52 PM
(from zimmerman, who btw is turning out to be gorgeous)
I've seen Brian and he's not ugly or anything, but no way would I ever call him gorgeous
But as far as your sunfish eating... let them go a day or two without anything to eat... they will be more interested food... and they will be none the worse for the short fast.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
mattknepley
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Posted 01 March 2014 - 08:24 PM
Can't speak to Brian's looks, but Michael's feeding assessment is spot on. At least it's the flake they've selected; much easier and cheaper than exclusive red wigglers!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."
#4
Guest_juhason_*
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Posted 02 March 2014 - 09:21 AM
Haha well since I can't exactly tell if you guys are joking, I'll just assure everyone I was talking about the fish. 
Thanks for the info, I shall try the fast!
Thanks for the info, I shall try the fast!
#5
Guest_Subrosa_*
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Posted 02 March 2014 - 11:38 AM
Successfully keeping any animal captive invariably entails a bit of training. If you don't train the animal it will probably train you!
#6
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 02 March 2014 - 01:06 PM
Haha well since I can't exactly tell if you guys are joking, I'll just assure everyone I was talking about the fish.
Thanks for the info, I shall try the fast!
Yes, I was joking... just picking on your dangling participle there... but I was serious about the fish advice... the fast will do sunfish good. I also agree with Subrosa, you do need to train them somewhat. From that standpoint... when you do feed them do so in the same place or with the same ritual (and I mean even what you do and where you stand outside the tank, they can totally see you and are watching)... they will learn that your approach i a certain way means dinner, and will be more responsive.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#7
Guest_EBParks_*
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Posted 03 March 2014 - 12:57 PM
I can definitely attest to the training issue. The key is patience. I've had to train some wild caught large bass recently, and it definitely took some fasting and a lot of repetition. They started off only eating feeder goldfish that were mass dumped into the tank. As they got more aggressive, I started dropping the fish in one at a time until they got trained on the location of the food source. After that I started substituting in thawed silversides. Initially they rejected them, but once they started keeping one down, I would substitute in another. Anytime I hit a wall, I would let them fast for a few days to make the silverside more enticing. Eventually goldfish were eliminated completely, and now all the bass eagerly await their little fish spears that I harpoon into the water!
#8
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 03 March 2014 - 01:37 PM
There's a couple different worms commonly called red wrigglers. Lumbricus rubellus is the good-tasting one. The other red wriggler Eisenia foetida (the most common one sold for composting, aka brandling worm or tiger worm) has a bad-tasting secretion. A few times I fed these to salamanders (by mistake) which let go after a few seconds and then wouldn't eat anything for a few days. I'm guessing you got E. foetida.
#9
Guest_juhason_*
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Posted 04 March 2014 - 01:16 PM
Oh man, I'm hoping I don't have E. foetida! I got them from a pet store so I would hope that they are edible! Anyways thanks for all the info guys and I'll be sure to get on that training.
#10
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 06 March 2014 - 12:44 AM
After that, the pumpkinseed stopped accepting anything the next day. Now all I can get him to eat are fish flakes! He won't even look at a worm or pellet anymore
That's a sure sign that he's fixing to die.
#11
Guest_centrarchid_*
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Posted 06 March 2014 - 09:33 AM
More than one species taste like crap. We used to harvest a menagerie of worms from calf manure pile behind barn. The pink worms and white worms (species unknown) had to be removed leaving only the dark chunky ones for use as feed and bait. There appears to be a lot of worm species out there.
#12
Guest_juhason_*
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Posted 06 March 2014 - 11:27 PM
Actually gerald was on point. After some research I have identified the worms as E. foetida. My pumpkinseed is perfectly ok now, and is accepting most foods again.That's a sure sign that he's fixing to die.
Oh manMore than one species taste like crap. We used to harvest a menagerie of worms from calf manure pile behind barn. The pink worms and white worms (species unknown) had to be removed leaving only the dark chunky ones for use as feed and bait. There appears to be a lot of worm species out there.
I will have some trouble finding the right worms then.
#13
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 07 March 2014 - 12:57 PM
Of the worms in my yard and compost (central NC) the darker ones (L. rubellus I think?) seem to be preferred over the pale kind (fish, turtles, salamanders all agree on this). They behave differently too - the pale ones twist up around themselves in a loose ball, which the red ones don't. Dont know what genus or species the pale ones are, but I'm fairly sure they're not E. fetida.
#14
Guest_juhason_*
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Posted 10 March 2014 - 04:25 PM
So darker over paler! Got it. I think I'll have convince them to ever even look at a worm again though haha.Of the worms in my yard and compost (central NC) the darker ones (L. rubellus I think?) seem to be preferred over the pale kind (fish, turtles, salamanders all agree on this). They behave differently too - the pale ones twist up around themselves in a loose ball, which the red ones don't. Dont know what genus or species the pale ones are, but I'm fairly sure they're not E. fetida.
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