yellow Bullhead feeding on floating pellets
Started by
Guest_Moontanman_*
, Nov 07 2014 06:16 PM
14 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 07 November 2014 - 10:20 PM
seems like that might be hard to do with his mouth on the bottom of his head... on the other hand he is certainly not wasting away or anything... that's a fat little bullhead.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_Moontanman_*
Guest_Moontanman_*
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Posted 08 November 2014 - 09:49 AM
seems like that might be hard to do with his mouth on the bottom of his head... on the other hand he is certainly not wasting away or anything... that's a fat little bullhead.
He is a cutie for sure, he ignores the lights and comes out when I am in the room, he was tiny when he was caught..
I've made pets out of several catfish over the years, some would swim into my hands.
#5
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 08 November 2014 - 02:06 PM
yea, just a little bit of typical catfish overbite... I was really just making fun... noting how vertical he had to get in the video to eat off the surface... not his natural body position for finding a meal...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#6
Guest_Moontanman_*
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Posted 08 November 2014 - 02:22 PM
yea, just a little bit of typical catfish overbite... I was really just making fun... noting how vertical he had to get in the video to eat off the surface... not his natural body position for finding a meal...
They do look odd feeding from the surface, he makes popping noises, I've seen wild blue cats do that too...
#8
Guest_Moontanman_*
Guest_Moontanman_*
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Posted 09 November 2014 - 09:57 AM
A very active feeder too. The bullheads I used to have were much more slow and deliberate feeders when taking food off the surface. Slowly and cautiously rising to grab it.
He is in competition with the other fishes, if he is not active he doesn't get to eat.
#9
Guest_mikez_*
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Posted 10 November 2014 - 07:49 PM
My 8 year old boy is learning about the differences between yellow bullhead and brown bullhead as we speak.
He had a yellow bullhead with his turtles which he really likes. Fish was always visible and came out to feed in light. He also ate floating turtle pellets as well as highly nutritious undigested turtle food. Very piscavorious, no minnows or small sunnies ever survived.
We recently sent the oversized yellow to the proverbial "farm in the country" [no laws violated, chill]. We replaced him with a brown which has a very different personality. Never out in day time, never seen him eat floating and 4 banded killifish added a month ago are still there.
He had a yellow bullhead with his turtles which he really likes. Fish was always visible and came out to feed in light. He also ate floating turtle pellets as well as highly nutritious undigested turtle food. Very piscavorious, no minnows or small sunnies ever survived.
We recently sent the oversized yellow to the proverbial "farm in the country" [no laws violated, chill]. We replaced him with a brown which has a very different personality. Never out in day time, never seen him eat floating and 4 banded killifish added a month ago are still there.
#10
mattknepley
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- NANFA Member
- Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.
Posted 11 November 2014 - 06:05 AM
I've had tropical benthics like plecos learn to float at the surface, belly up, and inhale food. That's gotta be a totally unnatural behavior for them, only made successful by life in captivity. Does your bully fully invert? Has anybody had benthic natives to do so? I've had them come to the top, tail down, and grab a bite or two, like in this video, but never just roll over and graze off the surface.
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..."
#11
Guest_Moontanman_*
Guest_Moontanman_*
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Posted 11 November 2014 - 09:42 AM
My 8 year old boy is learning about the differences between yellow bullhead and brown bullhead as we speak.
He had a yellow bullhead with his turtles which he really likes. Fish was always visible and came out to feed in light. He also ate floating turtle pellets as well as highly nutritious undigested turtle food. Very piscavorious, no minnows or small sunnies ever survived.
We recently sent the oversized yellow to the proverbial "farm in the country" [no laws violated, chill]. We replaced him with a brown which has a very different personality. Never out in day time, never seen him eat floating and 4 banded killifish added a month ago are still there.
This yellow bullhead is starting to show some interest in the blackbanded sunfish, time to move them to another tank I think.
#12
Guest_Moontanman_*
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Posted 11 November 2014 - 09:44 AM
I've had tropical benthics like plecos learn to float at the surface, belly up, and inhale food. That's gotta be a totally unnatural behavior for them, only made successful by life in captivity. Does your bully fully invert? Has anybody had benthic natives to do so? I've had them come to the top, tail down, and grab a bite or two, like in this video, but never just roll over and graze off the surface.
I've seen him turn over but that makes it awkward to grab food, mostly he does it when he just gets excited as he feeds, it's easiest for him in a tail down position since his mouth is not under his head.
#13
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 11 November 2014 - 11:36 AM
I've had several benthic fish eat oddly. My Asian bumblebee cat (known for being some of the biggest hiders in the fish world) comes put every evening at feeding time to take bloodworms from my hand at the top if the tank, even let's me pet him! Last night he was upside down on the top eating flake which was a first so hopefully he keeps doing it, flake is less expensive than bloodworms 
. My white sucker also eats flake in midwater once he sees other fish start to go after it. My 3 little yellow bullheads in a 5.5 growout swim around all day and surface/hand feed flake, sadly my 8" yellow in my 75 that I've had since June still won't leave his cave more than a few inches for food, he won't even eat unless the pellets are right in front of him.
. My white sucker also eats flake in midwater once he sees other fish start to go after it. My 3 little yellow bullheads in a 5.5 growout swim around all day and surface/hand feed flake, sadly my 8" yellow in my 75 that I've had since June still won't leave his cave more than a few inches for food, he won't even eat unless the pellets are right in front of him.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#14
littlen
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- NANFA Member
- Washington, D.C.
Posted 12 November 2014 - 01:07 PM
Sean, food is a very powerful drug for a fish....
With that said, if you have any interest in teaching your Yellow bullhead to come out to find food you'll have to stop feeding it right in front of his hiding spot (cave). As you probably know a catfishes brain is in it's stomach. It will not starve to death for quite some time---especially at 8" long. Try slowly offering it food farther and farther away from the cave after fasting it for a good week. You have to hold your ground and not give in to the catfish (aka don't move in closer if it refuses to come out. If it won't come to you, then remove the food altogether. Start in small increments). Being secretive and nocturnal by nature it obviously has everything it needs in the cave by means of protection and a dark environment. To complete the hat trick it gets food delivered to the front door. There are many simple ways to condition captive fish to respond to food when it is offered. I often tap on the rim of the tank 3 times with my wedding band before I feed a tank. I then immediately offer the food. Doing such, the fish quickly realize that they don't get food if I approach and don't knock. That way I can observe them behaving naturally and not begging for food like a tank full of juvenile Oscars at a pet store.
I think in Moontanman's case, his catfish learned to come out all on its own--during the day, and feed at the surface. Again showing the strategic placement of the brain being located in the stomach.
With that said, if you have any interest in teaching your Yellow bullhead to come out to find food you'll have to stop feeding it right in front of his hiding spot (cave). As you probably know a catfishes brain is in it's stomach. It will not starve to death for quite some time---especially at 8" long. Try slowly offering it food farther and farther away from the cave after fasting it for a good week. You have to hold your ground and not give in to the catfish (aka don't move in closer if it refuses to come out. If it won't come to you, then remove the food altogether. Start in small increments). Being secretive and nocturnal by nature it obviously has everything it needs in the cave by means of protection and a dark environment. To complete the hat trick it gets food delivered to the front door. There are many simple ways to condition captive fish to respond to food when it is offered. I often tap on the rim of the tank 3 times with my wedding band before I feed a tank. I then immediately offer the food. Doing such, the fish quickly realize that they don't get food if I approach and don't knock. That way I can observe them behaving naturally and not begging for food like a tank full of juvenile Oscars at a pet store.
I think in Moontanman's case, his catfish learned to come out all on its own--during the day, and feed at the surface. Again showing the strategic placement of the brain being located in the stomach.
Nick L.
#15
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 12 November 2014 - 08:14 PM
Sean, food is a very powerful drug for a fish....
With that said, if you have any interest in teaching your Yellow bullhead to come out to find food you'll have to stop feeding it right in front of his hiding spot (cave). As you probably know a catfishes brain is in it's stomach. It will not starve to death for quite some time---especially at 8" long. Try slowly offering it food farther and farther away from the cave after fasting it for a good week. You have to hold your ground and not give in to the catfish (aka don't move in closer if it refuses to come out. If it won't come to you, then remove the food altogether. Start in small increments). Being secretive and nocturnal by nature it obviously has everything it needs in the cave by means of protection and a dark environment. To complete the hat trick it gets food delivered to the front door. There are many simple ways to condition captive fish to respond to food when it is offered. I often tap on the rim of the tank 3 times with my wedding band before I feed a tank. I then immediately offer the food. Doing such, the fish quickly realize that they don't get food if I approach and don't knock. That way I can observe them behaving naturally and not begging for food like a tank full of juvenile Oscars at a pet store.
I think in Moontanman's case, his catfish learned to come out all on its own--during the day, and feed at the surface. Again showing the strategic placement of the brain being located in the stomach.
Thanks for the advice, I think what I'm going to do tonight is drop the pellets a good bit away from his cave and see if he eats them during lights on. If he does I'll drop them farther and farther each night until he surface feeds. If he doesn't, I'll starve him for a week and try again.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
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