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Can't get longears to eat pellets!?


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#1 ttman

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 12:57 PM

what are the strategies for getting longears to eat pellets? I tried starving them for 3-4 days but when I put in the cichlid pellets, they just look at it. they are 3-5 inches, home grown since 1-2 inches. they do however eat flakes, but I want them to eat pellets.

#2 kirby007

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  • berea ky

Posted 01 December 2014 - 02:18 PM

I'd try adding the pellets in with the flakes slowly going from flake pellet mix to full pellet

#3 Khai Wan

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 04:26 PM

I had the same problem with my longear(s). I put a few minnows (i.e. minnows eat anything you throw into the tank) into the tank to train the longear how to eat. It took them about a week to learn.

#4 Usil

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 05:11 PM

I started with flakes and they would eat them. Then mixed a few pellets with them and over time they slowly adopted.
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#5 ttman

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 07:29 AM

I tried the minnows thing; they ended up eating the minnows.

#6 smbass

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Posted 04 December 2014 - 08:01 AM

Just give it time, 3-4 days is not long enough for them to be so hungry they will try anything. If they get hungry enough they will eat them. Healthy fish can go several weeks without food before they really are in trouble of starving to death so if they don't think it is food they just don't eat. They are unlikely to switch instantly but in most cases it is more of a gradual change like others have described. Both having already trained fish in the tank with them and a gradual shift from one food type to another can help with training them to eat the pellets.

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#7 centrarchid

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Posted 04 December 2014 - 05:49 PM

Soak pellets with minimal amount of water and some flakes they already consume. Then provide only a very small amount of feed with each approach to tank. For better details call me.
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