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Guess I shouldn't be surprised.


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#1 Betta132

Betta132
  • NANFA Guest
  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 19 April 2016 - 06:47 PM

Up until recently, there was a Mexican molly in my 65g. Big hefty molly species, big hefty molly. I thought I still had some more time to re-home it before my warmouth got big enough to eat it, but apparently he disagreed, as I am now minus a molly. A big one, too, only about 1" shorter than him, if that. Two days later, he was hungry again. 

His name is now Jonah's Bane. 

Does that impressive swallowing trick mean that he might need more to eat, or just that he's a greedy little spike-back? Because I'm not really sure how much to feed him. He'll gladly eat as much as he can physically cram down his throat, but I don't think that's quite as much as I should be feeding him. Right now, he's being fed every two-three days, varying amounts depending on how much he steals that isn't intended for him. I'm alternating between krill and silversides, whole ones for both. He's about 4" long, nice and fat, and he gets beg-for-food hungry about two days after being fed. I've just been feeding him when he gets really enthusiastic about begging, mostly. I don't want to be feeding him enough to get him ginormous, but I'd like him to grow to a healthy size and be fed well, and I'm not really sure where that point is. Should I feed him until his stomach bulges a little bit? More than a bit? 



#2 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 19 April 2016 - 07:32 PM

If he's growing and appears healthy; then keep on keepin' on with what you're doing. But don't let him eat quite so big prey if it can be avoided. I've found it's harder to underfeed a healthy fish than it is to overfeed one.
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#3 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 19 April 2016 - 08:24 PM

...or just that he's a greedy little spike-back?

 

Right now, he's being fed every two-three days...

 

Sandwich says yes, and yes... of course he is proud of being greedy... but he only gets fed every few days and never enough to make his stomach bulge.  I do think that slightly underfed is a better husbandry system than majorly overfed, at least for longevity.


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#4 Betta132

Betta132
  • NANFA Guest
  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 19 April 2016 - 11:04 PM

At this point, I've found out that there's no way for me to feed the longear sunfish any kind of large food. Fat little Jonah's Bane swipes the food out of the tweezers whenever I try, so now the longear gets bloodworms that are too small to interest Mr Ultimate Mouth. 

Everything else in the tank is at least twice the height of his mouth and will grow enough to stay inedible. The molly was intended to be temporary and be moved out later, but somebody had other ideas, evidently. 






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