Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

largemouth bass food

Started by Guest_Histrix_* , May 15 2007 01:52 PM

Please log in to reply

13 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Histrix_*

Guests

Posted 15 May 2007 - 01:52 PM

For those of you who keep largemouth, is it possible to get them to eat anything other than live foods? If so, how did you wean them off, and how long did it take?

Back to top

#2 Guest_sandtiger_*

Guests

Posted 15 May 2007 - 02:17 PM

I have a largemouth bass who eats pellets, so does by rockbass as a matter of fact. I think for the most part they learned from watching other fish. The trick is to teach them while yong, when young they seem to sample just about anything. It also seems to help if the pellets are soft. I have had lots of luck with two brands of food in converting native fish, HBH Supersoft Krill and Tetra Jumbomin Foodsticks. The rockbass would take these over any other, harder pellets. Other difficult to convert natives also will take these over other brands IME.
There are also a few tricks you can try such as slowly converting from live to frozen to freezedried to pellets. You can also try starving the fish into eating them by offering nothing but the pellets. Another trick is to mix pellets in with a food they will take and hope they ingest the pellets by mistake going after something else and thus they figure out the pellets are a foodsource.

Back to top

#3 Guest_Histrix_*

Guests

Posted 16 May 2007 - 11:51 AM

Thanks for the info, sandtiger. Two of the bass we're having the most trouble with are the larger ones (both ~1' TL). Hopefully we'll be able to wean them onto frozen soon... We're keeping the smaller bass in with some sunfish that seem to be accepting dry food, so maybe that will prove inspirational like you said.

Back to top

#4 Guest_smbass_*

Guests

Posted 16 May 2007 - 12:38 PM

I've never had much trouble getting Bass to eat pellets when they are small but as adults they seem to be a little more difficult to switch over. I think it would be good to try switching them to frozen first then pellets, especially with larger individuals, I could see that going more smoothly.

Back to top

#5 Guest_factnfiction101_*

Guests

Posted 21 May 2007 - 05:27 PM

I had the same problem with Small Mouth bass. They wouldn't take anything other than live food. I tried various things, except what has been said here.

Back to top

#6 Guest_Histrix_*

Guests

Posted 23 May 2007 - 04:50 PM

Well, the little one that we were keeping with the bluegills is now eating dry food

The medium-sized one is eating frozen silversides and krill, but the largest one still won't touch anything but live nightcrawlers and minnows. He also has some strange, recurring fungus that we just can't seem to get rid of. I'm worried he's not going to make it -- he also has an open sore on the end of his lower jaw that won't heal, and he seems to be getting skinnier and skinnier despite the fact that we've been feeding him regularly and treated him for parasites. Maybe the feeders are carrying some sort of disease that's making him sick.

Back to top

#7 Guest_centrarchid_*

Guests

Posted 28 May 2007 - 05:24 PM

Well, the little one that we were keeping with the bluegills is now eating dry food The medium-sized one is eating frozen silversides and krill, but the largest one still won't touch anything but live nightcrawlers and minnows. He also has some strange, recurring fungus that we just can't seem to get rid of. I'm worried he's not going to make it -- he also has an open sore on the end of his lower jaw that won't heal, and he seems to be getting skinnier and skinnier despite the fact that we've been feeding him regularly and treated him for parasites. Maybe the feeders are carrying some sort of disease that's making him sick.

Lower jaw problem. Sounds like bass rams structure side of tank. Try a night lite to see if wound heals. As for loosing weight even with feeding, try feding the minnows befrore feeding them to bass.

Back to top

#8 Guest_iturnrocks_*

Guests

Posted 05 June 2007 - 06:14 PM

I got my bass to eat pellets by starting with crickets. Start by throwing live crickets into the water so they make enough of a splash to get the bass's attention. Eventually start throwing pellets so they make a little splash too. Once the bass has enough time to associate a splash at the waters surface with food, he will be hitting pellets with no problem. Just be ready to get a splash in the face if you stand too close to the tank.

Also you may want to start with a meaty pellet like Reptomin. Then I went to Cichlid pellets, and eventually I had him eating Koi pellets.