Advice on influencing eating of other foods

[buruskeee]

I have recently picked up 4 Bimac Anthias and the 2 smallest are super picky with food - they will eat only frozen foods (shrimp or LRS is my frozen varieties). They will attempt to eat flakes or pellets but spit them right out.

Any advice on encouraging eating dry foods? I’m already soaking in Selcon or garlic for pellets. The flakes I use are garlic flavored already.

I’ll be on vacation in February, and worried my auto feeder won’t keep those 2 fed

 

[TX_REEF]

You could feed all types of food together then occasionally cut out the frozen and see how they react. This will sort of trick them into enjoying the dry foods.

Also be careful not to use garlic additives all the time, I’ve been told that it can be harmful to the fish’s livers in excess.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Effect-of-garlic-G-treatment-on-some-liver-constituents-in-the-fish-Chrysichthys_tbl1_313073034

 

[buruskeee]

You could feed all types of food together then occasionally cut out the frozen and see how they react. This will sort of trick them into enjoying the dry foods.

Also be careful not to use garlic additives all the time, I’ve been told that it can be harmful to the fish’s livers in excess.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Effect-of-garlic-G-treatment-on-some-liver-constituents-in-the-fish-Chrysichthys_tbl1_313073034

I’m mostly soaking selcon. Maybe once a week I’ll do garlic instead.

These 2 little fish like taste it then spit it out, but I’ll try mixing the foods again. I thought every fish gets hooked on TDO pellets from the get go - it’s weird that it’s the smallest ones that are being picky.

I went a day without feeding frozen but I get nervous because I don’t see them eating, not even pods I have that are always on the glass. So I give in after a day and just feed frozen. I wonder if I go a few days if they’ll figure they need to eat and don’t have a choice? I just don’t want them to die from starvation.

 

[Spare time]

I’m mostly soaking selcon. Maybe once a week I’ll do garlic instead.

These 2 little fish like taste it then spit it out, but I’ll try mixing the foods again. I thought every fish gets hooked on TDO pellets from the get go - it’s weird that it’s the smallest ones that are being picky.

I went a day without feeding frozen but I get nervous because I don’t see them eating, not even pods I have that are always on the glass. So I give in after a day and just feed frozen. I wonder if I go a few days if they’ll figure they need to eat and don’t have a choice? I just don’t want them to die from starvation.

They may not recognize it as a food item so starving them may not really do any good at all for convincing them to eat dry food.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Maybe the flakes and pellets are too big for them to eat comfortably.

 

[buruskeee]

Maybe the flakes and pellets are too big for them to eat comfortably.

Hmmm… I haven’t considered that. That would make sense when taking into consideration the larger ones eat everything. I’m using the small size TDO, but with the flakes maybe I can crush them a bit more than usual.