Re: NANFA-- algae filter

David Strickler (david.strickler_at_ncmail.net)
Wed, 21 Aug 2002 13:52:51 -0400

Wally and others,

I have employed the same general methods as Wally described with great success
with crappies (black and white), largemouth bass, and longnose gar. I have had
marginal success with redfin pickerel, and am about to try to switch chain
pickerels over to non-live food.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting any of the Esox to take any non-live
food? Any past successes would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

David

Wally Billingham wrote:

> Hi Robert,
> The trick I have used with the Crappies is the same I have used with other
> fish like darters. I also am keeping white crappies I do not think it would
> make a difference however. The first thing to do is get them when they are
> small. If they are more than a year or so old I do not think it will work as
> well. Then you start off by feeding live foods. Get them real used to you
> coming up and feeding them. When they begin to think of you as the dinner
> bell you are in. Then what you do is do not feed them for several days,
> during which time you also do not come near the tank. When you come by the
> next time drop some freeze dried krill into the outflow of a powerfilter.
> This makes the crill move around and even sink in the water. At first your
> crappies may not eat it. I then repeat the process again the next day, and
> the next until they taste it. If by day 4 they have not eaten it I will
> throw in a few feeders and then try again. The idea is not to let them
> starve but rather make them hungy enough to try the krill. Once they begin
> to eat the krill I make them eat only that for a few days and then toss in a
> few feeders a few times a week. At this time you can also try some cichlid
> pellets. This is where I am with them now.
>
> I have used this trick many times over the last few years. It also helps if
> you have fish in the tank that are eating the krill, as I think the fish
> learn from one another. For instance I have several Darters that tear up
> flake food. It now only takes a few days to get new darters to eat the flake
> when they can learn from others.
>
> Wally
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Robert Carillio <darterman_at_cboss.com>
> To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 12:23 AM
> Subject: Re: NANFA-- algae filter
>
> > > are also starting to eat cichlid pellets, and freeze dried plankton.
> >
> >
> > Wally.. this is amazing!!! I have never ever been able to get Crappies to
> > acccept anything other than live food! This is why I stopped raising
> them.
> > The tank was really getting messy with minnow scales flying everywhere.
> The
> > tank started to resemble one of those little plastic bubble things with
> a
> > snowman in it filled with water and glitter, and when you shake it up, it
> > looks like it's snowing! Are you sure they are actually eating the food
> > and not spitting it out???.. Please share with us what you did to get them
> > to acccept this food!
> >
> > Also, the descriptions of tanks sound really attractive! It's nice to
> see
> > people go out of their way to make the habitat in the aquarium reflect
> those
> > habitats in which the fishes are native to. This is attractive in itself
> > and really pulls the whole display together. As soon as you get the
> photos,
> > please post them so we can see! I think you also have me wanting to be on
> > the look out for beaver wood! :-)
> >
> > Rob C.
> --
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/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org