Not to get off topic but everything you wrote is for the most part not true. Most people do not use the correct wattage or flow rate to effectively eradicate parasites with an UV sterilizer.
Semilavartus Golden Butterfly
- Thread starter ROBONE20
- Start date
Not to get off topic but everything you wrote is for the most part not true. Most people do not use the correct wattage or flow rate to effectively eradicate parasites with an UV sterilizer.
Big E
Premium Member
Like mentioned before, you need to buy some seafood at the grocery store. I fed my Semis scallops, shrimp, & clam mostly............freeze it & then chop it up in bit size pieces.They'd also eat frozen Formula 1 & 2..............never ate pellets or flakes. I didn't bother with mysis other than for a treat, cause it would never be enough to keep them full & growing.
Semis are not finnicky eaters & one of the easiest BF's to get eating.
Semis are not finnicky eaters & one of the easiest BF's to get eating.
I don't agree for a single tank. I think UV is great if you are sharing water across systems though.
ROBONE20
Member
Thanks Ed. I'll try the Formula 1 & 2 since my other fish in my DT eat it in pellet form already, then I'll head to the grocery store. So yours never ate pellets or flakes? I didn't know Mysis wasn't nutritious enough for growth...I guess I need to get hoppin to the grocery store soon. Thanks for the reply!
Big E
Premium Member
It's not that Mysis isn't nutritious, but that the fish need some food with more meat & weight to it. The raw seafood goes a lot longer on your dollar than commercial mysis.
They won't be plump & healthy & live long term lives for 10+ years eating mainly mysis.
I bet if you can get them to try pellets they'd eventually like them but mine would never even try them. If they are willing to sample them I'd say it's best to let the pellets soak real well & be soft before dumping them in.
I have a Muelleri BF that I've had for 6 years & he devours shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops ect. He'll eat formula 1 & 2 & also the Instant Oceon gel food that's out now. 90% of his diet though is the raw seafood. I throw NLS pellets in the tank every day for my tang & he has never once even sampled them. I stopped feeding him mysis when my last few Anthias died about 3 years ago. This Muelleri is plump & healthy & people that have seen him in person always comment how thick & well rounded he looks.
Another thing you can do once they are eating seafood well is make a mush combined of various seafoods & mix in some pellets & flake with it. That may be a good way for them to take some in.
They won't be plump & healthy & live long term lives for 10+ years eating mainly mysis.
I bet if you can get them to try pellets they'd eventually like them but mine would never even try them. If they are willing to sample them I'd say it's best to let the pellets soak real well & be soft before dumping them in.
I have a Muelleri BF that I've had for 6 years & he devours shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops ect. He'll eat formula 1 & 2 & also the Instant Oceon gel food that's out now. 90% of his diet though is the raw seafood. I throw NLS pellets in the tank every day for my tang & he has never once even sampled them. I stopped feeding him mysis when my last few Anthias died about 3 years ago. This Muelleri is plump & healthy & people that have seen him in person always comment how thick & well rounded he looks.
Another thing you can do once they are eating seafood well is make a mush combined of various seafoods & mix in some pellets & flake with it. That may be a good way for them to take some in.
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flameangel88
New member
My Semi won't touch or even look at NLS pellets and a few other brands. Recently I got a can of OSI Spirulina Pellets (med size) for the larger angels and the Semi started to eat off the water column but it prefers to pick it off the powerhead where there's almost no competition there. Still haven't seen the Semi eat NLS or other pellets besides the OSI.
ROBONE20
Member
Well that's definitely the goal to try to get them plump, healthy and live long term. I hope all my fish get to live long term. I want to be able to say I've kept my fish for a long time and not just a year LOL. But that's a good point to soak the pellets before I feed them, I'll try that too. I'll even try OSI since my buddy has some that I can sample. How often do you guys feed your fish? I've been feeding once per day, but have transitioned to twice a day since getting my anthias. Do you guys feed more than 2x for all your other fish?
flameangel88
New member
I feed 3x a day: AM. PM and before going to bed.
flameangel88
New member
My semi is finally eating nls pellets and like it a lot but still won't go after flakes yet. In November it will be 4 years I had this fish and it grew 1/2" the most. It looks nice and healthy so far living on frozen and nori but I'm a bit concern that the silver/grey around the gill cover isn't as dark as it used to be. I'm very happy to see it eating pellets and hopefully it'll grow a bit more in the years to come.
I know Big E had a semi for 6+ years on eating seafood, I would like to hear more success stories of semi living a long life in the aquarium and also what you have been feeding them. Thanks!
flameangel88
New member
Any update on how the pair is doing? I'm curious on how pairs do if they get pass a year. Most of the pairs I hear usually break up within 4 months.
Here's my single, eating well but no noticeable growth to speak of.
Big E
Premium Member
Hmmm, not my experience at all. I had two seperate pairs that were together their whole lives. I also had another two that I put together that were fine for years.
I think the reasons are fairly obvious why others may have had issues............
I bought 4 & they paired off naturally on their own. It was clear they were pairs as they hung together.
The Semis I bought back then were more mature so you knew right away if you had a true pair or not. I mostly see smaller immature fish being purchased now & two fish being paired by the hobbyist. You have to remember you only have a 33% chance of it working out with just two fish & being juveniles your not sure what you have.
flameangel88
New member
Hey Big E,
Yes, I read your experiences with semis and agree totally that the new pairs being put together are relatively small nowadays (more like 3"). Few years back I remember seeing mostly 4" and up but now the demand is for smaller specimens.
What do you consider mature from the wild 4"+ or 5"+ ? Mine is about 4.5" but given the odds I doubt I'll ever take the chance of pairing this one.
Yes, I read your experiences with semis and agree totally that the new pairs being put together are relatively small nowadays (more like 3"). Few years back I remember seeing mostly 4" and up but now the demand is for smaller specimens.
What do you consider mature from the wild 4"+ or 5"+ ? Mine is about 4.5" but given the odds I doubt I'll ever take the chance of pairing this one.
Big E
Premium Member
Just as a guess I'd say at least 4".
I remember years ago..........before 2000........ LFS & online vendors would get in large 7-9" pairs. They were spectacular......and reasonably priced.
There should be a demand for larger ones, because these fish seldom grow much in captivity. I imagine now with the costs of fuel & the large containers these fish require wholesalers aren't interested.
I remember years ago..........before 2000........ LFS & online vendors would get in large 7-9" pairs. They were spectacular......and reasonably priced.
There should be a demand for larger ones, because these fish seldom grow much in captivity. I imagine now with the costs of fuel & the large containers these fish require wholesalers aren't interested.
ROBONE20
Member
Well I'm bringing this thread back up from the past. My first pair that I purchased back then didn't end up making it through the transition to the DT. Both were eating fine while in the DT, but they died one right after the other after a few weeks of each other. Not sure why, since they were both eating, but I'm ready to try it one more time. I got a pair coming to me next week from Pacific Island Aquatics. Both are about 3.5", and they were sold to me as a pair. From what was mentioned by the seller, they are eating pellets. Hopefully I will have better success this time around.
flameangel88
New member
Sorry to hear about the previous pair but congrat on the new pair. I came close getting them from PIA because the size was right and and the price wasn't bad. Once settled in they are pretty hardy, mine been with me since Nov 2007 and didn't eat pellets till recently and the last couple of months I noticed growth where the previous 3.5+ years may have only grown 1/2". It's close to 5" now.
ROBONE20
Member
Well hopefully they will continue to eat pellets when I get them. They are supposed to arrive on Wednesday (next week) so I'm really anxious and nervous at the same time - hoping they arrive safely. I've never ordered from PIA, but when I saw that it was a pair I had to jump on it. I also bought the Moorish Idol as well (sold to me as eating pellets). Along with a Flame, Potters, and Juv Goldflake.
Flameangel88 and SDguy - what other tankmates do you have your Semi's in with? And what size tank do you have them in?
Flameangel88 and SDguy - what other tankmates do you have your Semi's in with? And what size tank do you have them in?
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