Seriously what pellets you guys are using?

[dzhuo]

A few weeks ago, I bought myself a little NLS pellets:

Hoping that my chromis viridis (aka blue chromis) and chrysiptera parasema (aka yellowtail damselfish) will eat it. I have 8 yellowtail damselfish and 8 blue chromis and I have been trying the pellets for 1 month: None of them touch the pellet once. They all ignore it. They eat frozen like a pig. I don't think these fish are particularly picky either. On top of that, my pseudanthias bartlettorum (aka bartlett's anthias) and pseudanthias dispar (aka dispar anthias) also do not eat the pellet but at least they would taste it and then split it right out. Given the popularity of NLS pellets, I am very surprise none of these fish would even attempt to eat it.

Did I get the wrong pellet or something? What pellets should I try for my damsels and chromis?

 

[dkanka]

You could try not feeding them for a day or two and that might spur their appetite. I use the same type of nls as you are using, and even my algae blenny eats them.

 

[LukFox]

How often are you feeding frozen? I've had problems where fish wouldn't try new things if I fed enough of the foods they were used to. Skimp on the frozen as much as the anthias would allow and always offer pellets first, and see if that helps. Also try soaking the pellets to soften them up first. My fish actually eat the pellets after they have fallen to the bottom and gotten soft.

 

[geaux xman]

I have 4 carberryi anthias that will eat anything frozen with vigor, but they wont touch pellets either. I've tried .5 and 1mm NLS pellets and the small Ocean Nutrition with garlic pellets to no avail.

 

[duncantse]

Don't give them any food for 1-2 days.

 

[geaux xman]

i guess i can try that. i've been feeding my anthis 2-3x/day heavy.

 

[geaux xman]

dzhuo, do your chromis eat NLS flakes?

when i had chromis, they ate .5mm nls pellets and NLS flakes.

 

[Apercula]

I've been feeding the 1mm NLS pellets for a few weeks now. Even my male lyretail anthias will eat them and he has been a picky eater in the past. I do have to drop them in a high current area to trigger him to eat them. The rest of my fish, including my female lyretail, eat them as they sink.

 

[rnscross]

NLS thera A .5mm pellets. IME thera A has more garlic, or at least smells like it does. I agree with the above posts about maybe laying off for a few days and only feed pellets. The other thing with .5mm pellets is i always put them in above my power head so they get swept up in the water column and move around the tank which seems to entice my fish as the pellets are moving laterally. but that could just be anectdotal.

 

[joseperezred]

Hello dzhuo, I know exactly what you are going thru; I had the same problem so I stopped feeding them the frozen stuff for about 3 days. On the third day, I threw in the pellets and they ate them just fine. I know have them on the pellets for three separate feedings throughout the day and just before the main lights go out I feed them the good frozen stuff... it is almost like a treat before bedtime lol...
Good luck, keep in mind it does take time to get them used to the pellets after having them on the good frozen stuff.

 

[Recty]

To get my anthias eating pellets, I mixed pellet and a mysis cube or two in a shot glass, let it all thaw and the pellets soak up the juices, then I would dump that mess into a paper towel to get off the liquids, then feed the tank. The anthias in their haste to eat would get pellets too, and I'm sure they tasted like mysis since they had been soaking.

Long story short, I did this for a little while then started putting in more and more pellets and less and less mysis. Pretty soon, my anthias loved pellets and that was all I would have to feed, I didnt need to keep adding mysis at all.

 

[LukFox]

To get my anthias eating pellets, I mixed pellet and a mysis cube or two in a shot glass, let it all thaw and the pellets soak up the juices, then I would dump that mess into a paper towel to get off the liquids, then feed the tank. The anthias in their haste to eat would get pellets too, and I'm sure they tasted like mysis since they had been soaking.

Long story short, I did this for a little while then started putting in more and more pellets and less and less mysis. Pretty soon, my anthias loved pellets and that was all I would have to feed, I didnt need to keep adding mysis at all.

Scenting the pellets is an excellent idea, I'll be trying this myself.

 

[d0ughb0y]

Fwiw, I feed nls and formula one pellets and I can tell the fish eat formula one more eagerly than nls. I think nls pellets are overrated.

 

[cjcmcheek]

i have had bad results with that particular brand of pellets

 

[GoingPostal]

I have the same ones, except a much larger container because I'd heard how great they were! At first only my foxface would touch them, now they all eat them, even my picky toby puffer, he eats them off the bottom. Was several months before the hawkfish and angel would take them.

 

[romanr]

The Elos pellets are really good. The Dainichi pellets are also a favorite of my fish. NLS finicky fish formula would be my third favorite.

 

[tcmfish]

to get my anthias eating pellets, i mixed pellet and a mysis cube or two in a shot glass, let it all thaw and the pellets soak up the juices, then i would dump that mess into a paper towel to get off the liquids, then feed the tank. The anthias in their haste to eat would get pellets too, and i'm sure they tasted like mysis since they had been soaking.

Long story short, i did this for a little while then started putting in more and more pellets and less and less mysis. Pretty soon, my anthias loved pellets and that was all i would have to feed, i didnt need to keep adding mysis at all.

+1!

 

[jjmcat]

The Elos pellets are really good. The Dainichi pellets are also a favorite of my fish. NLS finicky fish formula would be my third favorite.

Love dainichi pellets.I have even notices some of my lps corals eating them as well.

 

[SDguy]

My fish also enjoy RedSea brand pellets, in addition to NLS.

 

[mallorieGgator]

All of my fish love these pellets. I sometimes soak them in garlic, selcon, and zoe. Most of the time I just put them in dry and everyone will eat them. My Lubbocks Fairy didn't eat them at first but he is eating them now since I'm only feeding the tank once a day and then sometimes I will put these pellets in as an extra meal if I have time.