Weaning Glass Cardinalfish-Apogon leptacanthus off of mysis to pellets or flakes?

[nightOwl]

I recently upgraded to a 180 and purchased my first fish 24 days ago. I ordered 8 Glass Cardinalfish - Apogon leptacanthus but 2 have died. One was DOA and the other that night. The six that are still around are doing well, but will not eat pellets or flakes . Whey they arrived they looked skinny so I have been feeding everyday trying to get their weight up. They are still pretty skinny in my opinion. I tend to like my fish plump. So far they will eat the following:

• Mysis Shrimp
• Cyclop-eeze
• Freeze Dried Mysis Shrimp
• Brine Shrimp
• Shaved Shrimp

It have tried soaking the food in garlic before feeding and sometimes they will try a pellet but spit back out really fast. I am using NLS pellets and flakes and feed once or twice a day sometimes. If they do not eat the pellets I then feed them what they like to make sure they are not going a few days without food.

Any tips on what else I could try would be very helpful. I want to try not feeding for a few days but because they are so skinny I am scared they will not make it.

Thanks in advance

 

[29reef]

Your on the right track, just give it time. With new fish it can take some time.

 

[nightOwl]

Your on the right track, just give it time. With new fish it can take some time.

29reef,
I know it will vary but can you give me a rough estimate on how long you think it might take or has taken you in the past. I have tried two days of not feeding and they still do not care for the pellets. I will try 4 days and see if they still ignore the pellets.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

did you try new life spectrum finicky fish formula? my LFS got his cardinals eating pellets with this stuff. Once they start eating those pellets they will really bulk up nice

 

[29reef]

I've had fish last as long as a week without eating anything. It really depends on the size of the fish. With groups of fish of the same species normally once one starts eating it's only a matter of a few days before all of them start to eat.

 

[velvetelvis]

A. (actually Zoramia now) leptacanthus are rough shippers. IME, they tend not to be as hardy as some other cardinalfish. If they're still skinny, I would feed them whatever they'll eat right now, and plenty of it. Worry about transitioning them to prepared foods after you've gotten them fattened up and settled in. The last thing they need to do now is fast.

 

[OodleyBoodely]

+1 definately keep them eatting and feeding minimum 3x day. Try feeding them through a rigid airline tube so they get used to grabbing the food as it comes out the end, then start slipping in some pellets until you fool them into taking it. Eventually they will start eating everything offered, but, for now, get them into shape and trained to take food from a tube so they stay healthy. Good luck with them! I'm planning on a group of orange-lined or redspots so expect to go through the same thing!

 

[pr12]

Try soaking the pellets/flakes in the mysis or brine, they might try it if it taste/smells like a food their used to eating.

 

[nightOwl]

did you try new life spectrum finicky fish formula? my LFS got his cardinals eating pellets with this stuff. Once they start eating those pellets they will really bulk up nice

Lynnmw1208 - I stopped by my LFS yesterday and they were out. I think that is the one with garlic in it correct? I soak all food in garlic but I will give that a try as well.

I've had fish last as long as a week without eating anything. It really depends on the size of the fish. With groups of fish of the same species normally once one starts eating it's only a matter of a few days before all of them start to eat.

29reef - These were pretty skinny so I am not sure they could make it a week. I added my old fish so I hope they will mimic the feeding of pellets soon.

+1 definately keep them eatting and feeding minimum 3x day. Try feeding them through a rigid airline tube so they get used to grabbing the food as it comes out the end, then start slipping in some pellets until you fool them into taking it. Eventually they will start eating everything offered, but, for now, get them into shape and trained to take food from a tube so they stay healthy. Good luck with them! I'm planning on a group of orange-lined or redspots so expect to go through the same thing!

OodleyBoodely - Hopefully your will arrive alive and not as skinny as mine were. I will give the rigid airline tubing a try as well.

Try soaking the pellets/flakes in the mysis or brine, they might try it if it taste/smells like a food their used to eating.

pr12 - I have tried that as well but these little rascals are stubborn!

 

[jenny1979]

My leptacanthus took nearly a year to accept anything else that living pods. And even now, after two years they only accept frozen pods as a replacement. No flakes, no pellets.

 

[nightOwl]

My leptacanthus took nearly a year to accept anything else that living pods. And even now, after two years they only accept frozen pods as a replacement. No flakes, no pellets.

I can attest to the stubbornness for sure. Out of my three old ones I have one that only eats Ocean Nutrition pellets for some reason...LOL. Now that there are nine of them I am hoping they play copy-cat and eat pellets!!!!

 

[nightOwl]

Picked up some Seachum Entice yesterday and hopefully this will help. I ran out of PE Mysis and these stubborn rascals are refusing to eat San Fransisco Bay mysis even though they are smaller. Hopefully they will get on board with the program soon! I purchased the big flat of mysis thinking they would take to the smaller size but I guess not all mysis are created equal! I have two that are getting skinnier so am getting a little worried. One actually keeps the pellets in his mouth for a few seconds now before spitting it out if I let the pellets soak in the mysis brine a few hours. Slowly but surely we are getting there.

 

[29reef]

Will they eat live black worms?

 

[nightOwl]

Will they eat live black worms?

I will find a source for them, try it, and let you know.

On a another note two capfuls of the Seachum Entice on the San Fransisco Bay mysis did the trick. Whatever is in that that stuff make them swarm the food. It did not work on the pellets or flakes though . They all came out like they would eat it once it hit the tank but then just let it go by them.

 

[borillion_star]

Not a glass cardinal here, but I have a banggai cardinal with the same issue. Won't even register NLS pellets are going in

Feeding a 4th of a cube every other day, the 2 clowns and the royal gramma go nutz. Is it ok to defrost the cubes and de-juice them before putting it in?

 

[reefjunkie42]

i just put 5 into QT and they are eating scruplia brine shimp with ease. IMO fish should be fed a variety of foods. Not just pellets or flake. Im sure many of you agree that a varied diet goes a long way.

 

[nightOwl]

Not a glass cardinal here, but I have a banggai cardinal with the same issue. Won't even register NLS pellets are going in

Feeding a 4th of a cube every other day, the 2 clowns and the royal gramma go nutz. Is it ok to defrost the cubes and de-juice them before putting it in?

borillion_star,
Do you have the banggai in a QT tank or in the tank with the other fish? I think it may depend on the fish. To this day only one of my cardinals eats pellets. The others like you say do not recognize its existence. I have since given up on trying to make them eat the pellets. For any cube it is a good rule to defrost, de-juice, and rinse before putting it i the tank. I tried soaking food in the juice and it did not fool them either . They are stubborn.

i just put 5 into QT and they are eating scruplia brine shimp with ease. IMO fish should be fed a variety of foods. Not just pellets or flake. Im sure many of you agree that a varied diet goes a long way.

Brine and mysis I have found is usually not a problem for fish to take to. It's pellets and flakes that people sometimes have the problem with. I feed a pretty varied diet I have 3 different brands of pellets (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, and Instant Ocean) , 4 brands of flake (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, H2O Life, and OSI), and 6 types of frozen (PE, H2O Life, Rods, SFB, Ocean Nutrition, and home-blend). My fish are pretty spoiled and I love variety .

The reason I want all my fish to eat flake or pellets is that I travel frequently and need someone to babysit the tank. I normally create little packets where they can just poor into the tank.

 

[borillion_star]

I have him in the main display tank, out of a weeks quarantine, just the one here I was told they don't get along with others of their kind unless its female.

Im just trying to get it to eat different things but it does not.

borillion_star,
Do you have the banggai in a QT tank or in the tank with the other fish? I think it may depend on the fish. To this day only one of my cardinals eats pellets. The others like you say do not recognize its existence. I have since given up on trying to make them eat the pellets. For any cube it is a good rule to defrost, de-juice, and rinse before putting it i the tank. I tried soaking food in the juice and it did not fool them either . They are stubborn.




Brine and mysis I have found is usually not a problem for fish to take to. It's pellets and flakes that people sometimes have the problem with. I feed a pretty varied diet I have 3 different brands of pellets (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, and Instant Ocean) , 4 brands of flake (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, H2O Life, and OSI), and 6 types of frozen (PE, H2O Life, Rods, SFB, Ocean Nutrition, and home-blend). My fish are pretty spoiled and I love variety .

The reason I want all my fish to eat flake or pellets is that I travel frequently and need someone to babysit the tank. I normally create little packets where they can just poor into the tank.

 

[borillion_star]

I have him in the main display tank, out of a weeks quarantine, just the one here I was told they don't get along with others of their kind unless its female.

Im just trying to get it to eat different things but it does not.

borillion_star,
Do you have the banggai in a QT tank or in the tank with the other fish? I think it may depend on the fish. To this day only one of my cardinals eats pellets. The others like you say do not recognize its existence. I have since given up on trying to make them eat the pellets. For any cube it is a good rule to defrost, de-juice, and rinse before putting it i the tank. I tried soaking food in the juice and it did not fool them either . They are stubborn.




Brine and mysis I have found is usually not a problem for fish to take to. It's pellets and flakes that people sometimes have the problem with. I feed a pretty varied diet I have 3 different brands of pellets (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, and Instant Ocean) , 4 brands of flake (NLS, Ocean Nutrition, H2O Life, and OSI), and 6 types of frozen (PE, H2O Life, Rods, SFB, Ocean Nutrition, and home-blend). My fish are pretty spoiled and I love variety .

The reason I want all my fish to eat flake or pellets is that I travel frequently and need someone to babysit the tank. I normally create little packets where they can just poor into the tank.

 

[nightOwl]

borillion_star,
You will find they are very stubborn. If you can get your hands on some Entice try that. I would try a few days without feeding then try some food soaked in entice. Hope you have better luck than I did.