# How did you train your Serrasalmus to eat prepared



## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

I have failed trying to train my Spilo, and many other rhoms, and Geryi to eat prepared food such as smelt and beefheart. I newly aquired a baby Rhom 4" and im trying to train it eat beefheart so i tank thicken it up. Any suggestions how i can get them to eat beefheart and smelt?


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)




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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

=( No one ever replies here


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

I would move it back so people will see it, but I dont have power in this forum. I know that many people dont respond much in this forum, but this is the place for this thread. Sorry. If Serra wants to move it back, he will have to do it. Its out of my hands now. Im sure that he will though when he sees this.

~Dj


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

DJ, how did you get your Spilos to eat prepared food?


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

My spilos where small when I got them. However, they took prepared food with little problem. I think the longer a fish stays in the wild and is used to eating live food, the harder it will be to switch them over.

If you have a single fish in a tank, it is pretty easy to switch them over. Just starve them for a few days. P's can go 2 weeks or so without eating. Try not feeding for like 4 days they add the meat. See what happends. If he still doesnt take it, let him go a few more days. If the fish is solitary then you dont have to worry about canibalism.

~Dj


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Yeah, i was thinking about that way. I just love feeding my pets. It probally the best part about owning a pet and its to see them eat. =( I can barely stop myself from feeding my pygos every 2 days.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Be consistent and don't give up... I have had greater success in starting them off with either chopped shrimp or salmon fillet. If they don't eat one, they will usually eat the other. I basically chop them up into bite-sized pieces and leave them there overnight if I have to. They are usually gone by the morning. If not, I remove it and wait a couple of days before doing it again. I've never heard of a healthy piranha starving to death. After I get them eating these prepared foods, I go on to add other fish fillet, beefheart and nightcrawlers for variety and they never see another feeder fish.

So far, I have gotten the following serrasalmus species off live feeders so this is not an isolated case: geryi, rhom, manueli, elongatus, brandti, purple spilo, gold spilo, and scapularis. It seems kinda harsh but if you don't give a healthy piranha a choice of live foods, then I strongly believe that they will eat the prepared foods.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Adding to what DJ has said, I think it works both ways. If you have a solitary fish, you can get away with feeding it less often to coax it to eat prepared foods. On the other hand, a shoal of piranha will offer competition so once one of them starts eating, the others will follow suit.


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

DonH said:


> once one of them starts eating, the others will follow suit.


 This is a very good point.

~Dj


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

InSinUAsian said:


> DonH said:
> 
> 
> > once one of them starts eating, the others will follow suit.
> ...


 i never thought of that. its a really good piont


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