# Feeding questions, big guy wont eat, little guys devour!



## aWhITExbOYz (Jun 4, 2004)

So like the topic says I have a shoal of 4 -1 in a hospital tank and for almost a week now the big 4" wont eat. He just stares at the food, and acts all territorial around it when the little guys are trying to eat.

In addition, it seems as if the big guy has caused some territorial behavior when eating, the little guys devour my shrimp feeding setup i have (pics will follow) yet dont attack it all together they take turns taking a bunch of bites then one will bully up and force the other away... the big guy does the same thing and will go up to the shrimp like hes going to take a huge bite but never does. He used to go to town after shrimp as soon as it hit the substrate, shoot entire pieces... He hasnt eatten for about a week now..

This has been going on for about a week, and the hospital tank guy just goes to town no problemo.. (making great progress too!)

I used a fishing line with a quick hook holder thingy??








The little guys eating...


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

I can't even see the fish in there

but just drop some food before you turn off the lights.. Put a lot more than normal and try to drop ot in different areas in the tank.. Everyone will eat


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## aWhITExbOYz (Jun 4, 2004)

Trigga said:


> I can't even see the fish in there
> 
> but just drop some food before you turn off the lights.. Put a lot more than normal and try to drop ot in different areas in the tank.. Everyone will eat


Ive been trying that for ever, the little guys have no problem eating, its the big guy im concerned with... What about the aggression the big guy is showing, without actually eating?


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## Demon Darko (Jan 28, 2007)

I would isolate the big guy until he is eating. He might go after the youngins,


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## aWhITExbOYz (Jun 4, 2004)

Demon Darko said:


> I would isolate the big guy until he is eating. He might go after the youngins,


Everything has been good so far in regard to attacks from the big guy, he just took a bite out of some shrimp today (at least i think, there was a big chunk missing so i would only assume) The p's seem to be doing okay... I just dont know why the big guy doesnt eat as much anymore like a week ago he used to hammer anything that touched the tank...


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

My larger piraya didn't eat for a good week when I first put him with the smaller piraya.. I have made some changes to the tank layout.. And now they all eat.


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## Armand_caribe (Sep 9, 2009)

As some days have passed by since the time you put them all together they all need to settle and then when they settle and establish some herarchies they will begin to act as a pack.

10 months ago I began with 6 RBP's and as they had been together since they were 2" they all were acting as a group with a herarchy and they used to eat pretty nicely as soon as I dropped some food inside the tank....

But then about 1 and a half months I introduced a caribe to the shoal and since then their harmony was broken. The caribe seems to eat just a little (at least I almost never see him eating) and what once was a bunch of starving piranha seem to have lost their apetite.

Things got worse regarding pygos apetite now that a week ago I introduced another Caribe and take out 3 RBP just to end up keeping 5 pygos in a 350 litre.

The first caribe has been behaving as you said your big piranha has been doing in your tank, he seems to rule the tank and doesn't allow the rest to eat freely but at the same time he doesn't seem to eat as well as he is supposed to...(at leats I don't see him eating but I supposed he eats because he is massive and seems to have grown since the time I introduced him to the tank).

Regarding the second caribe, after a week of having introduced him to my tank, yesterday was the first day I saw him eating a piece of white fish fillet, he is in fact sort of slim compared to my other pygos.

My point is that you should be patient, they need time to settle to act as a group of piranha is supposed to, It may take a week a month or even few months but at the end they will do it.

In the meantime you provide them with enough food and with some feeders properly choosen for them to avoid agression. And remember just be patient, P's can be without eating large periods of time they won't starve just be careful they don't kill each other impelled by hunger.

I apologize for the long post and I hope I have left my point clear.

Cheers.


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