# Getting Reds Off Feeders?



## Crazewiteboi (Feb 4, 2008)

I just got my red today. He is 2 inches and still shy, hes been hiding behind the plants and whatnot.

The lady at the lfs told me they would give him one feeder goldfish a day and thats all they give him. Now I use to have barracuddas that would eat nothing but goldfish and it got annoying going to the lfs every 3 days and spending 5 bucks on a dozen goldfish.. So how long would it take for him to take pellets/frozen foods and the other good stuff? Right now i've got cichlid pellets, garlic flakes, frozen shrimp, frozen bloodworms..( other tanks).

So what should I use to get him off feeders? If I don'thave whats needed I can always go to the grocery shop /lfs.


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## Crazewiteboi (Feb 4, 2008)

No one has any tips?


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## MistaFishPimp05 (Jul 28, 2004)

dont feed him for a day and raise your tank temp a couple degrees...nothing too major and he'll readily eat almost anything you give him...try shrimp mine love it and its still fun to watch and promotes good health/color


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## Crazewiteboi (Feb 4, 2008)

MistaFishPimp05 said:


> dont feed him for a day and raise your tank temp a couple degrees...nothing too major and he'll readily eat almost anything you give him...try shrimp mine love it and its still fun to watch and promotes good health/color


Alright thanks


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## nygiants10 (Jan 26, 2008)

I thought goldfish where bad for piranha?


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## Crazewiteboi (Feb 4, 2008)

nygiants10 said:


> I thought goldfish where bad for piranha?


Nope, most fish stores and people only feed live fish. Except that usually results in a piranha dieing because one of the goldfish had a decease. Plus live fish are kind of low in nutrition..

Man its been 4 hours and hes still wedged between the heater and a coconut cave. And no he isnt dead, I poked him slowly with my finger to check if he was alive and he rushed to the other side, then went back..I'm hoping by tomorow hes going to start swimming around!


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

Red belly piranhas aren't the friendliest fish. Don't be surprised if he hides 95% of the day. Just don't feed your RB for two or three days, and then throw in some shrimp or raw fish fillets. You get a lot more for 5 bucks at the frozen seafood aisle then at any LFS.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

This is one solitary 2 inch redbelly you're keeping, right?
Kept singly, he will (for the most part) always be shy and reclusive, and piranhas don't like to eat unless they feel secure. And, since most piranhas feel secure only in numbers, yours probably won't eat unless the conditions are prime. 
The prime feeding window will be when the lights are off and when there are no disturbances outside of the tank. That's when he'll feel safe and start scounging for food.

Just before lights out, drop in bite sized chunks of frozen cod, smelt, catfish, nightcrawlers...or even floating pellets. He will eventually eat. Remove the leftovers in the morning.

Stop feeding live feeders. If anything, they're probably more intimidating to him than regarded as food.


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## Aaronic (Apr 22, 2005)

He can go a while without food and when he is hungry, he will eat whatever food you give him. Give him some good water and try feeding him every day. If he doesn't eat the food in say 20 minutes, take it out and try the next day. He will eat the food long before he starves himself to death.


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## Splooge (Jul 2, 2007)

yeah, don't worry about them hiding. When i first got my rbp's, one of them just wedged itself between the glass and power head on my tank and stayed there all day for a while, but after a while, they'll get over it....just may take a little bit of time.


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## waldron (Jan 15, 2007)

Here my 2 cents...

! never buy feeders again ,. one there doing nothing but harming the colouration and health of your piranha, 2 there are discusting for your water conditions, and they smell up water quick time ( if you choose to feed feeders double up on the amount of carbon in your filters)

Try not feeding him for a few days, ( and then do what serrapygo said) before lights out drop it in ,

also try dried blood worms, ( they tend to float, which will casuse the little guy upo and out of hiding.

Also i saw you said hes wedged between the heater and coconut cave?> ( i would highly suggest, going to yourlfs and buying a heater gaurd, the last thing you want is to have a nice burn mark on your beloved fish)


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

They can literally go days, maybe a week or two without food. Just starve him out until he accepts better food. It shouldn't take long at all!


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## waldron (Jan 15, 2007)

Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

^Coming from the guy with 11 adult reds in a 75 gallon. LOL. Buahhahhh ahhh ahh ha!


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## Aaronic (Apr 22, 2005)

waldron said:


> Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


Don't call people an idiot when you don't know what you are talking about. I have much more experience than you, and in my post I said clearly the fish will eat ALOT SOONER than it will die of starvation!


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## waldron (Jan 15, 2007)

Aaronic said:


> Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


Don't call people an idiot when you don't know what you are talking about. I have much more experience than you, and in my post I said clearly the fish will eat ALOT SOONER than it will die of starvation!
[/quote]

You have much more experience... ( i dont know how you figured that) .. and i dont know what i am talking about.. ok .. man ..

And to the guy who is bashing me about my reds in the tank.. lol .. it's funny how you all seem to think beacuse of research , you think each fish needs a certain amount of tank space.. it's an estimate done by some very intellgent people. but it's her say .. which we are all led to go by, .. so u keep your fish they way you want too .. and i will keep mine


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## Aaronic (Apr 22, 2005)

waldron said:


> Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


Don't call people an idiot when you don't know what you are talking about. I have much more experience than you, and in my post I said clearly the fish will eat ALOT SOONER than it will die of starvation!
[/quote]

You have much more experience... ( i dont know how you figured that) .. and i dont know what i am talking about.. ok .. man ..

And to the guy who is bashing me about my reds in the tank.. lol .. it's funny how you all seem to think beacuse of research , you think each fish needs a certain amount of tank space.. it's an estimate done by some very intellgent people. but it's her say .. which we are all led to go by, .. so u keep your fish they way you want too .. and i will keep mine
[/quote]

You just finished comparing starving a fish to starving a human being. Enough said.

If he was dealing with multiple fish in the same tank, then starving might not be the best idea. When dealing with one fish, like already said many times, he will eat proper food well before dieing of starvation.


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## waldron (Jan 15, 2007)

Aaronic said:


> Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


Don't call people an idiot when you don't know what you are talking about. I have much more experience than you, and in my post I said clearly the fish will eat ALOT SOONER than it will die of starvation!
[/quote]

You have much more experience... ( i dont know how you figured that) .. and i dont know what i am talking about.. ok .. man ..

And to the guy who is bashing me about my reds in the tank.. lol .. it's funny how you all seem to think beacuse of research , you think each fish needs a certain amount of tank space.. it's an estimate done by some very intellgent people. but it's her say .. which we are all led to go by, .. so u keep your fish they way you want too .. and i will keep mine
[/quote]

You just finished comparing starving a fish to starving a human being. Enough said.

If he was dealing with multiple fish in the same tank, then starving might not be the best idea. When dealing with one fish, like already said many times, he will eat proper food well before dieing of starvation.
[/quote]

well if you think so.. i treat my fish as i would my son, just because he wont eat doesnt mean you dont put food infront of him ... going a day without even putting a piece of food in front of him is neglect to a kid.. so why isnt it to a fish?


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## Aaronic (Apr 22, 2005)

waldron said:


> Do not starve your fish... (idiot)^^^^^^^^^ How would you like to be starved.. a day or two is ok . but not a week, if anything places some in and if in 20 min he doesnt eat take it out


Don't call people an idiot when you don't know what you are talking about. I have much more experience than you, and in my post I said clearly the fish will eat ALOT SOONER than it will die of starvation!
[/quote]

You have much more experience... ( i dont know how you figured that) .. and i dont know what i am talking about.. ok .. man ..

And to the guy who is bashing me about my reds in the tank.. lol .. it's funny how you all seem to think beacuse of research , you think each fish needs a certain amount of tank space.. it's an estimate done by some very intellgent people. but it's her say .. which we are all led to go by, .. so u keep your fish they way you want too .. and i will keep mine
[/quote]

You just finished comparing starving a fish to starving a human being. Enough said.

If he was dealing with multiple fish in the same tank, then starving might not be the best idea. When dealing with one fish, like already said many times, he will eat proper food well before dieing of starvation.
[/quote]

well if you think so.. i treat my fish as i would my son, just because he wont eat doesnt mean you dont put food infront of him ... going a day without even putting a piece of food in front of him is neglect to a kid.. so why isnt it to a fish?
[/quote]

A fish is very different than a kid. A fish can go days without food without any health problems at all, would you want your son going days without food?


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## waldron (Jan 15, 2007)

I wouldnt want anything in the world to go without food, so many people and things starve in this world.. man you and i just see different.. if i couild change the world i woould.. sorry i get offensive.. lots of fish keepers have their own tendensices.... that is why this is a fourm... it's for a muiltiplue anwsers// just cause i responed negativley ur on my ass.. thats your oppinon


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## Aaronic (Apr 22, 2005)

waldron said:


> I wouldnt want anything in the world to go without food, so many people and things starve in this world.. man you and i just see different.. if i couild change the world i woould.. sorry i get offensive.. lots of fish keepers have their own tendensices.... that is why this is a fourm... it's for a muiltiplue anwsers// just cause i responed negativley ur on my ass.. thats your oppinon


I hope you don't apply fish keeping skills to your kid as you apply fathering skills to your fish! I'm done. Good luck with your fish.


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## Justice. (Feb 4, 2008)

Crazewiteboi said:


> I just got my red today. He is 2 inches and still shy, hes been hiding behind the plants and whatnot.
> 
> The lady at the lfs told me they would give him one feeder goldfish a day and thats all they give him. Now I use to have barracuddas that would eat nothing but goldfish and it got annoying going to the lfs every 3 days and spending 5 bucks on a dozen goldfish.. So how long would it take for him to take pellets/frozen foods and the other good stuff? Right now i've got cichlid pellets, garlic flakes, frozen shrimp, frozen bloodworms..( other tanks).
> 
> So what should I use to get him off feeders? If I don'thave whats needed I can always go to the grocery shop /lfs.


frozen shrimp or medium size krill will do good also bloodworms oh yeah beef heart is one of thier favorites ^^


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Waldron, you call one more member an idiot your posting privileges will be suspended. Consider this a warning.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

Thanks Dr. Giggles! I was wondering when you would step in. Thank you very much. Oh, and well said, Aaronic


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