Getting a Leopard Wrasse to Eat Prepared Foods

[Confuse]

I bought two blue star leopards, neither eat. They're in my 16g quarantine. With my potter's wrasse, I put him in the display and he ate within 2 weeks. I hate to do that again due to the risk of disease, so for the time being, I'm set on the quarantine tank. I have a rubbermaid tub full of sand for them to sleep in (they don't use it) and PVC. I know it's not the most comfortable environment, but like I said, I don't want to take a gamble and kill my display.

I've fed it mysis and it spit it back out, I fed it Fish Frenzy and nothing, I fed it brine and that seems to be the thing he "chews on" the most repeatedly, but then he spits it out. I also tried a mix of ROE and oyster feast, but no go. Seems like the brine was the one he entertained the most.

I've been also told to try live black worms. Just not sure where to get them, but it's on my list.


If you guys have any strategies or tricks to get your finicky fish to eat I'd love to hear them!

 

[Jlooney_4]

Have you tried pellets? My orange spot file fish didn't eat any meaty foods but liked spectrum pellets oddly enough.

 

[jason142]

You could try reef caviar from h2o life.

 

[Confuse]

Haven't tried pellets. Figured I'd start with the most natural looking stuff, but I'll try them tomorrow.

 

[Usingthejohn]

Try nls finicky fish pellets.

 

[Zoarder]

My anthias/wrasse always went after cyclopsis...

 

[Confuse]

My anthias/wrasse always went after cyclopsis...

Haven't tried that, but got some in the fridge!

 

[jesuses]

The one i had ate baby live brine right away

 

[BeanMachine]

My anthias/wrasse always went after cyclopsis...

Yep cyclops.

 

[Logan killer]

if you want it to start to eat frozen, or pellets. You need to put a fish that eat these from your dt to show it to them. My learn from my old flame wrasse to eat them. Usually when one start to eat, other will learn to eat also.

 

[noobreefer]

Im trying to get both my potter and blue star leopard wrasse to eat pellet. I feed pellets twice a day, my other fishes go crazy for it but the potter and leopard havent entertain it. They just go and pick off rocks and eat mysis. Im happy theyre eating mysis but i want to get them to eat pellets so i feed mysis every other day so they wont starve. My previous potter wrasse ate everything, it was one healthy specimen but die after it got stuck in between my frag tank and die

 

[Usingthejohn]

Im trying to get both my potter and blue star leopard wrasse to eat pellet. I feed pellets twice a day, my other fishes go crazy for it but the potter and leopard havent entertain it. They just go and pick off rocks and eat mysis. Im happy theyre eating mysis but i want to get them to eat pellets so i feed mysis every other day so they wont starve. My previous potter wrasse ate everything, it was one healthy specimen but die after it got stuck in between my frag tank and die

if you want it to start to eat frozen, or pellets. You need to put a fish that eat these from your dt to show it to them. My learn from my old flame wrasse to eat them. Usually when one start to eat, other will learn to eat also.

Read what Logan posted. My finicky wrasses did exactly what he posted. It took my potters wrasses about 3 months before eating pellets. Now they won't even look at frozen mysis.

 

[noobreefer]

Yeah both my potter and leopard are in my dt. I dont bother quarantining them since they are very sensitive . i feed them pellets evryday , they see other fishes eating but wont touch it

 

[Igarc009]

Ova!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tangwich]

I have had fish eat pellets before trying frozen and the last leopard i ate went after crushed pellets with a vengeance yet mysis and brine only semi aggressively

 

[Chefzilla77]

Sent you a pm.

 

[Rrocky]

mine just eventually started eating brine after a couple days. it was pretty stressful at first and i was tryin to spot feed him. sounds like hes on the right track if hes chewing and spitting it out. soon theyll just start swallowing it and going after it.

 

[Confuse]

Another question....Do you guys mix up the different foods or do you try it one by one?

 

[Usingthejohn]

Another question....Do you guys mix up the different foods or do you try it one by one?

All my wrasses started off on frozen mysis. The method I used was as following:

100% mysis for a few days/weeks. Then 90% mysis/10% prepared for a few days/weeks. Then 80%/20% mysis/ prepared so on and so forth.

After a few weeks you'll be on 100% prepared. The key is to slowly wean off frozen and introduce prepared. The fish need to learn that pellets/flakes are food.

Example: nori or algae grazer discs aren't a normal wrasse diet but now a few of mine eat them as they now know it's a food source.

 

[Zoarder]

Another question....Do you guys mix up the different foods or do you try it one by one?

I do, mysis, cyclops, spirulina, reef frenzy, then I add garlic and selcon.