Re: NANFA-- algae filter

Wally Billingham (wally_at_wallybillingham.com)
Tue, 20 Aug 2002 19:03:34 -0400

Hi Robert,
The trick I have used with the Crappies is the same I have used with other
fish like darters. I also am keeping white crappies I do not think it would
make a difference however. The first thing to do is get them when they are
small. If they are more than a year or so old I do not think it will work as
well. Then you start off by feeding live foods. Get them real used to you
coming up and feeding them. When they begin to think of you as the dinner
bell you are in. Then what you do is do not feed them for several days,
during which time you also do not come near the tank. When you come by the
next time drop some freeze dried krill into the outflow of a powerfilter.
This makes the crill move around and even sink in the water. At first your
crappies may not eat it. I then repeat the process again the next day, and
the next until they taste it. If by day 4 they have not eaten it I will
throw in a few feeders and then try again. The idea is not to let them
starve but rather make them hungy enough to try the krill. Once they begin
to eat the krill I make them eat only that for a few days and then toss in a
few feeders a few times a week. At this time you can also try some cichlid
pellets. This is where I am with them now.

I have used this trick many times over the last few years. It also helps if
you have fish in the tank that are eating the krill, as I think the fish
learn from one another. For instance I have several Darters that tear up
flake food. It now only takes a few days to get new darters to eat the flake
when they can learn from others.

Wally
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Carillio <darterman_at_cboss.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 12:23 AM
Subject: Re: NANFA-- algae filter

> > are also starting to eat cichlid pellets, and freeze dried plankton.
>
>
> Wally.. this is amazing!!! I have never ever been able to get Crappies to
> acccept anything other than live food! This is why I stopped raising
them.
> The tank was really getting messy with minnow scales flying everywhere.
The
> tank started to resemble one of those little plastic bubble things with
a
> snowman in it filled with water and glitter, and when you shake it up, it
> looks like it's snowing! Are you sure they are actually eating the food
> and not spitting it out???.. Please share with us what you did to get them
> to acccept this food!
>
> Also, the descriptions of tanks sound really attractive! It's nice to
see
> people go out of their way to make the habitat in the aquarium reflect
those
> habitats in which the fishes are native to. This is attractive in itself
> and really pulls the whole display together. As soon as you get the
photos,
> please post them so we can see! I think you also have me wanting to be on
> the look out for beaver wood! :-)
>
> Rob C.

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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org