fussy boesemani rainbows

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joannde

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Messages
1,726
Location
Clearwater, FL
I can't get these two guys to eat ! I tried my usual Hikari Micropellets and my regular flake foods just to watch them spit them out. I soaked some freeze dried bloodworms and those they took; they also like the dried "shrimp" if I break them up a bit. They've been in the tank a week and the only things I can get them to eat are the bloodworms and shrimp, which aren't nutritionally complete.
Is there any particular complete food that you've found that these guys like ?
 
We have some Boesemanis at the LFS I work for, and we feed them veggie flakes and New Life Spectrum small fish formula. They go crazy for the stuff. Are you sure you are offering small enough pieces? I've been told that Boesemanis have very narrow throats, and that they may have trouble eating if the food size is not small enough. :)
 
Most all rainbows have narrow throats. I tend to feed mine Hikari micro pellets and tetra color flakes, at times ill put some bio-blend in there.

-Pleco
 
The food is definitely small enough - especially the micro pellets. They just spit em out. I guess in time they'll figure out whats on the menu and learn to actually eat whats offered. Since your all feeding the same menu that I've been offering then I'll just chaulk it up to them not knowing that the Micropellets and flakes are food. Thanks for the input !
 
try fasting them for a day or two, and then offering them the micropellets.
 
Oh, I see. I have never used the Micropellets so I didn't know exactly what size they were. Just thought I'd throw it out there. I hope you get your guys to eat. They're starting to sound like Mr. Fussy!
 
They also eat veggies, so you might want to drop a zucchini or something in the tank and let them consume it when they are comfortable.
 
Rainbows in the wild eat lots of insects that fall in the water and such. Frozen bloodworms will get them eating. They may also like daphnia (frozen or freeze dried).
Aside from that, you can feed them live pinhead (small) crickets or flightless fruit flies. They will gobble those up. As for pellets, my rainbows only eat them while they are actually sinking. They will not eat things off the bottom. So I have to carefully drop one or two pellets at a time right in front of them for them to eat pellet. Flake, is a non issue, they do prefer high qual flake such as spectrum or omega.
For veggies, they also like to eat Lemna minor, Duckweed.
 
Well, one of them ate some flake food yesterday, but I think he ate it by accident LOL
No takers on the yellow squash from the rainbows
Micropellets can float right past them - they snub it
I caved and gave them more broken up "baby shrimp" - I'm a bit concerned about spoiling them and having them wait me out until I give them blood worms or baby shrimp

Duckweed ? LOL - no way am I letting duckweed into my tank

Tomorrow is green peas day - that photo of the rainbow with half a pea in his mouth is a hoot. My bettas do that all the time - they get greedy with their peas LOL
 
my austrailian rainbow and my dwarf blue rainbows love the micro pellets. Maybe they just have to get used to it? Which micro pellets do you use? I use the Hikari Micro Pellets.

-Pleco
 
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