Update: Finicky Snook

[Cloud-9]

I posted a message about 2-3 weeks ago about my picky fish. At first, it would not eat anything besides guppies. Sometimes frozen brine shrimp after its been sitting on the bottom of the tank for the better part of a day.

Anyway, about 2 weeks ago, I added 4 tiger barbs to his tank. Sort of like dither, except the Snook isn't shy. I'm hoping they would encourage him to take food from the water, as opposed to the bottom of the tank. He tried to eat one fish, but it was too big. Ofcourse, the fish died. But within two days, he was starting to take frozen brine shrimp as it is sinking, just like the barbs. This progressed. One day, I found one of the barbs with its head bitten off. The next day, another one. Until only one is left. The Snook has started to take food while its floating. It will eat a little flake even. I then added a small Green Terror and a pictus cat. Now, the Snook eats flake foods and frozen shrimp. He competes with the GT for the flakes and shrimp. My goal is to eventually get him to eat Jumbomin (when he gets bigger).

This was what I meant when I posted the message about "training" a fish to eat.

[scott]

Glad it worked for you. I have never heard of it, but I'm sure there is a lot I haven't heard of. Good luck.

[Mr.Jingles]

What is a snook? I thought those were brakish/saltwater fish found in the mangroves of florida...whats going on? how do you have it in freshwater?

[Tightdog1]

glad to find out you actually got it to eat sumthing besides them guppies, cause i bet that got expensive. hehe.
how big is he now?

[Cloud-9]

Scott: Thanks.

Mr. Jingles: I'm no sport fisherman or any kind of outdoorsman and, therefore, not at all familiar with what we know in the states as a snook. I suspect that this is just a common name they gave to this species of cichlid. I believe the actual name is petenia splendida. The red variety is from Belize.

Tightdog1: He's probably about 4" including the tail. Where he gained the most size is in his girth. They are naturally a compressed fish anyway. But he is filling out quite nicely. He's still quite picky with his food. I suspect he would not eat the pellets if the green terror was not there. Actually, the green terror eats most of the food in the tank.

[Rwhite8278]

Snook live in both freshwater creeks and saltwater in florida.

[PumaWard]

This is the snook he's talking about
http://images.sydneycichlid.com/S_snook1a.jpeg

It's called the Red Bay Snook, I believe. It's a cichlid.

[Rwhite8278]

oops...I am talking about a completely diff fish. Florida wild snook have an elongated silver body with a thin black stripe running down their side