Can someone tell me how u start to handfeed cichlids like reddevils and oscars.I really want to try it.
how to handfeed
- Thread starter exotic_keeper
- Start date
i started hand feeding by dangling worms over the top of the water and my oscar would jump out and snatch it know he just grabs it out of my hand even if its underwater, i guess the fish has to feel unthreatened by your hand and it will
If you want to handfeed your fish, the first thing is making friends with them. I know this might sound a little on the weird side, but it really is true. Always feed them at the same spot in the tank. They will soon learn that is where the food comes from. Fish are not stupid and will quickly learn when you come around the food also comes. When you drop the food in, let your fingers touch the water. Then as time goes on, continue to put your fingers in the tank until you have your whole hand under the water with food still in your hand. Let the food fall out of your hand and be very careful not to make any quick movements, as this will scare them and prolong the process. After a while your fish will start coming closer and closer to your hand at feeding time. Sooner or later they will be eating out of your hands. My group of clown loaches caught on rather quickly. They were swimming around and in between my fingers in just a couple weeks!
it really works well with your fish if they are babies when you start. I did this with my fish and they were eating out of my hands really quickly but after a while i got bored with it and didnt like putting my hand in the tank everyday so i stopped and now if i put my hand in to do something such as change the rocks around they run away from me
I have a 2600 gallon outdoor pond but i am 2 nervous to hand feed them because i dont want them to be too friendly to anything that comes near the edge such as a racoon. I dont want to waste hundreds of dollars just to feed a racoon