Post Your Tips for Enticing Fish to Eat

KoleTang · Feb 12, 2014

I'm curious to hear what everyone's tips and tricks are to get finicky fish to eat. Foods, supplements, methods, success stories, links, etc. are all welcome!

Here are a few interesting reads to kick things off:

They all love the feeder - Reef Central Online Community

Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner

TJ's Reef · Feb 12, 2014

For me, by far the best in general for the largest variety of Fish species has been Red Nori with or without Garlic extract. Tangs, Angels, Wrasses and Butterfly's even seem to take to this IME before Mysis or Brine Shrimp. Second choice would be NLS pellets, when I collected all my fish in Hawaii 2 years ago got all of them eating this within 2-days.

Cheers, Todd

Eienna · Feb 12, 2014

Most of my fish completely ignore food that's not actively moving around. I have to leave my powerhead on.

mike007 · Feb 12, 2014

I have had new fish that would not eat anything that was offered and eventually died. Sometimes there is nothing you can do to get them to eat. That is reason to quarantine so that you can try treating them with meds.

Intricateart · Feb 12, 2014

It's hard to say without knowing what type of fish you are talking about. Some I would say live food, others garlic, others times I'd say make your own food with fresh seafood and add some garlic extract.

buzzword · Feb 12, 2014

I have gotten multiple leopard wrasses and anthias, some of the hardest to get eating on one thing to start: NutraMar Ova! NutraMar Ova and PE Mysis mixed In RO
water with garlic and Selcon. My go to to get almost anything eating. Not guaranteed but has worked the best for me.

Marshall O · Feb 13, 2014

Have other fish in the tank. I have found that competition will make fish eat much faster, or foods they would not ordinarily eat. I have kept a pair of small clowns in my 46 QT for the past few months for this reason. Basically dither fish. With them in there, it usually only take at most one day to get a new fish eating, whereas before it was up to a week or two.

Here is a video to show what I mean about eating foods you wouldn't think: [video=youtube;5fzYTxSz_Uk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fzYTxSz_Uk[/video]

Now I am not saying to purposely overtock your tank, just that a fish alone in a tank is not a conducive environment to get them eating.

eatbreakfast · Feb 13, 2014

I agree with marshall on this. Other fish is the single best thing for getting fish to eat. That and getting the food to get hit by the most amount of flow possible as this gets the food moving and gives the fish something to chase which simulates most reef fishes normal swimming response.

Eienna · Feb 13, 2014

I agree, with a modification. If the other fish eat too aggressively, the new timid guy may be afraid to get too close (or simply not manage to grab any before it's gone.)

Sometimes it's prudent simply to put a well-established but non-aggressive fish in the QT with them. That way, you get the benefit without the risk of either wiping out your entire tank with a disease or overwhelming the newcomer.