Sometimes things don't work out ..

[Brookfish]

A few months ago I was in my local LFS and I spied a beautiful
Clown Knife fish that someone had returned due to lack of tank space,
the CK was already 14" and growing, but the worst thing was that the
previous owner had fed it exclusively on feeder fish.
I got talking to the LFS owner and he said he was looking £40 for the CK,
But I talked him down to £20 by explaining that I would have to wean
it off live feeder fish etc..
Anyway I got the big fella home and put him in a 100g with some 4" convicts
(The cons were for size reference only, they were removed from the tank
and were not injured by the CK.)

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp277/fishpicsmike/GK.jpg

The CK as you can see was in great condition and looked very healthy,
it was also very active, but I wasn't prepared to feed it exclusively on
feeder fish, so here's what I tried ...

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp277/fishpicsmike/GK3.jpg

I didn't feed the fish for 3 days figuring if he was hungry he would take
another food source, but not Mr CK , It turned it's nose up at prawn,
shrimp, shrimp pellets, flake food, bloodworm and even earth worms
that all my other fish go crazy for ...

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp277/fishpicsmike/GK1.jpg

I tried to fast the CK for another 3 days, offered it all the foods again
but still no response, eventually I dropped 5 1" cichlid juvies in the tank
to see what it's reaction was and they were all caught and eaten in
less than 3mins

I had tried my best to wean the CK of feeder fish but things unfortunately
didn't work out, I traded it to a mate for a pair of blue acaras and he kept
it and was happy enough to feed it feeder fish.

A couple of questions ...
Is there a point of no return where fish will not change their diet
no matter what?
Is there anything else that I could have done to be successful in
weaning the CK of the feeder fish?

[rageybug]

I'd say that a knife of that age would be extreamly hard to change. It's feeding routine is pretty much written in stone a that point. Nice fish though!

[Brookfish]

I'd say that a knife of that age would be extreamly hard to change. It's feeding routine is pretty much written in stone a that point. Nice fish though!

Yes it's a pity I couldn't convert him, he was a beauty.

[Red]

You could do it. I have seen it with three year old Armatus that fed on feeders, but the person starved it for 2 months untill one day it accepted shrimp.. A fish will never starve itself to death and will take food sometime..

[rageybug]

If you had more time to invest and a load of patience you may have made some progress. It's kind of like getting an lion to eat salad...

[rageybug]

We used to have a 9" clown knife in a nicely planted 45g. It would eat just about anything we offered it, even flakes. We were away for 2 weeks on vacation and had our neighbour taking care of the pets. This neighbour was VERY new to fish but how hard is it to feed some fish right?

We came home to a wet carpet and a very sorry neighbour. As the story goes, the guy came home late from the bar one night and remembered he had to feed the pets. As he came in, I guess the dogs were happy to see him and jumped up on him. Being half corked, he fell over and knocked the tank to the floor. SMASH goes the tank and theres the knife on the floor with two excited dogs and three hungry cats in the room. In a panic he grabs the knife and puts it in the closest tank.... oops, it has a 11" red bellied pirahna in it. Thats the last anyone saw of the clown knife, and the last time we used our neighbour as a pet sitter.

[Red]

IMO a clown knife should not been in anyhting smaller then 250..

[Brookfish]

You could do it. I have seen it with three year old Armatus that fed on feeders, but the person starved it for 2 months untill one day it accepted shrimp.. A fish will never starve itself to death and will take food sometime..

Red i'm not sure if i'd fast a fish for 2mths, i'd be afraid it's immune system
would go and it would die, i'm not saying it can't be done, it just seems
a long time, did you mean 2 weeks?
In any case I could have fasted the CK for longer huh ..

Great story rageybug, not sure if i'd like to be coming
home to that mess though.:hmm3grin2orange:

[rageybug]

IMO a clown knife should not been in anyhting smaller then 250..


A 9" clown would look pretty silly in a 250g tank. I agree that a full grown clown knife would need at least 200g but it's a bit of overkill when it is small.

[rageybug]

Red i'm not sure if i'd fast a fish for 2mths, i'd be afraid it's immune system
would go and it would die, i'm not saying it can't be done, it just seems
a long time, did you mean 2 weeks?
In any case I could have fasted the CK for longer huh ..

Great story rageybug, not sure if i'd like to be coming
home to that mess though.:hmm3grin2orange:


The mess was pretty much gone when we got back. The carpet was still wet but the glass and gravel were cleaned up.

[Red]

IMO i would never buy a fish that i know will outgrow my tank and any other tank i have and plan on getting a bigger tank. Things happen, you don't have money, lose a job or something like that and then you have a fish that is being hurt and is unhealthy in a tank.. t is not "bad" for a fish, because getting it off feeders saves money and is healthier for the fish and could keep the fish from getting sick in the future..

[Dave66]

Clown knife fish reach more than four feet and have no business in anything as small as a 200 gallon. They are such powerful fish they'd burst right through a tank that small.
I kept an adult for years in the 80's, and it'd eat anything you put in the tank, including your hand if you weren't careful.
Mike, he's just being a brat. Wait about a week or ten days then put in some live shrimp in there one night. Larger peanid shrimp would be better, but healthy (ones with clear shells) ghost shrimp would serve.
If you put them in at night he'll see them moving when lights come up in the morning I'd bet his stealth feed behavior would follow.
Mixing prepared shrimp with live ones over time you can eventually wean him off purely live foods and get him on the prepared stuff which will enable you to keep him for 20 years, easy.
Clown knifes, and my adventure with the one I had are in my Oddball primer stickied in the 'other species' forum.

Dave

[Northernguy]

That is a stunning Clown!:22:
I had one for almost two years and it was a great fish.It use to swim through my fingers every night before feeding.It never took a bite.lol

You could have let it fast for awhile longer no problem.They would have happily taken the shrimp after longer.

[btate617]

They can go a long time Mike. I thought I was stubborn until I got into fish.... they out-do me by a long shot. When I moved my fronts about 6 months ago to a new tank, they did not eat for about 3 weeks. I would put food in.....watch it sit there for awhile...... then go scoop it out. no matter what I fed they wouldn't touch, by the way it was the same food they always ate, they were just pissed from being moved. You just have to out last them.

Brian

[Brookfish]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, they say you learn something new in this hobby everyday and i've got about a weeks worth in this one thread.thumbs2:

[rageybug]

IMO i would never buy a fish that i know will outgrow my tank and any other tank i have and plan on getting a bigger tank. Things happen, you don't have money, lose a job or something like that and then you have a fish that is being hurt and is unhealthy in a tank.. t is not "bad" for a fish, because getting it off feeders saves money and is healthier for the fish and could keep the fish from getting sick in the future..


In your opinion should people avoid getting any pet, or even having children just in case they lose their job and don't have money???

In my opinion this forum is for people to discuss fish and aquarium topics in a mature and respectable way. It is also my opinion that you should not pass judgement on people you know nothing about. What makes you believe that I am going to have an "unhealthy" fish or "hurt" the fish? I am well aware of how big a fish will get before I purchase it and have a full understanding of what my responsibilties will be down the road.

[Red]

I never meant that YOU were going to hurt the fish, and meant that if you got a fish that would outgrow a tank, and you didn't have a big enough tank for it and then got stunted which is hurting it because you didn't have a big enough tank for it. I "you" as a group thing, sorry that you thought i was just pointing you out.

[Northernguy]

I think all Red was saying is buy the fish for the tank you have not the one you plan on having.People have unforseen problems all the time.
It is a good rule to follow,big tanks can be very expensive.:22:

[rageybug]

I never meant that YOU were going to hurt the fish, and meant that if you got a fish that would outgrow a tank, and you didn't have a big enough tank for it and then got stunted which is hurting it because you didn't have a big enough tank for it. I "you" as a group thing, sorry that you thought i was just pointing you out.


I guess I misinterpreted your post...my appologies. I have found that many posters on here would rather tell you how you are doing this wrong than tell you how to do things better. Took it out on you.

[Deleted User]

That is one heck of a fish Sorry it didn't work out for you. Just for reference and I hope you don't mind. I got this shot at my LFS of a young one. :ssmile: It was only about 7" Can't get over somthing this small can get to that size.

But my LFS keep a big one in a display tank to put off people who don't have the means to keep them.:ssmile:

http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo119/Celticfinspics/youngclownKnife.jpg