New baby false percs not eating

[Bogey]

I got 2 baby false perds yesterday and they are not eating the pellet food my guy at my LFS gave me. He told me it is what he feed them. They will put it in there mouth and spit it out. The pellet food is called Spesctrum Thera+A by New Life. So then I tried flake food and they wouldn't even touch that. Are they just being picky cause they are getting used to there new surroundings?

[David P]

How long have you had the fish? If only a day or two, that may be why. But you say they take the food in their mouth... Alot of LFS feed brine(why?). You may need to try this to start them feeding, but as soon as they do switch to something more nutritous like mysis. Are your clowns wild or captive bread? When I got my two, I (figuratively) ploped them in the tank and they (literaly) just hung there looking for food. I immediately fed them and they started eating before they went off exploring their new home. Good luck.

[Bogey]

No they are tank raised andd he told me what he gave me is what he feeds them. I just got them last night. I don't know I will call and see what he says. thanks though.

[Russ]

I have the same food, and my adolescent clowns can't get enough of it. I think the problem is that the pellets are too big for your clowns to swallow. They might be able to get it into their mouths, but b/c it's too big to fit down their throats, they spit it out in hopes that it will fragment into smaller pieces!

I have had my false perc for 3 months, and still I find it neccessary to crush the pellets into smaller particles, or they'll do exactly what you're describing.

[HungryHippo]

I had the same problem with my perc's when I got them. I tried alot of food but found they couldn't/wouldn't eat most of the flake/pellet food, even most of the brine shrimp were to big. I ended up feeding them black? worms, they LOVED them...
they started eating the other stuff when they got a bigger.

Best of luck.

HH

[DgenR8]

Chances are really good that if you just brought them home last night, they aren't eating because they are in a period of adjustment.