Rumpig Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Gidday,Just wondering how I can go about getting my sooty to eat feeders?At the moment he eats worms, pellets and all of my plants (there were a lot of plants! )I've tried not feeding him and leaving feeders in the tank but he won't touch them. He just ate all of the plants.... Have I been ripped off and sold a new age sooty?!?! Is there something I can do to save it's soul and convert it to cannabilism? :lol: Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 How big is it?Some species take a while to start hitting moving targets. Also how big are the feeders you are trying at present? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 I think you've been sold a Sensitive New Age Fish! :lol: Maybe your feeders are too small to interest him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E4G13M4N Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Although there is about 3 or so forms of sooty's i havnt come across one that doesnt eat feeders.. Maybe its just me but none of the ones ive had have eaten plants for that matter either , dug them up but didnt snack out on them .. What size is he Mick ?do you have a pic, maybe you got lucky and scored a butlers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Hi MickA friend had one years ago and that fish lived for summer when the Cicada are humming ........... mmmmmmm love those Cicada : L2H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
23Skidoo Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 There are different forms of Sooty? What are they and what are the differences?Have you tried using a small hookless fishing lure? Just tie it to a bit of line and drag it through the tank, get him fired up trying to hit it. When he's learned to have a crack at it, introduce a feeder or two (gambusia, baby gudgeons, convicts if he's that big) and then keep stiiring him with th elure if he doesn't take the feeders. Has anyone else tried using lures to see how their T'busters react? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpig Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 He likes dead things on the surface, I threw a piece of prawn in there this morning and he went beserk! Fins went up and he smashed it off the surface (then proceeded to chases the drops of water down the tank)I have a couple of sizes of feeders in there, from 5-1cm Both cichlids and gambusia. It appears to have befriended the cichlids : Unfortunately I am lacking a digi camera so no photos can be provided at this point in time.However, it is about 15-20cm long charcoal in colour, got a sort of brown coloured eye and a blue flash above it's mouth.I'll try the lure thing skidoo, My coal grunter used to devour sliders LOL It'll have to wait though as all my lures (and ultra light fishing gear is in northern NSW at the moment cursing as it's a perfect bass fishing day!!) It's kinda funny watching him eat individual tetrabits though Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E4G13M4N Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Hephaestus epirrhinos *Long-nose Sooty Grunter* WA probably not in the trade Hephaestus fulignosus *Sooty Grunter* Nt & Qld different colour forms, depending on location basically from brown/grey to black i have had some with gold or green tints to them..Hephaestus jenkinsi WA Used to be called Sooty Grunter now more known as *jenkins Grunter or Western Sooty Grunter* Hephaesstus tulliensis *Kharki Grunter* was named in 1884 but in the 80 or 90's was sold in small numbers as Kharki sootys, i read somewhere that scientist tried to change the name at that time to H. fulignosus and actually may have for awhile but then was changed back to H. tulliensis..By the book Freshwater Fishes of Australia ..Sootys eat frogs, invertibrates, algae and some plants..The ones i have had didnt eat any plants but either smashed any other living creature in their tank or devoured them, and didnt matter what size tank i had them in i had to keep them on their own, but others have had success keeping them with other fish.I always seem to get the nasty ones :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 hey mick,I've got heaps of sliders, lemme know if you can't wait and wanna try one out.Got some kalin grubs too Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_Gun_Riff Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 i remember my brother fed his barras cicadas and they would tak 4 at a time just so they could eat them later they would burry them very funny to watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpig Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 Gidday edward, what are kalin grubs?I think I might have a couple of sliders lying round collecting dust I'll give it a shot before I feed him.MickP.S. I tried him on a slider, he hit it the first time and was very interested in it, so I took it out and threw a gambusia in there, he rushed up to it fins up ("here we go" me thinks!!) and then stopped and swam away :o Disappointed!! Maybe I'll starve him for a while and once the rest of the plants are gone he'll have no choice but to turn on the small fish LOLWhat seafoods do people feed their fish?! I'm currently feeding him prawns. Can I use squid or occy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
23Skidoo Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Well if he went for the slider, my guess is that the gambusia,etc aren't enticing enogh, they probably aren't scared of the grunter anymore, so they don't have the speed to entice his strike, have you tried different coloured feeders? Sorta like matching your lure, Sword tails and mollys come in nice shades and they're livebearers so they breed pretty well, try a couple of the orange fellas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpig Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 I think it ate a sword tail today. It was VERY interested when I threw it in at first (chased it round the tank) and when I got home it was no where to be seen. So here's to hoping!I think I might bu another one tomorrow and watch them. If it gets eaten I'll start breeding them in the pond again :lol: Thanks for your help.Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Hi Mick,good to hear he has finally hunted down his own meal :lol: Kalin grub is thishttp://www.softplastics.com.au/shop/prod83.htmI use them when targeting flatties. My fav softplastic lure of choice :D Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
23Skidoo Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 Once they get a taste for feeders, theres nothing like watching them hunt!My sleepy cod cleaned up 10 2.5cm odessa barbs overnight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E4G13M4N Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 At least he has now had the taste Mick, should be no stopping him now it will now give you the excuse to breed feeders again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpig Posted December 20, 2003 Author Share Posted December 20, 2003 The pond will be full of happy little platties very soon Mark He eats pretty much anything, spiders, flies, moths. I've started hunting at night again LOL. Nothing is safe in our yard...... I chopped a gambusia up and threw the pieces in and he wouldn't eat them so I'm thinking that it might have something to do with the "smell" of the fish?!?! can anyone give any insight?Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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