Does anyone have any strategies or types on weening juveniles from BBS to pellets or flakes?
I have been feeding BBS since they were babies, but I can't get them to make the conversion from brine shrimp crushed pellets or flakes.
They are definitely old enough and big enough to eat the prepared foods, but I just can't get them to.
Any help would be great!

Thanks!

.. I kinda did it the hard way.

I just stopped the BBS and started feeding them the guppy bites..

*was harsh*

try hikari micro bites there green red and yellow for some reason i think the colors attract them like a bass or something i have never had one fry turn them down makes the transition go smooth for me here is a link with a pic of the stuff im talking about they love it.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/include/inc...D=1171253447573

Try hikari micro bites. Don't worried. They will eat it when they are real hungry. ;)

LOL thanks everyone!
I am going to try and get those my next petstore visit(whenever THAT will be....).
Right now, I have just been soaking Hikari Betta pellets in water full of bbs, so they will get the "scent" of it. :)

is it working? my fish seem to be lil piggies all the time i never had this problem knock on wood !

Umm... they seem to be accepting pellets now... as far as I know. The males are pickier then the females too. :)

Introducing Pelleted..

With my 2/3 week old fry, I have introduced the smallest sized Golden Pearls which is mainly a brine shrimp product that floats, there is also Atison's Starter which is smaller than the H. Micro, and then I use the H. Micro as the fry get larger. My regiment at 3 weeks is.. live baby brine in the morning, Golden Pearls around 2 PM and then vinegar eels around 6PM. I have not used microworms with these babies. I had a problem with fouled water... probably from overfeeding. I haven't had any problems with the fry making the change. I use the Atison's pelleted with the adults and juvies. I have just started culturing Grindal Worms - smaller than white worms and daphnia. The grindals are easy to cultivate .. you feed them baby cereal. The bettas love them. Having a few problems with the daphnia.

Pam

I've just recently seen a lot of people talk of feeding "golden pearls" to betta fry. What are they? Who makes them? And where can you get them?. I'd never heard of them until the last month or so.......I'm interested!! If it's something that they will eat, that is nutritionally good for them, and can cut down on the number of BBS hatchings I have to keep going ........... I'm definitely interested ....... Where Do I sign up?? :LOL:

AB always has some listed on the *other section * in the foods section i get mine thru (floridaguppiesplus) on there. :T

Gone to check it out!! Panic

I purchased my Golden Pearls from Kensfish.com

There are different sizes, but I wanted the smallest because I knew I had the Atison Starter and was hoping it was a little smaller. He carries quite a lot of fish items... not just betta. He does not carry Atison products.

Pam

I bought those micro pellets, and while I was at it, Mini Cichlid pellets

Do y'all really like those golden pearls? I didn't like them too much. I'm just curious. I know some people who swear by them though.

My new fry take in the micro pellets but then spit them out, all chewed up. I really want to get them off BBS soon because lots of the fry have come down with SBD.
What should I do now?!?!!?

Well, they are tasting it, but not liking it, cause the BBS is just so yummy.
Try skipping a feeding, and offering them the pellets.
If they don't eat them after about an hour, THEN give them the BBS.
The next day, wait alittle while past their usual feeding time (if you have them on a schedual) and give the pellets first, and again wait about an hour before giving the BBS.
That is how I do it.
Sooner or later they eat it, and not spit it out.
I noticed though, it is in direct proprtion to how hungry they are.

I actually... don't have a feeding schedule.
I tried it this morning when their tummies were small and they still spit it out. I then gave BBS, so I think that I am doing about what you are saying already.
Thanks!

Do you have any frozen foods?
If you have frozen BBS, you could try to put a little of the frozen in with the live.. That might help.
Whatmight also help, I know my babies like freeze dried blood worms.
Controversy aside as to it's safety, I find that most babies will eat it. If they will eat it, you can mix the lpelletss in with the FD bloodworms, and the scent might help induce them to eat.. You would mix up some of the FD bloodworms, and the pellets the night beofre, to give the scent time to absorb into the pellets.
They ARE tasting it, the trick now is to get them to eat it..
Also, I find that they prefer the guppy pellets more than they like the micro pellets. Some from Champion bettas might remember when I got my New Yorker juvie pack, and everything I went through to get them to eat, and they wouldn't eat the tropicals, but they ate the guppy pellets easily.
Don't fed them tomorrow morning, and when you go to feed them tomorrow afternoon, offer the pellets first, you want them good and hungry, and see if that will get them to eat. Again, wait at least an hour after you offered the pellets before you give in.. They will NOT starve to death, I promise.
Feed them after you get home from church. And see if they'll eat the pellets then.

Alright, I will resist(the urge to feed them, that is). :lolo:
I was contemplating getting FD bloodworms from the petstore last time, but I didn't.... Darn it.

:mellow:

Well, Sher., if you have a difference of opinion, I would be glad to hear it.
I just say what has worked for me. You might have another way that works for you, that might help Mumu get his fry onto pellets.

Yeah, Sherry, if you have something, go ahead and share. lol

i would deffinately go with finely chopped bloods first thing mumu just shred em up real small with a razor or very sharp knife once they start eating those good try the pellets therejust being picky on ya because they dont know any better lol all they seen come swimming by to eat thus far is the bbs so there kinda brain washed hehe. B)

With RC's two spawns, after they are a few days old, he suppliments the BBS with the artisions betta starter stuff, so they are really young when they go, "Eh, I'm a little more hungry, what's that stuff floating up their? Hhm, might be good... Smells good.... Eeh, I'll try it. Mmm, not bad!"

So while they are eating the BBS, they are introdused to non-live food, which I guess helps a little. The pellets are usually eaten. But you need to start that when they are young. But for now... Feed them frozen daphina or brine shrimp? After you defrost them and cyphon them in with the straw, they kinda float/move, so maybe that will get them more interested in other food? And don't worry about starving them. Most bettas that people own are over fed, and as long as they aren't BONE near death thin, missing a meal or two won't kill them! Just makes them hungry!

Well, I kinda starved them a bit, and from what I can tell now, most of the babies are eating the pellets. There are some that are still spitting them out....
... and the jarred fish are being little brats and not eating them. :rolleyes:

I've seen an occasional one be stubborn enough to starve itself rather than eat what it thinks it doesn't like. Silly fish.

I have 9 fry jarred and I will have more jarred tomorrow! YAY.... :D

Yippee yippee yippee!

I'm glad you posted this MUMU, I have only feed my babies Frozen BBS and always addd atison betta starter in there and they never really liked it, but Last night was there last night of Frozen BBS and today i did not feed them at all so they went hours and hours without new food, so this evening I feed the atison stuff an most of them chewed it and spit it out, :angry: But there 5 weeks today so I guess its survial of the fittest becuase thats all there getting now -_- Glad I read this post i feel better about being Daddy Dearest "No BBS" "NO BBS"

Just stay strong.. and if they won't eat, so be it.
Good luck!

I'm staying strong, it's hard but they all seem to be alive still mad but alive, ;)

*spit *spit
What IS this STUFF he keeps feeding us?
I don't know, but daddy might have finally gone over the bend
*spit *grumble
I'll tell you, if I were about 6 inches bigger...
*grumble *spit
At least it's edible
(barely)
Yeah, well, I don't see you starving yourself.
*spit
maybe if we give daddy pleading eyes...

LOL Belle!!!

I have noticed some in my tank that are MAJOR "Skinny-minis" so I think VERY few aren't eating the Micro Pellets... but like Belle said, "If they don't eat, why should we work to keep them alive".

:LOL2

I didn't say that..
Did I??
*goes to check..
No, I didn't.
But yeah, if they don't want to eat, they must not have a strong survial instinct..
Spoiled fishies.

Well noone has died yet :LOL:

GOOD!

LOL I remember you sayin' something along the lines of that on another topic/forum/ etc. lol Sorry!

:OO

Yeah, I probably DID say that at some point in time.. It sure SOUNDS like me, lol.