Tilapia not hungry?

[Jim S.]

Sunday, I added 10 tilapia to a 240 gallon IBC tank.  Their size ranges from 7 to 10 inches.  I held off feeding till Tuesday and gave them 5 leaves of Romaine to start which they ate pretty quick and later gave them some Omega One cichlid pellets.  They ate the first bunch of romaine early on Tuesday along with some pellets and ate some more of the pellets later that night.  They seem really timid and came up for the pellets really slowly.  I had to watch in the dark with a flashlight.  Otherwise, they wouldn't come near the  top of the water to eat.  The tank is covered all around the side and on the top.

Wednesday, they didn't seem to be much interested in the romaine and it's still there today on Thursday.  I attached the leave to a chopstick with a rubberband and hung it in the tank at the top.  They ate some and seem to be nibbling here and there.  They ate a few more pellets Wednesday night and only a very few tonight.

I'm just wondering if this is normal for new fish.  The tank water is heated and was about 70F this morning but went down to 65 today with the crappy weather.  The Water chemistry is fine... no ammonia, no nitrites, and PH looks like 7.2.

I put an extra water pump in the tank to act as a water filter and the water is crystal clear today... some algae on the inside tank bottom and walls but just a film.

[Gina Cavaliero]

Hi Jim.  Your fish are behaving absolutely normal for having experienced a move and being in a new environment.  Typically Tilapia have an adjustment period that can last as long as a couple or few weeks after a "stressful" event and will not eat much.  Water temps are likely playing a factor as well.  70F is ok, but dipping into the 60's will definitely affect feeding behavior.  One other factor to consider is what they were being fed before.  You may actually have to retrain them to recognize and eat a different type of feed.  They can easily survive a couple to few weeks without food so don't be too alarmed if it takes them a little while to become acclimated.  

[Jim S.]

Well that's good news. I was scraching my head thinking "Now what?".

I sent an email to the previous owner asking what he was feeding them.

There were some good reviews about Omega One cichlid food.

What do you feed your's.

[Gina Cavaliero]

I still scratch my head from time to time!  ;-)  We use Aquamax PondPlus 3000 by Purina Mills.  The diameter of the pellet is a great size for Tilapia, floats a long time and is the price is good for the protein content.  Most any feedstore that carries Purina products can order it in for you.

[Jim S.]

Thanx again, The local supplier has the Aquamax for about $27 for a 50 lb bag.

[Jim S.]

Ok, they are much more spunky now ... lol.  My daughter really likes feeding them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9yyxJfhTXo&feature=youtu.be

[M Waialeale Sarsona]

This is great news. Our fish are behaving the same way, we thought they were sick. I didn't know we could feed them romaine. What other types of veggies can we feed them?

[Jim S.]

Romaine is all that they seem to like so far. I tried colliard greens and radish greens but they hardly touched them.

[matthew ferrell]

Romaine is really low in nutrients, starve them a little more and they will go on the other greens.  I used to zip tie green to the side of the tank, near the top so that I didn't have to chase the uneaten parts around the bottom.  It will also let you inspect the greens to make sure they are or are not eating them.

[Jim S.]

I use a plastic clip to hold the greens and just attach the clip to the top of the tank.

From what I've read, romaine is actually high in nutrients.

1 – Protein. Believe it or not, romaine lettuce is 17% protein with 7.7 grams per head. It is also a complete protein! That means that it has all 8 essential amino acids, 9% RDA of some and up to 26% RDA of others.
2 – Calcium. One head of romaine has 206mg of calcium (about 21% RDA). Blend it with calcium rich fruits like papaya and oranges and you’ll get more calcium than a glass of milk!
3 – Omega-3s. One head of romaine lettuce contains 44% RDA of Omega-3 essential fats. Forget the tainted fish oils, reach for some leafy greens instead!
4 – More Vitamin C Than An Orange. One head of romaine contains 167% RDA of vitamin C while an average sized orange contains only 92%.
5 – Iron. One head of romaine contains 6mg of iron, which ads a significant source of iron to the diets of vegetarians and vegans.
6 – Romaine Lettuce is Rich in B-vitamins: Thiamine (B1) – 38% RDA, Riboflavin (B2) – 32% RDA, Niacin (B3) – 12% RDA, Pantothenic Acid (B5) – 18%, Pyridoxine (B6) – 36 %, Folate (B9) – 213%!
7 – Water. One head of romaine provides 16% of your daily water needs with about 20 ounces of water per head!
8 – Rich Source of vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and K. As with most leafy greens, romaine is super rich in beta-carotene with 1817% RDA per head and has 535% RDA of vitamin K.
9 – Low Levels of Oxalic Acid. If you have problems with calcium oxalate kidney stones, romaine lettuce might be a good choice for leafy greens since it is very low in this anti-nutrient.
10 – Mineral-Rich. Don’t let the lighter color of romaine lettuce fool you. This not-so-dark leafy green is rich in minerals. One head contains copper (33% RDA), magnesium (22% RDA), manganese (42% RDA), phosphorus (27% RDA), potassium (33%), selenium (5% RDA) and zinc (13% RDA).

[matthew ferrell]

Sorry I was think Iceberg.  The other two should still yield more nutrients.

[Raychel A Watkins]

Mine will eat all the leafy lettuces, romaine, iceberg, manoa, red, but there is no way they will touch the mustard greens  or anything with the sharper taste.  they eat water hyacyniths, they eat BSF larvae and other larvae.  They will eat crumbled bread.  They eat duckweed, and azole.  But as I think Gina said you have to train them.  I start with the fry and put duckweed and azole floating on their water.  Eventuallty they eat it and continue to eat it.  I always give them live duckweed and azole as we can continue to grow irt all year.  They even eat well when the water is 60 to 65 degrees F.  It has been that way most of the times in the mornings here in what we call winter season. They don't seem to care much about the temp.

[Lonny Harper]

Raychel, what kind of Tilapia do you have?