[ReefOcean]

I am not a big fan of the "hit or miss" theory behind animal eating habits. I think if there is not enough alternative food in the tank, or the animal hasn't been fully weened onto a certain food any animal will resort to eating anything it can digest, or fit in it's mouth.


If you take a look at most "feral" animals, they will always pick the thing they would naturally eat in the wild and have been trained to eat over something artificially introduced to the environment unless it is extremely convenient (Like laying a steak right in from of a bear) Many opportunistic hunters are trained to eat when convenient, due to food shortages but in the reef environment, I doubt this is the case for many animal where food sources are abundant. If you look at most carnivores in the reef environment, they tend to stick to predetermined prey, hence why attacks on humans are considered rare.


The biggest thing is, the animal needs to be weened onto alternative food sources prior to being placed into a system where organisms exist that might meet their nutritional requirements. I don't think "gambling" really plays a role, I think that what really determines the fishes eating habits is mainly how long it has been kept in captivity prior to you purchasing it and whether it has been fully trained to eat a certain food item over another food item. Also, that chosen food item must be readily available and easily accessible.