The RES casually slurp it from the surface. They also swim in an undulating, porpoise fashion, taking one pellet after another until full.
I have started seeing a little bit of that type of pellet eating behavior in my pond over the last few days with AM500, I think they might be RES but can't tell for sure. It is just outside of where I have been feeding the other fish in my pond but in a shallower area.
Just an update on the training, quite a few of the RES in my larger tank are now taking pellets off the surface. I have a several RES that are approaching the 4" mark.
I am serioulsy thinking of putting them back in the pond in two weeks. One of the issues I have with the insulated tanks out in my shop are relatively low water temps, with the cooler weather here and 20% daily water changes my water temps have been consistantly in the upper 60's and low 70's. I think getting them back in the pond with higher water temps will help them grow better. My options are to either cage them or put them behind a blocking net and continue their pellet training for a few more weeks, or simply turn them loose. Right now I have huge numbers of fry and 1" GSH for them to dine on but pellets should be much easier for them to chase down.
