Feeding bottom feeders

Frozen blood worms will get the rams more active while feeding. They like to sift around on the bottom too.
Danios can be aggressive fish and your rams may be intimidated by them.

Hi I have 2 GBR's in an 80 gal together with large school of Rummies, Glowlights and about 20 Corys ( Juulii and Sterbai). The tetras are quick as lightening and leave nothing for the slower rams. I simply use the clear plastic, rigid tubing you can find at any Petsmart, Petco. As the foods slowly sink in the tube, the Rams have plenty of time to see it, and follow it to the bottom. I lift the tube just off the gravel so they can pick their morsels while the tetras eat flakes or other sinking foods in tank. This method gets the rams a shot at the frozen foods also, as well as delivering a clump of bloodworm right in the middle of the Corys! And after dark, the tube will let you target certain areas of tank without the food landing in the trees.

New Life Spectrum (NLS) works well for me. Small pellets, so if you drop them carefully they'll float for awhile and then sink a few at a time, so top and middle feeders get a good shot at them. But if you want them to sink quickly, you just pinch some between your fingers and put your fingers under the water. The pellets will then sink quite rapidly in a bunch and plenty will get to the bottom.

I use the first method in my main tank, firstly because no one can compete with the clown loaches who just vacuum up everything and literally run over the cichlids, and secondly because I want my juvi ebjds to get a good feeding, and they are willing to top feed! My smaller tanks get the second treatment so the food mostly falls to the bottom.

And every fish I've ever owned absolutely LOVED NLS!

rmcder said:

But if you want them to sink quickly, you just pinch some between your fingers and put your fingers under the water.

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I do this too, even with flakes - my tetras and ram both get more to eat this way, IMO. My ram also loves to sift around on the bottom for stray flakes or pellets, and loves to dine on the pieces of algae wafer I put on the bottom for my SAEs and otos.