Blue Ram spitting out his food

[clawlan]

I found this weird. I feed my fish a variety of flakes (2 different brands), frozen brine shrimp spirulina, and frozen bloodworms. The German Blue Ram will suck in a piece of food into its mouth then spit it back out. Sometimes he will keep down the brine shrimp though. Any ideas?

[TKOS]

I often see fish try some food, spit it out and try again. Seems like they are tasting it to see if they like it first. Does he spit it out and not try again or maybe spit it out and then go back to try it a second time.

Also how long has the fish been in your tank?

[clawlan]

I often see fish try some food, spit it out and try again. Seems like they are tasting it to see if they like it first. Does he spit it out and not try again or maybe spit it out and then go back to try it a second time.

Also how long has the fish been in your tank?

well he will just spit it out then move onto something else, and do the same thing. He has been in the tank for about a week now. I will catch him gnawing at my cory's algae disks though. He doesn't look skinny and sickly so I'm pretty sure he is eating something.

[CaitxSith]

hmm... flakes? I say, try pellets... but he'll probably react the same way...

Fish get so picky when it comes to food.. but it makes sense why a vegetarian fish would get sick when he eats meat :huh:

[Star_Rider]

give it more time to get adjusted but keep an eye on this.

blue rams eat meat(and other things)

if it's out and about there may be no need to be concerned as it is normal for some fish to take time to gat accustomed to their new surroundings.

if it continues you may want to try other food.(black worms etc)

[clawlan]

hmm... flakes? I say, try pellets... but he'll probably react the same way...

Fish get so picky when it comes to food.. but it makes sense why a vegetarian fish would get sick when he eats meat :huh:

i also use new life spectrum small fish formula but he doesnt seem to even see them as they are floating down the tank.

[ChrisWalker]

My bolivian rams do this all the time. They'll only eat the Catfish pellets, or frozen daphnia. And often they take in a pellet and then spit that out. I think when they do it they are getting a little amount from it and then spitting the rest out.

[clawlan]

My bolivian rams do this all the time. They'll only eat the Catfish pellets, or frozen daphnia. And often they take in a pellet and then spit that out. I think when they do it they are getting a little amount from it and then spitting the rest out.

yea, i was thinking that also.

[Rbishop]

I think it is just a case of finding the right food. Not uncommon from my experience to see them be finicky until they are settled in.

[RustyRay]

I think you might be misinterpreting what is happening with your Blue Rams.

The Blue Rams might dislike the food, but consider another possibility

Fish often attempt to swallow food while they are still chewing previously swallow portions. This causes them to spit out the second portion. Fish also have to suck in water thru their mouths to pass over their gills.

Cichlids in particular have teeth in the back of their mouths too, called pharyngeal teeth in addition to their jaw teeth. This means they can chew and swallow at the same time. But if their mouths are full they are going to spit.

If you watch the Blue Rams carefully you might see them eating and spitting instead of only spitting, which is a sign that they are in fact eating the food and don't dislike it.

[wackydan]

It is normal. My bolivians do this... it means they are eating.

they will eat flake however, though they seem to enjoy very small pellets, and parts of wafers, they take those in and out of their mouth all the time. It is the way they feed.... and mine are quite healthy...

[Aquabach]

I think you might be misinterpreting what is happening with your Blue Rams.

The Blue Rams might dislike the food, but consider another possibility

Fish often attempt to swallow food while they are still chewing previously swallow portions. This causes them to spit out the second portion. Fish also have to suck in water thru their mouths to pass over their gills.

Cichlids in particular have teeth in the back of their mouths too, called pharyngeal teeth in addition to their jaw teeth. This means they can chew and swallow at the same time. But if their mouths are full they are going to spit.

If you watch the Blue Rams carefully you might see them eating and spitting instead of only spitting, which is a sign that they are in fact eating the food and don't dislike it.

I think RRR (Rusty Ray is RIght) I've seen this behavior from my RAM and she is happy and healthy. And she does spit it out and then takes it in again

[DeBree420]

my female blue ram LOVES frozen bloodworm and will sulk when i give her other food but she eats flake(powdered almost between my fingers), daphnia,brine shrimp and cory wafers

[Ulan]

I always thought that's the way how they grind down their food. They take a big piece in their mouth, crush and spit it through their teeth, and finally take up smaller pieces that they swallow. My tetras or guppies do that similarly, though less efficiently.

[sandyB]

My Blue Ram does this all the time! I have had him for about a month now and I never see him eat anything!!! Obviously he is. My other fish will take the flake in and sometimes break off a piece and the rest will come back out. With the Ram, I swear the same size comes out that goes in! So...if your is like mine, he isn't going to die. Somehow he gets food but I'm sure how.:huh:

[Star_Rider]

keep a watch..mine rarely spit their food out without sucking it back in .

keep a watch..they should be consuming..and acting normal.

they should not hide.

I have also seen this behavior in fish that had a parasite infestation and/or bacterial infections(internal).
make sure the fish are eating(key).

good luck