So, the last two times I changed my water, some old food and such got stirred up and most of it got sucked away. However, some stayed in the water and the fish seemed to eat it. I now have two tetra that seem pretty lethargic. I know that it could be from a multitude of other things, but does anyone else have fish that eat rotting/old food?
Fish eating rotting food
- Thread starter Erik713
- Start date
I'm sure every time anyone does water changes every fish ingests something it's not supposed too. I don't think I've ever lost a fish to this. Keep an eye on them, but I wouldn't be too worried.
It shouldn't be too much of a problem, fish are like babies, they put everything in their mouths. If they were eating something that was bad, I'm sure they'd spit it out.
Now the bigger question is, what can you do to ensure that there is no food rotting in your tank? Feed the fish less, fewer times a day, or find a food they like better. Everytime you clean and use a siphon to clean the gravel, you will stir up "stuff" and you can't get it all and some will settle back into the tank and some will get filtered and some will get into the mouths of the fish. Again, not a big problem as long the food's not sitting there too long.
HTH
Val
Now the bigger question is, what can you do to ensure that there is no food rotting in your tank? Feed the fish less, fewer times a day, or find a food they like better. Everytime you clean and use a siphon to clean the gravel, you will stir up "stuff" and you can't get it all and some will settle back into the tank and some will get filtered and some will get into the mouths of the fish. Again, not a big problem as long the food's not sitting there too long.
HTH
Val
Here's the thing - I feed them twice a day. The amount of food I feed them is basically gone within 2 minutes. They are eating it. The food does seem to sink rather quickly, but they even scavenge on the substrate for leftovers.
What should I do?
What should I do?
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Well, if they're eating all the food in a couple of minutes, which is the rule of thumb for the amount they should be fed, then is it really food that you see after you do a cleaning? If it is, then you may want to broaden your tank's denizens. What fish do you have? Most fish have strata of the tank that they feed best at; maybe you don't have enough bottom feeders???
Val
Val
First water change was 5 days after I started the tank. Second was the next day. That brings us to this weekend (I'm out of town). The next water change will be Monday (9 days after the tank was started). Water was a bit clearer after the second change. I'm hoping this next one will help even more.
As val said, this might not be food at all, just "stuff". You will always have "stuff" to vacuum up, the filter doesn't get it all. Your fish could be nibbling on microscopic life that is in it. I know my corys follow the syphon tube around when I am cleaning, as soon as I lift it to go to another area, they are there for the buffet!
That's a good point. I never really thought of that. Tomorrow is water change number 3 on day 9. I'll see how the water looks.
I changed the water again today (day 9). The "gunk" that was getting stirred up before did not seem to be as prevalent this time. The water also seems to be a tad clearer. The fish seem back to their active selves.
Thanks for your help, guys and gals.
Thanks for your help, guys and gals.