How do you feed your fish?
- Thread starter Sidewinder
- Start date
sprinkle 1x per day....I turn off the filters to not suck up any food. I then normally sit there and watch them for the few minutes it takes for the food to disappear.
Feeding time is about the only time I actually see everyone with nobody swimming in plants or behind caves and such. So I find it a great time to take stock off all fish and look for any problems.
Feeding time is about the only time I actually see everyone with nobody swimming in plants or behind caves and such. So I find it a great time to take stock off all fish and look for any problems.
I sprinkle, the pellets fall to the bottom and most of the time the dwarfs are up near the top and catch some coming down and the sharks and Oscar and Jack like them when the are on the gravel. My Oscar loves to dig in the gravel for them he will watch them fall down and gets so excited when they hit the bottom.
Don't overfeed them, but make sure that the fish at all strata get to eat (don't forget about the cute corys--they're not scavangers....use A FEW sinking pellets). I also suggest using different types of foods for the different species (for example, if you have them, tetras are characins which means that they have teeth and short digestive tracks, so they usually require animal protein).
Also take into account that water temperature will affect metabolism (the warmer the water, the faster the rate that the fish metabolize the food and vice versa) so feed accordingly. If the fish are young, I do like the idea of several SMALL feedings throughout the day. Again, don't overfeed.
Bottom line, not an easy question, but one well worth asking!
Also take into account that water temperature will affect metabolism (the warmer the water, the faster the rate that the fish metabolize the food and vice versa) so feed accordingly. If the fish are young, I do like the idea of several SMALL feedings throughout the day. Again, don't overfeed.
Bottom line, not an easy question, but one well worth asking!
Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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- Paul
My food does fall to the bottom but I keep hillstreams, true SAEs and kuhlis so I have my own reasons.
The true SAEs are changing their habit of consuming the food. They've been feeding on the surface most of the time lately instead of grazing on the bottom.
I've got two swordtail fry that were the only survivors born in the tank a month ago. I grind up the flakes and add some ground brine shrimp to some water in a cup. Similarly, I draw up a dose of it into a syringe with the needle removed and squirt it in. The fry, the neons, and the cories go nuts over being fed this way. The other fish get sprinkled flakes and other treats.
Stasia
Stasia
i break up into smaller pieces and sprinkle on top. i use a long floating stick to block the outflow of the filter from sucking the food down. most of is eaten away very fast.
I feed different ways depending (naturally!) on food type.
For flakes, I crush them (a little for bigger fish, a lot for smaller fish) and scatter. Sometimes I release the pinch of food underwater so the bottom dwellers get some (banjo cats in one tank, cories in another). I don't do so if I feed pellets that sink though. I often leave my fingers in the water and let my fish nibble off my fingers.
Pellet/sinking food - toss it in. The exception is my carnivore food for my bichirs. I soak it in a spoon of tank water first to soften it, since they tend to (try, at least) swallow things whole.
Veggies, stick a fork in it, toss it in for the pleco.
Frozen: thaw in a spoon usually using tank lights for heat to speed things up. Then I dish it out between several tanks.
I usually feed once a day.
For flakes, I crush them (a little for bigger fish, a lot for smaller fish) and scatter. Sometimes I release the pinch of food underwater so the bottom dwellers get some (banjo cats in one tank, cories in another). I don't do so if I feed pellets that sink though. I often leave my fingers in the water and let my fish nibble off my fingers.
Pellet/sinking food - toss it in. The exception is my carnivore food for my bichirs. I soak it in a spoon of tank water first to soften it, since they tend to (try, at least) swallow things whole.
Veggies, stick a fork in it, toss it in for the pleco.
Frozen: thaw in a spoon usually using tank lights for heat to speed things up. Then I dish it out between several tanks.
I usually feed once a day.
