Anyone have any tips on teaching fish to come to the surface during feeding? I have black neon, cardinals, gouramis, and rams that are always hanging out at the bottom/mid area of the tanks and are oblivious to the any floating food I put at the surface. I can only get them to eat sinking algae pellets and bloodworms which is starting to get expensive.
Training fish to eat at surface of water
- Thread starter arlong1
- Start date
Thats weird for all those fish to do that....
Do mind telling us what size your tank is and how long you had those fish? Is there a lot of current at the surface? Actually I can't think of a reason for them to do that.....
Perhaps you should stop feeding them sinking food and just give em flakes. They will get the idea...
Do mind telling us what size your tank is and how long you had those fish? Is there a lot of current at the surface? Actually I can't think of a reason for them to do that.....
Perhaps you should stop feeding them sinking food and just give em flakes. They will get the idea...
You can do something to alert them when you are going to feed them. For example, Maybe you can put your finger in the water and move it around at the surface to alert your fish you are about to feed them. Or, instead of buying sinking food, get a cup, put a little bit of water in there, put your food in there for one minute, and then dump the water and food into the tank. I used to do this with my goldfish and it worked great. Good luck!
when i feed my tetras in the 75g, i tap (LIGHTLY) on the corner in which i am feeeding them at.. in less than 2 seconds it doesnt matter where theyre at in the tank, theyre in a frenzy at the surface, waiting for food.
All I have to do to initiate a feeding frenzy at the surface of the water is open the lid of the tank. All of my non-bottom-dweller fish (and even some of them) rush to the surface. I have 3" fish that SPLASH me in excitement.
I think that if you hold off on sinking foods for a few days, they will figure it out. It also sometimes helps to put the food in and back away (for nervous fish).
I think that if you hold off on sinking foods for a few days, they will figure it out. It also sometimes helps to put the food in and back away (for nervous fish).
I just take a pind of flakes, put it and the tips of my nails into the water, and let go. They slowly float down, 60% getting devoured by my neons and the rest going to my corys.
dvd_w & JRR are right - you could do something habit forming when you feed.
I turn my filtration off (internal filters). The minute it goes off the fish are all up and going crazy for a feed.
try just feeding flakes and see what happens. even if they dont go up to the surface, the flakes will still sink eventually and they will eat them. it sounds like that they have found out where all of the good food is, and choose to eat the food they like best, which in this case is the blood worms.
I got my fish used to eating at the top just by feeding flakes and other freeze dried foods often. After months of use they now just swim to the top when ever I open the tray.
But be cautious, fish like gold fish and other gulpers can die from intaking to much air from surface feeding.
But be cautious, fish like gold fish and other gulpers can die from intaking to much air from surface feeding.