Dumb feeding question!!!!!!!!

[Hooperman42]

I have a 20L that I have a gorgeous betta and some bottom dwellers that all get along great. My little boy has a 10 gallon with some mystery snails and I decided to give in and let him get some fish. I have had tanks in the past and not experienced this before. There are just 4 cherry barbs and some cardinal tetras and using flake food. Since I dont do flakes in my tank I cant recall the last time I did flakes. Any ways they have been in since the weekend (the fish in his tank) and I have not seen them one time come up for food when I try to feed them the flakes. They are very very active and healthy looking but when I put the flakes in they just dart around about half way up and below and dont come to feed. Is this common with adding newer fish. I am assuming they are getting some of it when it sinks when I am not watching and know that Ill need to vacuum the bottom soon since I am not seeing any eating going on. What gives? I did a few sinking wafers that they seem to toy with but dont want to get in that habit. What do you think?

 

[tmfish]

I'm sure they are eating.
Try taking a little bit of flake and pinch it between your fingers and submerse your fingers in the tank and let the food go. this will get the food wet and down to there level. Observe to see if they are eating then.

 

[ashleynicole]

crush the flakes up really small and drop them in, they will eat them as it sinks to the bottom. You can also stick your fingers in the water and drop the flakes that way so it sinks faster. But don't feed to much! I really like the newlife spectrum pellets for freshwater fish. I buy the small pellets and all my fish love them. I alternate that with omega one flakes. Some fish don't necessarily come to the surface to eat.

 

[aqua_chem]

Also, cardinals are notoriously shy. Mine are still warming up to me.


Also, having your fish associate you with delicious food helps them relax, as you are probably the scariest thing to them. Mine dig brine shrimp.