Feeding bottom dwelling fish

[Menagerie]

Normally when people ask how to feed plecos and other bottom dwellers, I say not to worry because the upper level fish never really eat it all.

My problem is 4 of my "upper" level fish eat food off the bottom too :x

My brackish tank:
4 Mollies
6 Celebes Rainbows
5 Bumble Bee Gobies
3 Flounders

Flounders are an ambush predator and the bb gobies are slow to eat. We tried using a clear tube to feed the flounders, but the Mollies were RIGHT there to eat the goods!!
It doesn't matter what I put in there, the Mollies eat it--flake, algae wafer, blood worms, other frozens, live BBS.... This is driving me nuts. I have gotten to the point where I turn all the lights off in the kitchen and put in food as I am headed for bed. But I know the Mollies are still there, because when I put my fingers in the water, I can feel them!
Suggestions please!

 

[LittlePuff]

Feed the others on one side of the tank and the bottom dwellers at the other.They can't be in two places at once. At least I hope not. 8O

Kim

 

[pkremer]

I have 2 yo-yo loaches as my bottom feeders, and I have no trouble feeding them. If they weren't getting food, they'd go up top though.

I am struggling with how to feed my chinese algae eater, 2 Oto's and Clown Pleco. Even with all those algae eaters, I still notice algae growing on the glass, so hopefully enough is growing in there to keep them fed. The pleco seems to spend most of his time on the wood anyway, only occasionally going to search for algae (and usually finding some). I have never been able to give any of the algae eaters a supplementary meal (algae wafer) because those loaches will ALWAYS get there first, even if I put it in there at 3 am! Don't they EVER sleep?

Paul

 

[lmw80]

I have a knight goby in my brackish tank. What I do is at the same time I feed the guppys their flake food, I put in a few sinking meat pellets for the goby. The guppys go for the flake first because it is floating and right there, and the goby can have his meat pellets.

As long as the bumblebee eats meat, this will work.

 

[Menagerie]

The bb gobies like meats and so do the flounder, but the flounders are the ones I'm really worried about. I never know where they are in the tank, since they can chage colors. Even with putting food right on them doesn't help. They eat at night and "ambush" their food. I am hoping the Mollies put our babies soon and the flounders and gobies eat them--we shall see.

 

[krap101]

mollies etc dont have suckermouths. snails on the other hand chow down on wafers.

ime molly's guppies and everything cant eat algae wafers or anything hard like that very quickly and that'll leave enough time for the other fish i think. but your mollies might just be slobs .

the baby molly thing will work 2.

the flounders at my lfs dont have sand (even though it might be better if they did) and the flounders are always on the glass (and kinda look like hillstream loaches just with wierd mouth placement)

 

[ferret]

All fish can (And in my experience), will, eat algae wafers, krap101.

 

[krap101]

very quickly

because my fish just peck at it and get full within 15 mins then my snail comes in and chows it down in like 30 secs lol

 

[BrianNY]

My suggestion would be to turn the lights out an hour earlier. Feed your bottom dwellers after the lights have been out for awhile. This should solve the problem.

 

[Menagerie]

That's when I ran my hand into a Molly last time. I will try, but the tank is in the kitchen, next to the livingroom, where my fiance watches TV before going to bed.

 

[krap101]

move the tank or get a backround facing the way the tv is . unlikely but lol. you could try moving the tank. or even better move the tv

 

[Cherry Barb]

Okay, first let me dispell a notion, not all fish eat algae wafers. That is a misconception. So, if you do not have fish such as SAE's that actually eat algae, then algae wafers are not a good idea. Also, algae wafers should not be left in the tank like that because you can introduce algae into a tank.

Second, I agree with Brian that I would turn out the light about an hour before I fed them. The fish will be calmer, less likely to look for food and then I would introduce a pellet that will sink and dissolve somewhat slowly. Personally, I would maybe even try the sinking shrimp pellets like you would for a cory. As they dissolve they will attract the bottom dwellers but they will dissolve slowly enough that the other fish (who may also be attracted) will not be able to gobble them up.

 

[Menagerie]

I may just take the @#%$@$% Mollies out.

 

[krap101]

i hear the call of a new tank

 

[Menagerie]

No can do! I have to make sure the heater isn't running in the 80 gal before I can use the microwave. The Mollies can live with in the community tank.

 

[hashbaz]

It sounds like you've tried almost everything already. Is it time for tank #7?

 

[ADCISCO]

I have tried all of the above with nothing really working. They say that fish are stupid....they are not!!!! I have tried feeding with the lights, without the lights...I have even tried doing it with a straw and shooting it right to my pictus....that can be dangerous...I almost swallowed a shimp pellet oneday....they DO NOT taste good!!!! I have stuck my hand in the tank with food and the other fish come up and take it before I can get it to the pictus! I
ve tried feeding the fish on one side and the pictus on the other ...they figured that out real fast....BIGGER FOOD!!!!! Yummm!!!! There isnt anything I have not tried.....other than taking the pictus' out of the tank and feeding!LOL Thats the reason I have lost other pictus in the past! But I just keep trying...I try to put extra in but it does work the pictus does get some but it goms up the filter....and I think that my pictus got desperate and even ate one of my cichlids!!!!!!! Now that is desperate! 8O

 

[krap101]

dont pictus's eat live food?

 

[ADCISCO]

Yep, They will eat live food.... but my fish dont give them a chance too!LOL I have even put worms in the tank and they were grabbing them as I was dropping them!!!!!!!! Its unreal the things that they will eat! Wish they could read! I'd put up a sign that said......Stop! Attention all top feeders.....do not eat ANYTHING that sinks to bottom and do not eat anything that moves or squirms....if caught doing so you shall be put in the penalty tank and get second rate fish food and no treats!!!!

 

[Menagerie]

Okay, first let me dispell a notion, not all fish eat algae wafers. That is a misconception. So, if you do not have fish such as SAE's that actually eat algae, then algae wafers are not a good idea.

This is true; however, many fish will eat veggies or algea wafers. Pea night at my house is always a hit in 3 out of my 6 tanks.

Also, algae wafers should not be left in the tank like that because you can introduce algae into a tank.

This is not true. Leaving food will increase your nitrates as the food decomposes (same for all foods). Nitrates are basically plant fertilizer and algae will use the nitrates as a food source.

The Mollies were moved into the community tank. This is too bad. I only bought the Mollies to provide live foods for my BW tank :x No offense to all the Molly lovers, but I don't care for them.