Tiny tetra mouths to feed

[gamma]

I've just become the proud parent of a little school of 5 serpae tetras, all about 1" long. (My first tropicals!) They reside in a 10g tank set up and cycled just for them, nothing else. My concern is that most of the food I bought for them seems too big for their mouths!

I bought them some TetraMin Tropical Granules and some Tropical Flakes, but only a small few of these pieces are small enough for them to eat, and the rest fall to the bottom or suck into the filter intake (I never have this problem with my Goldfish!).

Can anyone recommend something for these youngsters? I saw that Hikari makes a "Micropellet", but its hard from the catalogue picture to know if this is really any smaller than what I have.

Should I just keep what I have and sort out the smallest pieces to put in the tank, or is there a better way?! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lmw80]

I use the mincropellets for my tetras. Yes, they are very small, and my neons love them! I would definitly recommend.

 

[TankGirl]

Even the micro pellets might be too small for those serpaes at this point - Congrats! I have serpae fry in my 55 community and they are stunning wee bright red beauties, I know you are thrilled. Mine do not get any any special food because it is about impossible to single them out for feeding, but HBH makes a food called "Fry Bites" that should work, since you have a better opportunity to feed them in that tank.

 

[gamma]

Thanks y'all! I couldn't find the micropellets at my 2 lfss anyway, so it would have to be ordered, maybe when they're a little bigger. I'll look for the Frye Bytes.

In the meantime, last night I soaked part of a tubifex worm cube and poured those little worms in... they seemed to go crazy over those! Would that be okay to feed them daily, at least for one meal?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Hikari makes something called First Bites that I feed all my fry with. The grains are so small it looks more like a powder- and it's loaded with protein. Excellent fry food!

 

[vega]

Flake should be ok for 1".

 

[gamma]

I'm not sure I understand, vega. No flake until they're 1", or no frye food because they are 1"? The flake I've put in has some small pieces, but they seem to put those in their mouths and then spit them out again, like maybe they're too hard or something. But if I soak the flakes first, they drop right to the bottom before the fish come out of their hiding places to eat! (They still hide when I approach, my goldfish never did that either! Hopefully they'll get more comfortable with me soon.) - Allie

 

[dsmmrm]

I too have a small group of serpaes. I have always given them flakes, even when they were very small. I just crush them up a bit first in my palm with my fingers.

 

[TankGirl]

That's what I do - kindof making a flour out of the flake before it goes in.