Feeding Danios.

[Mako_]

I have 2 zebra danios and 2 leopard danios in my 10G tank. I have been feeding them tropical flakes, which are way too big for them to eat so I have to break the big flakes into smaller flakes. I have used tropical flakes since I got them which was last thursday. What else can I feed them? I have noticed that some people feed fish vegetables but I don't know if Danios can handle that.

 

[Tivaala]

normally theyll nibble bits off larger flakes so personally i wouldnt worry. vegetables are good for all fish - i always put some cucumber in my tanks, its soft enough for everyone to eat. what you maybe could do is give the tub of flakes a good shake (lid on obviously) so its all broken up anyway and all you need is to pinch abit out when you feed.
hope this helps.

 

[Mako_]

I'll try that. Is there a certain thing you need to do when feeding cucumber? Like wash it off? Would you wash it under tap water? And can you put a whole slice of cucumber for only danios even though they are always small?

 

[BigBear]

My danios also love the hikari blood worms. Usually give it as a treat once or twice a week to supplement flakes.

 

[Mako_]

Are they live, dried, or frozen and where can I get them?

 

[Tivaala]

you can normally get bloodworms and tubifex freezedried at petshops and your LFS. as for the cucumber i dont normally wash it, its sealed in plastic when i buy it and i just cut slices. i normally halve it or tear it open so they can get to the soft center easier but i have noticed if i dont they can still eat it. i noticed earlier i have a ring of cucumber skin floating in my tank where everyones eaten out the middle. you can get screws that hold the veggies in place but since dannios prefer the top levels of the tank anyway theyll swim to it as it floats.

 

[Mako_]

I should try that some time. I also heard that some people feed their fish peas.

 

[Tivaala]

yup. peas are also good for helping constipation issues. shell them first tho. fish arnt good at opening things

 

[Mako_]

Do you mean the pods that peas come in because whenever I get peas in the house, they are already out the pods.

 

[Tivaala]

here found this:

"The simple anatomy of a green pea is an outer shell, and two small buds inside. The laxative, and the nutritious part of the pea is in the small buds.
For this treatment, I use Green Giant brand "Sweetlets." To retrieve the buds, there are two different methods that I use. The first, and quickest way to do it is to squeeze the pea between your fingers. The buds pop out quickly, but they tend to fly across the room, occasionally hitting innocent bystanders. The other, "safer" method that I use involves cutting the pea in half with a knife and pulling the buds out. This is the method I usually use.
You may have to chop the buds finely so that they are small enough to feed small fish. This is simply achieved by chopping the buds up with a knife. Most fish will gladly accept them, and these peas are more of a treat to fish than a gross medicine."

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_constipated_fish.php theres pictures here aswell.

 

[Mako_]

So say when I get larger fish in the future. Would I be able to feed them the whole pea?

 

[Tivaala]

well youd still need to shell them and they tend to split into the 2 halves then anyway. but for larger fish youd prob be okay just shelling and not chopping.

 

[Mako_]

I just read another article on Zebra danios and it says that even the slightest trace of ammonia will cause bleeding in the gills but I got these fish because I heard from numerous places that they are hardy fish. I do make a lot of water changes so will this stop the bleeding if it happens? My ammonia is at 2.0 last time I checked.

 

[Crepe]

Brine shrimp, daphnia, spirulina, and flake are all good things to give. Might I also suggest that you add more danios? They get lonely easily.

 

[Mako_]

I'll probably add 1 or 2 more. I just need to stick with these four for a while before I add more to the group.

 

[Tivaala]

you need to sort that ammonia out or your going to hurt your fish hardy or not. 2.0ppm is deadly.