Will Tetras scavenge off the bottom for food?

[Scott1980]

I've recently decided to try the marineland Bio Tropical Food for my fish, it's the kind that you just shake and little pellets fall out. The thing is only a few float and the rest sink right to the bottom fast. I've got some Neon Tetras, Black Skirt Tetras, I've never seen them really eat off the bottom before. So do I just need to stick with the flake food that floats. Flake is fine with me, I was just curious.

Scott

 

[1veedo]

Feed them both flake food and the pellets, allso try to feed a variety. My fish like freeze dried blood worms and live brine shrimp on top of their tropical flake food. Allso I wouldn't think neon tetras would eat pellets to begin with :?

 

[lmw80]

I have neon tetras. They are mid-level feeders. I have never seem them eat off the surface of the water, but I have..during feeding, seen them eat off the bottom. I haven't seen them scavange for food on the bottom when it wasn't feeding time. I use flake food and micro-pellets (they go crazy for this!), they also like when I break up brine shrimp cubes. It's a must to vary your fishes' diet, so you should choose a few things your tetras like.

 

[Scott1980]

thanks all, that makes sense

 

[TankGirl]

I have those same pellets and only the cory cats eat them. They fall too quickly for the rest of my tetras and angels. I was very disappointed!

 

[lmw80]

Maybe you are putting them in too "hard". Mine are in a bag, and when I shake the bag to hard, the pellets come out too fast and sink right to the bottom. Try being more gently when you put the micro pellets in. My tetras do have to chase them, but it's their favorite.

 

[notmuffy]

If you are having a lot of food fall and stay on the bottom, I find that stirring up the gravel lightly after a couple days' worth gets the tetras' attention.

 

[TankGirl]

Try being more gently when you put the micro pellets in.

If you are talking about the Hikari Micro Pellets, those don't sink for me, but I am talking about the Marineland BIO-Blend pellets, which come in a plastic jar that you shake out. My fish adore the Hikari Micro Pellets, even my large angels, which still have trouble with larger sized pellets. That stuff is practically in powder form, and stays on the top with surface tension.

 

[lmw80]

Ok, I thought you were saying that you were dissapointed in the micro-pellets. Sorry about that confusion. I agree...they are wonderful.

 

[missyintx]

I've never seen my tetras eating off the bottom. Everything else in there seems to tho.
And maybe my Angels are weird but I see them picking at the bottom all the time.
They get Tropical flakes, frozen brine, frozen tubifex worms, dried blood worms. The angels and my other ciclids get all the above except their flakes are cichlid flakes, floating pellets and sinking sticks.

 

[Dimitri146]

my black phantom tetras usually eat the flake food when its falling. once in a while they will eat it off the bottom. they NEVER eat off of the top. whatever makes it to the bottom is for the frogs and the plecos.

 

[TankGirl]

Same here, and that goes for my black phantoms, cardinals and serpaes. That is what I love the cory cats for!

 

[darienne89200]

Tetras Do Eat From the Bottom

I had to see it to believe it, but my black neon tetras go down to the bottom to snack on the sinking wafer I put down there for my emerald cory. I worry that there won't be enough for the cory, but I'm also the one who severely overfed my fish to begin with. Now that I have put them on a diet, I'm sure this why they are desperate for food and feeding from the bottom, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, they are definitely capable of eating from the bottom of the tank.

 

[Brookster123]

13 year old thread!!! Put down the shovel and go get your arms wet my tetras will grab off the bottom if nothing is there to scare them off

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[skradtim]

I just feed mine the flakes. I never seem to notice my tetras scavenge anything on the bottom but they are also always well fed. I think most fish would try scavenging the bottom though if they couldnt find any other food source.