tetra eating habits?

[themagpie]

Just got 5 neon black tetras for the tank. I've been using this sample of bio-blend tropical by marineland labs since they were bought on Thursday. I've noticed when during feeding they either don't see the food because its falling somewhere else or eat only a few specs that fall near them. I dont always have a clear view of them because they seem to like swimming in the shadier areas of the tank about half the time. I was wondering if tetras find/eat some of the food that's fallen to the bottom or on plants, or if they just eat what's floating around. I've thought about putting more food in to chance it falling near them, but im afriad that may be overfeeding.

thnks in advance
-maggie

(UPDATE)
i just did their nightly feeding and tried using a larger amount of food and more of it drifted into their space (they seemed pretty hungry). A large portion still slipped by them. Should i keep on pouring alot in and just vacuum the tank fairly often or maybe get some sort of cory cat?(if so, which kind )

-maggie

(another UPDATE)
the smallest of the group seems to hide more than the others. it will join the others when the two biggest go and swim by it though. does it sound like its stressed? or would it maybe benefit from a larger number of tetras?

 

[sir_dudeguy]

just wondering, where'd you buy them? i got some from petco (yeah, yeah...couldnt beat the price tho...) and they kinda did this, and a few of em died the first week, and then after that...well i'm down to 2 and i started w/15. as for the cories, i'd def. get some of them if you have room for them. i'm not sure wich one you should get, but i've heard nothin but good stuff about how they all clean.

 

[themagpie]

...yeah i got them from petsmart (cheap price ). looks like i might have to take them up on the 14 day guarentee. the 2 full grown ones i have look like theyre the most well rounded. i've had alot of time to watch em tonight, and that little one rarely comes out of hiding . too many sad faces in one post...

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

 

[hsherman1986]

give it a few more days. I bought my black neons from petsmart, and the smaller ones did this exact same thing. They would hide under the sword plants, freaking out. Only the smallest ones did this, the larger ones would be swiming all over the place.

after a few days, they would start coming out more, swimming around a little more, not as freaked out.

within two weeks, the smaller ones had almost doubled in size and were swimming around with the rest of them, just all over the place.

I would give it another week before you take them back. Just be patient and see what happens. If nothing changes within the next week, then take them back

 

[aquarist15]

...yeah i got them from petsmart (cheap price ). looks like i might have to take them up on the 14 day guarentee. the 2 full grown ones i have look like theyre the most well rounded. i've had alot of time to watch em tonight, and that little one rarely comes out of hiding . too many sad faces in one post...

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

Yea, i never buy from the large chain stores anymore since most of the fish will die on you. i walked into my local petsmart one day and they were taking out dead fish from tanks like it was the end of WW2. most died and people were still buying fish....

 

[joannde]

I got to one of the chain stores in the morning to check out some fish (not ready to buy yet, just getting ideaas) - UGH it was awful seeing so many dead fish. Really makes you wonder .........

 

[themagpie]

!!!!!!!!!! well, ive noticed pretty consistant behaviour from all the tetras today. i guess i was overfeeding them because this morning i noticed A LOT of uneaten food at the bottom of the tank. The water was also pretty cloudy. i went to the local fish store today (thank god) and bought a couple of albino cory cats. theyre busy little eating machines! the water is already much clearer and theres barely any stray food particles hanging around. theyre also pretty damn cute . thats all, just thought i would update you.

-magpie (maggie)

 

[AquaJoe]

Maggie;

All good things take time! That said, patience is the key. I am sure they will all come around eventually.

Cheers,
Joseph

 

[TwoHobbies]

Magpie: welcome

Don't be surprised if the corys slow down on eating. The LFS tend to under feed the fish (overstocked tanks).

A good rule of thumb. Only feed what your fish eat in two minutes, and give them time to get used to their new home.

I always wait 2 weeks between any changes in my tank. Patience it seems is the hardest part of this hobby for me.

 

[severum mama]

Welcome to AA Maggie!

All the tetras I've had seem to eat a lot more after they have had time to adjust to new surroundings. I didn't see my rummynose eat for nearly 3 weeks after I got them. None of the other species I've kept have taken that long to settle down. Most of them eat fine within a week or two. Your tetras will probably prefer to eat at or near the surface, so the Bio Blend food may not be the best kind for them. Do you have a flake food you could try? Make sure to crumble it so the pieces are small enough for the tetras to eat.

How long has your tank been set up, and has it cycled?