Fatty Tetras -- Overfeeding?

[Gill]

I'm the new owner of 10 neon tetras -- they're fun little buggers to watch!

I've been trying to abide by the "what they can eat in 2 mins" rule but its been tough trying to find the right amount of food. Half the time the flakes (which are rather large) end up getting caught in the filter intake so I'm forced to put another flake in. Is it OK to turn off the filter for a couple mins while they're feeding? Is this stressful for the filter? It's a typical Eclipse hood w/ the biowheel.

Most of the tetras are quite fat -- they almost look pregnant. They seem healthy and still chase each other around the tank, but their bulging bellies are a bit of an eye sore. Should I feed them only once a day? Twice a day with much smaller amount of food?

Thanks in advance!

 

[7Enigma]

Feeding frequency is entirely up to you and the tank. Some people feed once a day, some feed twice, some feed 3 times a day. Smaller more frequent feeding is ideal since the fish will only absorb a set amount of nutrients in a single feeding, the rest is just added waste (some gets converted to fat). If this tank is new and it is not cycled yet, I would highly recommend a single feeding a day or every other day until your cycle is complete (no ammonia or nitrIte present).

As for the flake size, I would recommend against feeding with a full size flake. I take the flake food and mash it in my palm like a mortar and pestle until the flakes are about the size of the fishes mouths when open. Then I put 3/4 of the dry flakes in a small dixie cup and fill it with tank water. This wets the food so it with slowly sink to the bottom giving ample time for everyone in the tank to get food (in case some of the tetras are more aggressive feeders than the others). The last 1/4 I put on the surface farthest away from the filter. You have no need to turn off the filter if you are not over feeding or throwing the food right into the intake of the filter. If your biowheel has a power setting, set it to the weakest during the feeding (1/2 flow or something), otherwise I'd just leave it on. Yes you could turn it off for a couple of minutes, but IMO its not worth it.

justin

 

[Gill]

Thanks! I'll give that dixie cup idea a try and see if they like it.

One more question I forgot to ask:

Is 82F (27.7C) too warm for neon tetras? The tank is naturally around 76ish but the guy I bought the fish from said 82 is ideal because it cuts down on parasites. Is this true? Seems rather warm to me, but I'm just a newbie.

 

[7Enigma]

A quick google search pulled up that they will be harmed/die at a temp of 84F. I would back the temp down to 78F or so. More oxygen will be in the water, and the fish should be happier. The reason the LFS recommended the high temp was to prevent Ich, but as far as I know you have to be above 86F for the remedy to work.

 

[Gill]

Yeah, I did a search a while ago and found that temperature ranges vary wildy from site to site. I'm going to stick with 82 for now -- they seem happy ATM. I guess it can also depend on the breeder of the tetras?

 

[Andos99]

I have 10 gal with a dozen or so neons....I only feed them once a day.....pretty sparingly.....they are very healthy, over a year old now.

 

[greenmaji]

they will actually live longer if maintained at 78 F.. there metabolisum slows down.
they should stay heathy and possibly more active at 82 though.. its the indiviuals call.