Feeding

[NinjaTetra]

In my 37 gallon, I have black neons, corydoras habrosus, some endlers, and hatchetfish. They are all now EXTREMELY competitive for food, and I am now feeding them twice a day vs once. The guppies are actually picking at the corys large sinking pellets, and one of the tetras followed suit. The second I drop food in, the hatchetfish and any other fish near the top are in a massive swarm, and I've seen food stolen out of another fish's mouth... Is that usual? The tetras were fairly slow eaters before I got the other fish. I switch between small round pellets, flakes, and sometimes I grind up freeze dried shrimp. Is there anything I can do to calm the greedy guppies in particular?

 

[CCXGT]

Well I had the same "problem" as well, especially with flakes.

All I do is try to disperse the food throughout the tank, make sure the flakes are crushed and sprinkled on one side of the tank and let some sink on the other.

As far as the pellets go, are the Cories getting enough food? If they are still eating well then I wouldn't worry. Guppies are always a nuisance.

If you are worried you can get stick-on food, they are basically tablets that stick on the side of the tank for the fish to nibble as they please.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Well the corys usually get a flake thats sunk on flake days or a few of the tiny round pellets on pellet days, plus I break one large catfish pellet and disperse it, and when its all gone I put another in (takes a day usually). They are small corys so its not like their getting a fraction of the food they should be... So this is just how tanks are, I'm assuming. Ive never had more than one species at a time before so nice to know

 

[Alan79]

You could also try feeding an algae wafer that will be large enough to sink without being eaten.

 

[pip walters]

As stated above, the stick on tablets are great as kt allows the fish to graze at will once the initial frenzy has died down, as the tablets.remain fairly solid on the glass.

You should always feed your fish little and often. You can feed as much as they will eat within 2minutes or so and do this four or five times per day. This will also benefit your water quality as ammonia production is spread over a longer period and in smaller amounts, allowing nitrifying bacteria to deal with it more efficiently.

 

[sallyjano]

I was also worried about my cories for the same reason. I already had sinking pellets but the other fish were eating those also. So did some online research and someone said that you should put a few pellets in the tank as you go to bed. Apparently cories are night feeders and so if you put the pellets in the tank in the dark, hopefully it will be the cories and not the greedy others that get them.

 

[pip walters]

I was also worried about my cories for the same reason. I already had sinking pellets but the other fish were eating those also. So did some online research and someone said that you should put a few pellets in the tank as you go to bed. Apparently cories are night feeders and so if you put the pellets in the tank in the dark, hopefully it will be the cories and not the greedy others that get them.

Cories... night feeders.... that's a new one! They will feed at all times of the day.

 

[sallyjano]

Cories... night feeders.... that's a new one! They will feed at all times of the day.

Yes I didn't mean they won't feed during the day, of course they will, I just mean I've read they will feed both day and night whereas most other fish are more likely to rest at night when the lights are off so if you put in food before you go to bed it's likely the cories will be the ones to get it.

I have absolutely no clue if this is true or not......just what I read on another forum.

I will say though that I also read the way to tell if they are underfed is that their belly gets concave instead of full and round. I don't see my cories eating during the day (apart from maybe a little algae though my tank is pretty algae free) as the other fish get there too quick, but I do the pellets at night thing and their bellies are nice and round so they seem to be doing ok on that (if the rounded belly thing is true anyway......).