Food!

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SirHelm
Posts: 104
Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 18:48
Location 1: San Jose, CA USA

Food!

Post by SirHelm »

Another quick question...

I am trying to focus on a good healthy feeding strategy for my differnent fish

1 hoplo (soon to be 6)
2 Pim blochii's
6 Cories (network, 3 lined, reticulated ... or whatever else you want to call them :D )
1 common pleco
7 danios
1 Asian Red tail...

I currently feed them one small cube of blood worms, one small cube of brine shrimp.. 5 or 6 shrimp pellets (which I swear they hate), flake food (for the danios), and 3 small aglae wavers.

I have tried to feed the pleco a small piece of zucchini but he prefers the wafers.

One of the problems is that I cannot see them eat anything because the blochii's, asian red tail, and the pleco all hide when there is light in the room. As a result the danios eat all of the flake, then begin to work on the shrimp and the worms. Once the cubes begin to break up the cories move in and begin to finish off what is left.

I also don't know if that is too much or too little food... I guess there is a "3 minute" rule.. but is that realistic when you have so many "scavenger" type fish?

Any advice?

Thanks

SH
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Silurus
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Post by Silurus »

One way of ensuring that your catfish have enough to eat is to feed them when the lights are out.
You might also want to try letting the bloodworm cube melt in a separate container and having some of them sink before adding it to your tank. What I usually do is to introduce the thawed bloodworms into the tank using a dropper. This way, I can control whether I want the worms to drift slowly down for midwater fish or to go straight to the bottom for bottom feeders.
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Zack
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Post by Zack »

I usualy feed the frozen food with the lights dimmed so the nocturnal fish are tempted out and then i just feed shrimp pellets after lights out that way they are more tempted to come out during the day. That sounds like about the right amount of food. Maybe try feeding with the tank light out but the room light on??
55 gallon
11 pygmy cories
8 neon tetras
1 banjo
4 black neons
4 otos
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SirHelm
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Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 18:48
Location 1: San Jose, CA USA

Post by SirHelm »

I need to get me a dropper! It seems that allot of hobbyists use that like you said to control how much and where the food goes.

Re: the light the cats are way too skittish.... even with the room light or the acetinic light on they bail into the caves... but if i turn all of the lights off... poof they all reappear within 1 second....

Weird....

The shrimp pellets seem to be the last thing eaten.... sometimes i have seen them just disolving on the bottom and uneaten.

Would any of the cories or blochii's eat cucumber rinds??

One more thing... I am really tempted to get some banjo cats.... they are unique but the LFS guys jokingly said that he had a hard time telling the live ones from the dead ones...... The ones I saw in the tank all were not moving!!!

Does anyone have any?? and if so what are their experiences with them??

Thanks

SH
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Zack
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Interests: fish,outdoors,powersports=mx,pre running,etc etc

Post by Zack »

I was concidering buying a couple just a couple weeks ago but backed out because they are just soo sooo sooooo enactive. Most people told me that they will have them for six months before they see them move. They are neat looking fish though.
55 gallon
11 pygmy cories
8 neon tetras
1 banjo
4 black neons
4 otos
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Silurus
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Post by Silurus »

Actually, banjo cats are relatively inactive most of the time, but they will still move around some during feeding time (and when the lights are off). Great cats, one of my all time favorites.
SirHelm, if you weren't so darned far away, you would be welcome to have one or two (I think I have five or six spread around my tanks).
This probably isn't the best place to go Wardley-bashing, but I swear they make the worst fish food ever. I would lose the shrimp pellets and get your fish Hikari carnivore pellets. Cats just love 'em.
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Zack
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Interests: fish,outdoors,powersports=mx,pre running,etc etc

Post by Zack »

Thats funny, It just so happens that right before i read this post i dropped a few WARDLY shrimp pellets in. My have always liked them i think its because besides bloodworms and flakes theyve never had anything else since thats what the lfs feads their cats to. I think I'll try some of them carnivore pellets though.
55 gallon
11 pygmy cories
8 neon tetras
1 banjo
4 black neons
4 otos
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SirHelm
Posts: 104
Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 18:48
Location 1: San Jose, CA USA

Post by SirHelm »

Hey thanks Silurus! I will grab some of that food today.

Far away?? Man look at Zack! He is in Alaska! Now that is far away!! :lol:


I may grab a couple banjo's this weekend. I must admit they are cool and I do have a nice sand substrate that they could burrow into!

Thanks

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Barbie
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Post by Barbie »

Psssst! I'm from Alaska too :)


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SirHelm
Posts: 104
Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 18:48
Location 1: San Jose, CA USA

Post by SirHelm »

Man it is like everyone is either from Alaska.... or Scotland... or England!!

LOL

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