Feeding Different Fish, Getting Frustrated

[Punkin]

I've read the archives and have gotten some advice but I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have black neon tetras and corys in a 20 gallon. My trouble is getting the cory food to them without the tetras bothering them. The corys don't eat the food fast enough and the tetras hover. I've tried breaking the cory wafers into pieces but that makes it worse cuz the tetras will steal it. I thought for sure my big tetra was gonna choke to death, she stole a big chunk and wouldn't let it go!

I've tried feeding at different times of day and lights out. My husband says to put the whole wafer in but they never eat it all and I end up picking them out and throwing them away, which is not only wasteful but I'm sure is not good for water quality while it sits in there either. I don't know how to ensure they are getting fed.

 

[Sarcasm Included]

You can cut the bottom out of a bottle and use it to get the food past the tetras, feed flakes to pull the tetras up to the top of the tank or floating pellets.

 

[Punkin]

That's worth a try. I was thinking of trying to use a length of airline in the same fashion. I know, though, as soon as the tetras are done eating they will find the corys and hover.

And the corys don't eat right away sometimes. Does that mean they aren't hungry? I put half a wafer in for 2 corys I have in Qt (they are new) and when I got home from work 9 hours later, there's still some there. That can't be good for water quality. I just don't know what to do.

Edit: so I guess another question is if they aren't eating their wafer right away are they even hungry?

 

[rmurray]

Cories are nocturnal I believe. How I feed is pellets in the filters waterfall so they shoot down quick. Then I drop flakes in to distract the tetras and follow up with flakes on the surface. At night before bed I drop a big tab down.

 

[Punkin]

Cories are nocturnal I believe. How I feed is pellets in the filters waterfall so they shoot down quick. Then I drop flakes in to distract the tetras and follow up with flakes on the surface. At night before bed I drop a big tab down.

The problem with having it in the filter water fall is the food always gets stuck in decor. I tried putting half a wafer at night and there's still leftovers in the morning

 

[Samuel97]

I literally have the same position with the waterfall sticking my food In the decor.

I've found two solution:

1. Feed enough catfish pellets to feed both the catfish and my glutamine, and after day my fountain quickly realised that was the food and they simply shared.

2. Feed flattened Pleco pellets and flakes. The gourami obviously prefer the flakes, and whilst they probably could eat up the pleco pellets it requires them to dive down and tear a chunk off the right size, I find that was too much hassle for them and they left them whilst flakes are about. The larger size of the pleco pellets means they degrade much slower to give the Cory time to graze on them without them causing contamination, and my shrimp love them too

 

[Punkin]

Cories are nocturnal I believe. How I feed is pellets in the filters waterfall so they shoot down quick. Then I drop flakes in to distract the tetras and follow up with flakes on the surface. At night before bed I drop a big tab down.

I have no problem getting the food to the bottom for the corys. The problem is the tetras won't leave it alone. No matter what time of day or if I feed them at the same time. Once they are done with their food at the top, they find that cory wafer and pick at it. Watched them do it this morning. I guess if the corys aren't gobbling it up, they must not be too hungry.

How long can a cory wafer stay in there before it causes water problems?

You can cut the bottom out of a bottle and use it to get the food past the tetras, feed flakes to pull the tetras up to the top of the tank or floating pellets.

As soon as they are done with their food, they go straight for the cory food to pick at it.

Edit: Apparently my fish are smarter than me!

 

[max h]

I use a combination of flakes, sinking pellets and, and a wafer. The flakes go in first and then a couple of shrimp pellets at each end of the tank, in the evening they get the same along with the wafer. The cory's don't have a problem with getting food, if any of the other fish are feeding off the food on the bottom they push their way into the food.

 

[Punkin]

I use a combination of flakes, sinking pellets and, and a wafer. The flakes go in first and then a couple of shrimp pellets at each end of the tank, in the evening they get the same along with the wafer. The cory's don't have a problem with getting food, if any of the other fish are feeding off the food on the bottom they push their way into the food.

Well, I guess then I am concerned about my tetras overeating and getting sick/dying, since they are getting their own pellets and are still eating more. And concerned about water quality.
Guess there's nothing I can do if they eat themselves to death.

 

[Big Red]

I use to use a section of small pvc and place it on the bottom and drop food in fish don't see it falling so it gets to the bottom. Feed flakes first.

 

[Punkin]

Oh this morning my big tetra was on the opposite side of the tank and I know she did not see me. But she can smell it and found it within a 1/2 hour. It's not a big tank, only 20 gallons.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but I've tried it all. I use long tongs to place it right on the bottom. Then the corys push it around and she finds it, too. Then all the others notice and begin to hover around it.

 

[Junne]

What works for me is ( I feed all at the same time )
I used a pepper grinder to grind out the nls ( so it floats and is smaller ) then throw in a few pinches of the same food but in the larger balls, break up the shrimp pellets and algae wafers in to very small pieces and distribute at several areas of the tank.

The smaller fish go to the top, the middle feeder grab the nls that is slowly sinking and the cory's and others usually are able to get the stuff on the bottom since there are so many smaller pieces.

That's what works for us with so many bottom feeders

 

[Punkin]

What works for me is ( I feed all at the same time )
I used a pepper grinder to grind out the nls ( so it floats and is smaller ) then throw in a few pinches of the same food but in the larger balls, break up the shrimp pellets and algae wafers in to very small pieces and distribute at several areas of the tank.

The smaller fish go to the top, the middle feeder grab the nls that is slowly sinking and the cory's and others usually are able to get the stuff on the bottom since there are so many smaller pieces.

That's what works for us with so many bottom feeders

I feed the nls that I also crush a bit to make smaller (and my tetras really don't seem to like it much, but that's another story). What started this whole thing is I DID break up pieces of the sinking food last night and my tetra went right for it, I thought she was gonna choke. I'm telling her to drop it like she's a dog! ha ha. So I'm thinking, if I don't break it up, it will be too big for her to grab. But she pecks at it, and pecks. And pecks. I should rename her Chicken. I'll have to try feeding at the same time. It was suggested to me to try when lights out, but that I guess really isn't working now. I also found that if I don't put the food at the bottom for them, it gets pushed around by the filter current and gets lodged in decor and then starts to rot. The other problem is, I don't have a lot of bottom feeders. My tank is only a 20 gallon, with 3 cories right now, and I have some in QT to round out their school.

My goodness, I am full of problems!

 

[el337]

I'd try Junne's method. Crush the pellets/wafers into different sizes and sprinkle them all over the tank. The tetras can't get to every single piece of food. And the corys can find the tiniest of morsels that the tetras can't see or get to.

 

[Punkin]

I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks, everyone.

 

[rmurray]

Yeah I watched my cories push my Bolivian rams over. The ram fluffed up at him and it was pretty funny. When it comes to food they're honey badgers.

 

[Punkin]

Here is the resident trouble making ringleader!

 

[max h]

I you have another tank you maybe able to put him in time out for a couple of days for an attitude adjustment.

 

[Punkin]

I you have another tank you maybe able to put him in time out for a couple of days for an attitude adjustment.

Ha ha. That's an idea, but she has been through enough. I got her (or him really don't know we just call her a her) when I knew NOTHING about proper fish keeping and she lived her first year with me in a 5 gallon!!! I bought and set up this 20 gallon all for her when I found out about proper fish care from these forums.

 

[rmurray]

The top dog eats first lol

 

[Punkin]

Well I followed the way Junne does it. After about 1/2 hour she found the Cory food anyway. Oh well. Thanks anyway for helping! I'll just do the best I can and feed less of their regular food!

 

[bubble1807]

Here is the resident trouble making ringleader!

Ignore the algae in the back because I just can't reach to clean it!!
That's my old fat black neon, doesn't have a name so any suggestions? I've just been calling him fatty bc he's the biggest one!

 

[Punkin]

Ignore the algae in the back because I just can't reach to clean it!!
That's my old fat black neon, doesn't have a name so any suggestions? I've just been calling him fatty bc he's the biggest one!

Wow that looks like my Bully! Her name is Bully cuz she chases everyone and is quite sassy! And she's the biggest and oldest too. Fatty is good, I like it.

 

[aquatickeeper]

Oh my! Better run!

 

[rmurray]

Pork chop!!!

 

[Junne]

Ha ha. That's an idea, but she has been through enough. I got her (or him really don't know we just call her a her) when I knew NOTHING about proper fish keeping and she lived her first year with me in a 5 gallon!!! I bought and set up this 20 gallon all for her when I found out about proper fish care from these forums.

Sorry it didn't work.... Keep trying and keep making the pieces smaller - she can't be at all places at one time and sooner or later she will tire out. I agree - a time out is what she needs! BAD girl! My YettI puts himself in a time out when he sulks ( after all the food is gone! )
Sad and pathetic at the same time!

 

[Punkin]

Sorry it didn't work.... Keep trying and keep making the pieces smaller - she can't be at all places at one time and sooner or later she will tire out. I agree - a time out is what she needs! BAD girl! My YettI puts himself in a time out when he sulks ( after all the food is gone! )
Sad and pathetic at the same time!

View attachment 277745

I'll keep trying!

If the corys aren't eating their wafers or pellets like mad when I first put them in, does it mean they are pretty well fed on other food that drops to the bottom? If so maybe I can give them their wafers or pellets every other day.

I'm still trying. But she is persistent. I'm afraid to put it in really small pieces cuz that's when she grabs the whole thing and I'm afraid she'll choke. My husband thinks I don't feed them enough and I think they eat too much.

 

[max h]

If your cory's belly aren't sunken in they are getting food. They do graze to bottom looking for pieces of food the other fish have missed.

 

[Punkin]

I attached a picture of them foraging right now. They don't look sunken in to me. The main food stealer is really big. And for 3 weeks around New Years she was swimming all crooked and seemed bloated so that's why I worry she eats too much! Oh these fish children!!

 

[max h]

They look like they are fine. How many do you have?

 

[Punkin]

5. I figured they must be getting enough to eat cuz they are not going crazy for their wafer. They peck at it, then move on, then come back later and peck some more.

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it.

 

[max h]

No worries, fish are opportunistic feeders if there's food around they will feed. I have seen some gorged fish that I have caught.

 

[Punkin]

Well I have 1mm pellets of NLS food that I crush a bit for the tetras. They don't seem too enthused about it so I send some of the whole
pellets down the feeding tube so the corys can forage for those too.

My solution is to mainly feed the corys the NLS 1mm pellets whole that the tetras don't seem to thrilled about. I did that yesterday and they seemed to like them. I still crush some in smaller pieces for them to eat at the top with a smidge of their flake. The sinking cory food will be a 2x a week treat. And I have some frozen bloodworms that I would like to try with them maybe once a week. I have never fed bloodworms before.

 

[aquatickeeper]

My solution is to mainly feed the corys the NLS 1mm pellets whole that the tetras don't seem to thrilled about. I did that yesterday and they seemed to like them. I still crush some in smaller pieces for them to eat at the top with a smidge of their flake. The sinking cory food will be a 2x a week treat. And I have some frozen bloodworms that I would like to try with them maybe once a week. I have never fed bloodworms before.

Just so you know, get a cup of tank water, throw the bloodworm in, mix it, then pour the whole thing in.

 

[Punkin]

Just so you know, get a cup of tank water, throw the bloodworm in, mix it, then pour the whole thing in.

Will do! Thanks!

I was just thinking like a bird feeder that keeps squirrels out, I need a cory feeder that keeps tetras out!

I'm posting to my old thread here since it's kind of the same topic and I'd just like to see if others agree with my thoughts. I think I have the feeding worked out. Now I am assuming that my corys are getting enough to eat because I am finding a few uneaten crumbs of cory wafers the following day. I would assume if they were underfed then those would be scarfed up right away. Anyone agree?

Awesome thanks!

 

[max h]

My 11 Cory's all take turns on the wafer, it's really something to watch them gather around.

 

[Punkin]

The best method for me is to crush it into crumbs because the tetras are relentless at stealing it. This way in small crumbs, the corys have a chance. When the corys were alone in the Qt it was easy to just drop a wafer in there!

 

[AngelTheGypsy]

What species are your corys?

 

[Punkin]

Albino c. Aeneus. Not sure if I spelled that right!

 

[max h]

What species are your corys?

I have 5 Pepper and 6 Panda Cory's, my future plans are to bump them up to at least 10 each.

 

[AngelTheGypsy]

Albino c. Aeneus. Not sure if I spelled that right!

I didn't think they were albino since they don't have red eyes. They are really pretty! Where did you get them if you don't mind my asking?

Edit: it didn't look like they have red eyes. On second look maybe they do. They do look very white where most albinos I see look more pink.

I have 5 Pepper and 6 Panda Cory's, my future plans are to bump them up to at least 10 each.

I'm planning future Cory stock myself!

 

[Punkin]

The eyes are kind of red when the lights is just right. We got them at our LFS called RMS Aquaculture. It's in a Cleveland Ohio suburb.

Corys are just little sweethearts! So cute and peaceful.

 

[Herkimur]

I use a Pinzette (long) to position the wafer in my crayfish's cave.

I had the same problem and came up with this solution because the minnows would not leave the wafer alone, got fat and wafer fouled the water.
Do corys go into caves? If so you should try feeding them there.
Pinzettes are sold at PetCo usually advertised as feeding tools for terrariums.

 

[Culprit]

you could also run a tube down the aquarium, feed the tetras on one side, then drop the cory pellets down the tube. You coud even go so far as to attach a little disk on the bottom of the tube with the tube sticking thru a little bit so the tetras couldn't see it. If you did it with a non-see through tube they wouldn't even know the corys were being fed!

 

[Punkin]

Do corys go into caves? If so you should try feeding them there.
Pinzettes are sold at usually advertised as feeding tools for terrariums

I have silicone tongs that I got specifically for the aquarium. I don't have a closed in cave, but I do have a rock type structure that is kind of cave like, its open on front and back. Closed up caves make me nervous, I am afraid someone will get stuck in there!

feed the tetras on one side, then drop the cory pellets down the tube

I have tried exactly this. Once the tetras are done on one side, they find the corys and hover over them. My corys don't devour their pellets/wafers. They seem to graze on them a bit then go away. That's when the tetras grab their food. Thanks, though!

 

[Culprit]

Are you sure you're not feeding too much? Just a suggestion, I don't know corys feeding habits though I need to find out since I'm getting ready to add some corys and I have rummynose right now which devour food but only if its in front of their face lol.

 

[Punkin]

Are you sure you're not feeding too much? Just a suggestion, I don't know corys feeding habits though I need to find out since I'm getting ready to add some corys and I have rummynose right now which devour food but only if its in front of their face lol.

Yes, that is a concern. I am still figuring out how much they eat. I feed them a mix of 2 foods. About 1/2 a crushed wafer, and I drop a few extra 1mm pellets of NLS food (4-5). The pellets blend with my substrate, so I can't really see how much they eat of that. The wafer has a pink center, so I can see those crumbs. I noticed yesterday that there were a few little pink crumbs from the day before feeding, so I picked them out with a turkey baster. My tetras prefer the crushed cory wafer and flake food over the NLS pellets (which I crush for them). It's kind of trial and error.

 

[Culprit]

How long have you had them? I think if you just keep testing and just let them eat what they want you will find that amount and it will settle down.

I would just keep experimenting. Is there somewhere else you can feed them so you can see how much the eat? Mabye put a little plate in their just until you can tell?

 

[Punkin]

I've had them all together in the main tank, about 3-4 weeks. My husband suggested the plate thing, but when the corys nibble the crumbs they move them all over. And I know the tetras will be all over it too! Ha ha. I do weekly water changes with the vacuum and I don't seem to be vacuuming up too much wasted food that I can tell. I usually do about a 40% water change (based on my fish bucket sizes). My little nerite likes to chow on some of the crumbs, too.

 

[JacobPh8m]

All good have you ever kept corydoras? if so how would you avoid the honey gouramis eating there food? Also What brand food do you feed them, IF you have them.