Feeding Striped Raphael Catfish

I have a Striped Raphael Catfish in a tank along with several other fish (Mollies and platys and a pleco). When I go to feed the catfish (at night with the lights turned off) the other fish notice the sinking pellet that I give him and peck at it and carry it away before he is even out to get it. I have tried Targeting him and distracting the other fish with food, but that doesn't work either because they just find the pellet and gobble it down before he notices it... Is there any other way I can feed my Raphael and know he is getting fed without alerting the other little piggies in the tank? Also, he likes to stay wedged between the glass and a decoration for most of the day and the other fish like the decoration also.

 

Turn the lights off in tank and room for 30min, then using as little light as possible(torch?)go back in room and turn the filter off prefably leaving an airstone running next to it(set up beforehand). Sink the pellets quickly or perhaps try smaller pellets so you can spread them across a bigger area and leave the room in darkness with the filter off for 20-30min. Use a timer to turn back on so u don't forget!

 

The pellets are pretty small already. I'll try that. Last night when we tried target feeding him, but the pellet just bounced off him. My husband said maybe he isn't hungry and is getting enough food by scavenging in the tank.

Also we noticed when we got back for from a trip that we took yesterday and turned on the lights in the tank that he was pale and swimming slowly. A little bit later he seemed to perk up and swim around more and faster but he was still pale.

 

Honestly, I had one of these guys for some years and he scavenged mostly. We fed him algae wafers as well which are too big for most fish to destroy before he came out of hiding. Only issue was the pleco would chase him off. Raphael are definitely a night time fish not often seen Mine hid all day in a decoration then came out at night only when no one was near tank. Actually he lodged himself in a boat decoration once while half grown and we had to carefully crack the boat open to free him. We had to be mindful of his spines as well. Not sure why but after a while his eyes got cloudy then seemed extra sensitive to light.

 

Sadly this morning our raphael passed away... We only had him a week. We have been testing the water since Saturday and there has been some ammonia spikes. We have been treating the water with Amguard but this morning the ammonia level was a 4 & the catfish died... all the mollies and platys are weathering the ammonia better than he did...

 

Sorry to hear but ammonia poisoning also did mine in. We added some neon tetras in my case. I suspect raphael don't weather ammonia well. Mollies and platies are pretty hardy. I lost my two male platies due to an algae outbreak but the fatty female is still trucking along. Anyways wish you luck.

 

Sorry to hear about your Raphael I have a spotted and a striped the spotted has been with me for a couple years now I might see them once a month but they generally just scavenge the tank I do use sinking pellets at night but that's usually just for the shovel nose I put live ghost shrimp in every couple weeks and put a larger bottom feeder pellet in and they are gone by morning