One Fish Doesn't Eat During Feeding Time

We actually have only two fishes in our 10 gallon aquarium. One is a guppy and the other one is a peacock gudgeon. Both are behaving fine and are with us for close to 3 months now. During feeding time (flakes), guppy always comes to the top and eats but peacock gudgeon never does that. Sometimes I see that he will grab a small piece that starts to sink to the bottom but he will never go up to the surface to eat. I know he is probably finding some sinked food later on but I kinda worry that he may not be getting enough food/nutrients. We also have a larger pebbles so the food most likely sinks into the cracks never to be found until cleaning time.

Any comments or suggestions for the forum members?

 

We actually have only two fishes in our 10 gallon aquarium. One is a guppy and the other one is a peacock gudgeon. Both are behaving fine and are with us for close to 3 months now. During feeding time (flakes), guppy always comes to the top and eats but peacock gudgeon never does that. Sometimes I see that he will grab a small piece that starts to sink to the bottom but he will never go up to the surface to eat. I know he is probably finding some sinked food later on but I kinda worry that he may not be getting enough food/nutrients. We also have a larger pebbles so the food most likely sinks into the cracks never to be found until cleaning time.

Any comments or suggestions for the forum members?

Maybe try just putting a pinch under the surface of the water and kind of swishing it so that it sinks slowly. I have to do that in my community tank because while I have rainbowfish that feed at the surface, my neons would never get food if I didn't make sure it sank for them.

 

Maybe try just putting a pinch under the surface of the water and kind of swishing it so that it sinks slowly. I have to do that in my community tank because while I have rainbowfish that feed at the surface, my neons would never get food if I didn't make sure it sank for them.

Thank you for the suggestion. I can try that but the peacock gudgeon is pretty shy. He usually hides in the plants or behind the heater or just swims slowly somewhere in the corner. I would have to sink the food and then chase the fish out it's hiding place hoping it would "bump" into the food.

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I can try that but the peacock gudgeon is pretty shy. He usually hides in the plants or behind the heater or just swims slowly somewhere in the corner. I would have to sink the food and then chase the fish out it's hiding place hoping it would "bump" into the food.

Hmm... ok, I'm not terribly familiar with peacock gudgeons. I have read a bit about them before and know that they need a lot of hiding places to feel comfortable (like plants, caves, rocks, etc). They also tend to be braver in small groups.

If I were you, I would consider upgrading your tank to a 20 or 30 gal, and then upping the numbers of both fish in your tank to about 6-10 of each. Guppies are schooling fish as well, and your little guy would feel much better with some more guppy friends. That could also solve the problem you're seeing with your gudgeon.

If you can't get a bigger tank, consider upping your numbers to 3-4 of each. It's not enough to be ideal, but they will both be more confident with friends to school with.

***also, if you get more guppies, try to get all one sex- they breed like rabbits

 

For my cories, I put in rapidly sinking pellets when it's dark.