I think I've finally nailed down what is causing my female Minnow's swimming problems after. It's constipation of a sort, but it happens to some extent each time after feeding (then the symptoms completely disappear the next day). The last time I performed an Epsom salt bath, it didn't have any effect - when I fed again a day or two later, she still had problems. I soak the flake food in tank water to soften it prior to feeding, and this has had some beneficial effect, but not nearly as much as I really want it to. I've been feeding defrosted brine shrimp the past week, and it causes nowhere near the same trouble (perhaps because it can act as a natural laxative); even when I over-fed the Minnows on Sunday, and the female was bloated from eating too much, she suffered from none of the usual swimming issues; I know from all my observations it's a digestive issue.
I've tried Tetra Pro Algae this evening, but find these flakes are very brittle - they disintegrate far too easily and are very messy as a result, so I'm not really a fan of it (I don't want to foul the tank water). I guess I can feed them very sparingly, and not try to soak them first (soaking them and then trying to deliver them to the tank via pipette really doesn't work!). Pellets/granules would be out of the question as they are too hard from the get-go. I use Fluval Tropical Flakes, but there could be other flake foods better suited to the situation - would spirulina flakes be better? Or would they be as brittle as Tetra Pro Algae flakes, turning to a dust/powder very easily? As for live food, I wouldn't be into culturing it, so it could only be fed on occasion. Apart from that, there's the frozen brine shrimp I've been feeding, but I can't feed it every day - or can I? How often should frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, etc, be fed?
Any suggestions to other light, soft foods suitable for White Cloud Mountain Minnows? Ones that aren't too messy or require much preparation? Thanks.
I've tried Tetra Pro Algae this evening, but find these flakes are very brittle - they disintegrate far too easily and are very messy as a result, so I'm not really a fan of it (I don't want to foul the tank water). I guess I can feed them very sparingly, and not try to soak them first (soaking them and then trying to deliver them to the tank via pipette really doesn't work!). Pellets/granules would be out of the question as they are too hard from the get-go. I use Fluval Tropical Flakes, but there could be other flake foods better suited to the situation - would spirulina flakes be better? Or would they be as brittle as Tetra Pro Algae flakes, turning to a dust/powder very easily? As for live food, I wouldn't be into culturing it, so it could only be fed on occasion. Apart from that, there's the frozen brine shrimp I've been feeding, but I can't feed it every day - or can I? How often should frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, etc, be fed?
Any suggestions to other light, soft foods suitable for White Cloud Mountain Minnows? Ones that aren't too messy or require much preparation? Thanks.
