Are my Cories eating enough?

[rich]

I added 3 peppered cories into my tank at the weekend and therefore added some more flakes during feeding. As the flakes pass under where the water passes into the tank they are thrown right to the bottom, although rise up again before disappearing behind my plants.

Lots of it is obviously eaten by tank mates, but how do I know if enough is reaching the sand for them to eat as they snuffle about? Should I add some catfish pellets as well, although they could also get eaten on their way down.

Any ideas?

 

[rich]

Having actually read through all the posts on Cories, I can see there is plenty of advice. I'm off to see what I can find at my local pet shop now, I'll try some algae wafers.

 

[yhbae]

I'm sure you will find many advices. During feeding time, try watching them - they are surprizingly good at finding food that lands at the bottom - whether they are flakes or pelletes it doesn't seem to make much difference. Personally, I only feed (sinking) food about twice a week and the rest of the food are for middle/top dwelling species but there's always enough food at the bottom for them to feed on.

Now they are over 2 years old and are going strong...

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Uneaten flakes will pollute the tank.

I would suggest shrimp pellets, algae discs, and any other food source you can find that owuld be suitable for bottom feeders.

If you are not sure they are getting enough food, feed them after the tank lights have been turned off so the other fish don't eat their food.

 

[yhbae]

Of course, I didn't mean to suggest over-feeding with flake food!

If you have power filters, some of them will drop stright down to the bottom of the tank at the "water fall" before they get any chance to get eaten by the middle/upper dwellers.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rich

Corys also need meaty foods like live or frozen blackworms, tubifex or bloodworms to complete their diet.

I suggest you avoid Wardley's shrimp pellets since they contain fillers that the corys won't eat but which will remain and provide food for detrimental bacteria.

 

[rich]

After an initial catastrophe, 1 of my cories died after only 3 days in the tank (I put this down to the LFS?), the other 2 are doing fine. I add about 1 quarter of an algae wafer every 2nd day.

Between them they eat it in about 45 mins-1hour, although 1 of my black widows and the white clouds take their share when they can nip in. Watching the algae wafer get smaller is the highlight of the aquarium day.

 

[Gourami Lover88]

I suggest you avoid Wardley's shrimp pellets since they contain fillers that the corys won't eat but which will remain and provide food for detrimental bacteria

I agree, my corys wont touch wardleys shrimp pellets, but will greedly scarf down blooldworms and tubiflex worms, your lfs should have frozen food that would be grt8 for you cories.

 

[balloon molly]

I suggest you avoid Wardley's shrimp pellets since they contain fillers that the corys won't eat but which will remain and provide food for detrimental bacteria

I agree, my corys wont touch wardleys shrimp pellets, but will greedly scarf down blooldworms and tubiflex worms, your lfs should have frozen food that would be grt8 for you cories.

yeah my cories also wont touch wardley's shrimp pellets but they love algae wafers and tetramin bottomfeeder pellets

 

[Tempestuousfury]

All five of mine eat the pellets. I can't say they relish it, but they don't spit it back out or avoid it.

Either way, I drop in algae wafers as well, so they ar eating...

 

[Inchworm]

All five of mine eat the pellets. I can't say they relish it, but they don't spit it back out or avoid it.

Hi temp

The second ingredient in Wardley's Shrimp Pellets is ground wheat, which your corys will not eat, or if they do, it will not benefit them. Since the pellets soften and break apart rapidly when they get wet, much of them will either be eaten by other fish or settle into your gravel where you will eventually siphon it out.

Algae wafers are good for corys, but they do need some high protien flake or other food as the main part of their diet. Live, frozen or freeze dried worms are good for this.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Problem with that:

They swim away from the baster. I can't get the tubifex to stay put.

Funny thing is, my wafers have a higher protein content than the pellets.

As for siphoning, weekly water changes take care of that.

 

[yhbae]

Interesting - my cories eat pretty much any food, including Wardley's shrimp pelletes... As soon as they are in, all fishes swim all over the place, and within minutes they find them - including the cories...

May be it takes time for them to get used to these food?