feeding issues

[Meg0000]

Hi, I have some issues with the feeding of my pearl gourami.. It is not that they are not eating it's that I have fluval bug bite as main food and when they eat, a lot of it sinks to the bottom. So my question is should I get flake food? I think it would sink less but I don't have any experience with that food..

 

[Salty&Onion]

Try different foods

 

[Colin_T]

Buy a small container of flake food and alternate them. You can look at frozen foods too. Most pet shop have a freezer with frozen fish food and that can be offered to the fish. Brineshrimp, mysis shrimp, and marine mix are good foods to have in the freezer.

When you feed, only put a small amount in and let them eat it, then put a bit more in and continue until they are full.

 

[Meg0000]

Buy a small container of flake food and alternate them. You can look at frozen foods too. Most pet shop have a freezer with frozen fish food and that can be offered to the fish. Brineshrimp, mysis shrimp, and marine mix are good foods to have in the freezer.

When you feed, only put a small amount in and let them eat it, then put a bit more in and continue until they are full.

I have freezed bloodworm that I feed once a week but other than that I only have fluval bug bite and I would like to give my fish more diverse food so I will try to get a container of flake food next time I go at my LFS. Does it sinks easily?

 

[Colin_T]

Flake does sink quickly but not as fast as pellets.

If you crumble the flake up a bit, the fish will be able to eat it easier compared to if you just leave big flakes floating around.

 

[Meg0000]

Flake does sink quickly but not as fast as pellets.

If you crumble the flake up a bit, the fish will be able to eat it easier compared to if you just leave big flakes floating around.

Ok good also I tried to feed them slowly and it works better, thank you

 

[seangee]

Hi, I have some issues with the feeding of my pearl gourami.. It is not that they are not eating it's that I have fluval bug bite as main food and when they eat, a lot of it sinks to the bottom. So my question is should I get flake food? I think it would sink less but I don't have any experience with that food..

Or turn off the pump at feeding time.
Don't forget to turn it back on

 

[Meg0000]

Or turn off the pump at feeding time.
Don't forget to turn it back on

I put the food where there is no current so it was not the problem, it was my fish that pushed the food a little and then the food was sinking

 

[Byron]

That is one issue with the Bug Bites, it does tend to sink fairly quickly especially if the surface is disturbed by the fish. I have bottom fish (cories or loaches) in my tanks so this feeds them too, but without substrate feeeders, go easy with sinking foods as it will just decompose and add to the bioload. Snails will help though.

It is always a good idea to feed two or three "basic" foods so the fish have a variety. Good quality flake, the bug bites, and once a week frozen bloodworms is fine. Try the frozen daphnia if you can find it, fish really go for this.

 

[Meg0000]

That is one issue with the Bug Bites, it does tend to sink fairly quickly especially if the surface is disturbed by the fish. I have bottom fish (cories or loaches) in my tanks so this feeds them too, but without substrate feeeders, go easy with sinking foods as it will just decompose and add to the bioload. Snails will help though.

It is always a good idea to feed two or three "basic" foods so the fish have a variety. Good quality flake, the bug bites, and once a week frozen bloodworms is fine. Try the frozen daphnia if you can find it, fish really go for this.

Good I will buy flake food next time

 

[Byron]

Good I will buy flake food next time

The brand is important, as not all flake food is the same. Omega One brands are good, and New Life Spectrum. There are a couple others depending where you live but in Canada you should be able to find these two brands in good fish stores, or online certainly. I will not feed any other, except for the Fluval bug bites.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have always preferred flake foods along with frozen and my cultured live foods. As Byron points out...read the label. But be advised that not all fishmeal is the same. Many companies these days are producing quality fish foods with WHOLE fishmeal which can be every bit as good as foods made from fresh fish AFTER the extraction of fillets. (Note that Omega One is made with Salmon as the main ingredient, but not whole salmon [head, skin, bone]).
Having 'said' that, fresh protein requires less grain/grain starch as binder.
In any case, you want to feed a high quality flake food and perhaps even a mix of two or three high quality commercial flake foods, along with some live cultured or frozen foods to provide the best balance of nutrition and fish interest. (Imagine if all you ever had to eat was cereal!!!)

 

[Metalhead88]

Bug bites has a variety of flake food now. I haven't tried it, but I'd assume it's good stuff based on the brand and ingredients.

You can try some floating pellets as well. Not too many brands make them though. I personally like floating food as do my fish and for whatever reason quality foods seem to sink.

 

[Meg0000]

The brand is important, as not all flake food is the same. Omega One brands are good, and New Life Spectrum. There are a couple others depending where you live but in Canada you should be able to find these two brands in good fish stores, or online certainly. I will not feed any other, except for the Fluval bug bites.

I know there is omega one at the fish store I will go so I will take this probably

 

[Meg0000]

I have a question about feeding, not about the Pearl gourami but about corydoras. Can I feed them the same thing as I am feeding the other fish but only make sure there is enough of it going to the bottom? Does the size of the food matter? I am feeding my Pearl gourami the really small size bug bite as I mentioned and soon probably omega one flake food so could I feed this to corydoras?