How can I be sure ember tetras are eating enough?

[Manon]

Hi all
Apologies if this seems like a stupid question, it feels like it could be!

My honey gouramis (4 female) are very greedy and apparently can eat as much food as I put in the tank. I worry the embers (8) are not getting enough because they don't get a look in. I crush up some of the food so the embers get an appropriate sized bite but the gouramis are all over it.

I feed them twice a day at the same time, as much a possible. I'm the clean up crew so am careful to not over feed. It takes the gouramis about a minute to stuff their faces. Some of the embers rush to the surface to grab a bite but if they don't, nothing sinks for them. How can I be sure ember tetras are eating enough?

Thank you
Manon

 

[Slaphppy7]

Drop some food on one end of the tank to attract the gouramis, then the other end for the embers...
If you are having to clean up uneaten food daily, you are overfeeding...they only need to be fed once a day, or even better, once every other day...fish in the wild don't eat every day.

I only feed my fish every other day, or even two...overfeeding can cause major problems with water chemistry

 

[nik_n]

Try taking a bit of food (a bit less than you normally feed) and put the finger in the water and hold it for a second before releasing. The gouramis will go after the sinking food and while they do that put some food on the top for your tetras. Thats how I fool may gouramis and it work perfectly well. Good luck

 

[Manon]

Drop some food on one end of the tank to attract the gouramis, then the other end for the embers...
If you are having to clean up uneaten food daily, you are overfeeding...they only need to be fed once a day, or even better, once every other day...fish in the wild don't eat every day.

I only feed my fish every other day, or even two...overfeeding can cause major problems with water chemistry

Thanks @Slaphppy7. I don't have problems with over feeding. There's no uneaten food. As I said, i'm very careful to not overfeed. I will try your feeding trick to fool the greedy gouramis.

 

[Manon]

Try taking a bit of food (a bit less than you normally feed) and put the finger in the water and hold it for a second before releasing. The gouramis will go after the sinking food and while they do that put some food on the top for your tetras. Thats how I fool may gouramis and it work perfectly well. Good luck

Cheers nik, perfectly sneaky . I realise I need to be more savvy!

 

[nik_n]

Cheers nik, perfectly sneaky . I realise I need to be more savvy!

Happy to help