Is It All Going Wrong?

[barb218]

Hi

I have a 90L Tank (The stocking is in my signature) and yesterday i bought Two peppered corys and 2 Bronze corys. They seemed to have settled in fine and this morning-after being told to feed 2-3 evrey other day i fed them 2 and a half algae wafers (advice from where i got the fish) along with the normal flake food for the other fish (advice from these forums). The Tiger barbs quickly finished the flake food off in seconds and then came straight down to join the corys and eat the algae wafers.

My first question is will the tiger barbs and the tank be ok?

My second is that today when the tiger barbs were feeding i noticed one of them had become quite bloated, and the same with a neon tetra. A neon tetra was like this the other week but was fine the next day. What could this be? can i help it?

Thanks

 

[barb218]

All the tiger barbs look bloated now

 

[Prime Ordeal]

When these fish are at full size your tank will be a little bit overstocked so I hope you've got a good filter. Also your water changes should be regular and be sure to keep the tank well maintained (clean).

The bloating is probably because you're overfeeding them with flake and now with added algae wafers to make matters worse. The problem with flake food is that it swells when it gets wet so if you add it dry it swells in the fish's stomach. Combine that with generally eating too much and you have bloated fish. You can presoak the flake and that will help along with making sure not to overfeed. Try to feed the flake at one end of the tank while dropping the algae wafers at the other end, preferably so that they'll settle somewhere a bit hidden to give the corys a chance to get to them first. I only feed my fish once every other day and they're incredibly healthy.

 

[barb218]

So when i next feed them (which is going to be friday now) Could i maybe put the algae wafers behind or in the plants?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Yes absolutely. Just wedge them into a plant or ornament or perhaps under a stone where you think the corys can get at them but the barbs are less likely to look, so really at the bottom somewhere. If you've got something like a little cave that the corys can get into but the barbs can't then put them in that. Use your imagination.

 

[Jay1983]

Hi

I originally stocked tiger barbs with corys and although the Barbs were never aggressive towards the corys, they ate everything! they are greedy as!I separated them and the Corys are much better for it. Also you said you are feeding algea waffers? aren't they more designed for plecs? I feed mine sinking catfish and bottom feeder food as well as cooked veg.

I would try feeding the Corys when the lights are off and its dark the Barbs will find it harder to see the food and the corys will sniff it out!

Jay

 

[HayzH]

my platys eat all their food and nick the Cory wafers too...
I try to hid them..but the platy's sniff them out!! tried after lights out...they still find um...ummmmm.

The bloating as you describe does (to me) sound like they are eating to much at once..my glowlights and Cardinals do the same, if the swallow a mini pellet, they have a kind of V shaped tummy where the pellet is sitting.

Basically they will eat till they pop....so you have to control what you put in.i watch them when i put the food in to ensure they all have their fair share.

Good luck x

 

[barb218]

Hi

I originally stocked tiger barbs with corys and although the Barbs were never aggressive towards the corys, they ate everything! they are greedy as!I separated them and the Corys are much better for it. Also you said you are feeding algea waffers? aren't they more designed for plecs? I feed mine sinking catfish and bottom feeder food as well as cooked veg.

I would try feeding the Corys when the lights are off and its dark the Barbs will find it harder to see the food and the corys will sniff it out!

Jay

Ok Thanks for the advice So maybe i could feed the Tiger barbs in the Morning and the corys when the lights go off?

my platys eat all their food and nick the Cory wafers too...
I try to hid them..but the platy's sniff them out!! tried after lights out...they still find um...ummmmm.

The bloating as you describe does (to me) sound like they are eating to much at once..my glowlights and Cardinals do the same, if the swallow a mini pellet, they have a kind of V shaped tummy where the pellet is sitting.

Basically they will eat till they pop....so you have to control what you put in.i watch them when i put the food in to ensure they all have their fair share.

Good luck x

Thanks The bloating has gone down Today but The Tiger barbs havn't been begging for food as usual.