Musings On Feedings

[M'al-finny]

Sorry, this is long.

I want to improve what and how I'm feeding my fish, so thought I'd post here to pick up input and ideas!

Currently, I am feeding flake each morning for the tetras and danios and a sinking Hikari wafer each evening for my lone little cory.

A couple of times a month I feed the interiors of peas or lima beans mushed up. I feed chopped up river shrimp and freeze dried bloodworms occasionally.

Here's the question: the tetras are middle-feeders. They do not come to the top to eat. So for the flake, I put my fingers in the water and sink a bunch of crunched-up flake. Some of it goes to the bottom for cory, as well, although I do not see her eating it.

1) How do I get the bloodworms (which carry a do-not-touch warning on the packaging) to sink? Mostly, the danios eat what they will and the rest is sucked into the filter intake.

2) Should I feed additional veggies?

3) I am a little worried about my cory. Her partner died a few weeks ago, my body examination showed only a little bruising around the ventral midline (belly had a small bruise-looking thingy on it.) I want to make sure the remaining little cory is getting the best possible nutrition, as I know there are some other not-so-good things for her now. (Alone, gravel, etc.)

What do you guys do for additional/creative methods of feeding?

 

[celaeno]

1. try thawing the bloodworm cube in a cup of tank water first to make it sink.

2. you can try zucchini slices. just microwave a slice for 1 minute on high.

3. corys like to be in groups of 5 or more, so if your tank has enough room, i'd get him some company.

 

[augustaranger]

I feed my guys flake by dropping some on the surface to float (danios) and drop some more into the water flowing out of the filter. The current takes the flakes down to the middle (neons, rasboras) with some hitting the bottom (cories). This way you don't have to stick your fingers into the water.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi M'al-finny :0

I don't like the way you described the cory that died. It sounds like a bacterial infection and that could be from (among other things) uneaten food rotting at the bottom of the tank. Are you sure she is actually eating it? Do you think some of it could sink down into the gravel? Since they spend a lot of time on the bottom, corys are likely to be the first to experience any negative effects.

Don't worry too much about the warning on your bloodworms. Some people are allergic to them, but if you aren't, there is nothing to be concerned about. Freeze dried bloodworms are difficult to feed, so if you can get the frozen ones, so much the better. Even freeze dried tubifex seem to be better too.

Please arrange to get more companions for your cory soon. It's really hard for a schooling fish to be kept all alone.

 

[BigC]

I feed mainly livefoods, inline with flake and granular.
Grindalworm,
Whiteworm
Brineshrimp,
Fruitfly
Tubifex (purge first)
Glassworm
Beefheart
Frozen menus
Chopped Earthworms (purge first)
Garden Terrestial Insects
The list is endless.
Regards
BigC

 

[jarcher1390]

Pinch of flake in the morning
Afternoons, frozen what ever i can get my hand on at the shop bloodworm goes very fast at our shop

 

[M'al-finny]

Thanks, everyone. I have been avoiding frozen food based on it introducing pathogens, but I will lighten up on that.

Re: cory. I was supposed to get some companions last weekend but was unable to do so due to weather. I will get some later this week. I have my hospital tank set up ready for the new fellers. (I have 55 gallon tank, 4 feet long, so I have plenty of room.)

I will step up my gravel-vaccing. I do it 1x week now, and will begin doing it once every 4-5 days or so to see if that helps.

Thanks, I will take these suggestions and run!