Specific Question About Feeding Neon Tetres

[aquarist_in_china]

Hi,
my tank new is doing well. 8 pygmy corydoras all alive after four months, betta splendens doing well, and now 11/12 neon tetras made it and looking good. I got tetra min betta flake for the betta and mini sinking pellets for the corys. My question is whether my tetras will be okay on betta flake. I could get tetra flake and feed separately to an extent. Is it worth it when they'd be eating each others' food anyway? I have frozen daphnia and blood worm that suits them all, so should I just supplement with that a bit more often?
 
thanks
 

 

[fluttermoth]

I would swap the betta flake for a more all round one. The betta will do better on a normal flake than the neons would do on a betta one, if that makes sense!
 
Remember that frozen foods like daphnia and bloodworm aren't actually very nutritious and should be fed only once or twice a week, as they also have a slightly laxative effect.

 

[aquarist_in_china]

Thanks for the tip. I'll see what I can find. the betta came from a rubbish pet shop an after four months he's started bubble nesting. would be a shame to change his diet, but if I need to I will.It did occur to me that if I drop big flakes of his food near him and then tiny pieces of tetra-specific flakes at the other end of the tank there might be very little mix up in who eats what. it seemed like a hassle, but it also sounds preferable to changing the beta's diet when he's doing well. what do you think?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The tetras will love frozen bbs. Hikari is an enriched brand and very good for the fish. I have kept schools of cardinals and rummy nose and have found they will eat most any food readily. So from this standpoint i should be easy to give them a varied diet.
 
Mongabay suggests: "FOOD: Flakes; live; insect larvae, Brine Shrimp, Tubifex, Daphnia. "
Seriouslyfish suggests: "In aquaria it may survive on a diet of dried foods but like most fishes does best when offered a varied menu which in this case should also contain live and frozen chironomid larvae (bloodworm), mosquito larvae, Daphnia, Moina, etc."
Badman's suggesst: "Once established they are easily fed and cared for with flake and frozen food."

 

[aquarist_in_china]

Thanks again. I like variety of food. I'll pick up a small tub of a general flake from a good brand like hikari when I next get chance. If I give abit of that and they can get brine shrimp and bloodworm once a wee each they should do pretty great. I got my tank right when it start getting cold and am perversely looking forward to the mosquitos coming back in spring. I think a bucket on my balcony will provide nutritious larvae for all with minimal effort and give them an awesome diet. I also plan to cultivate some fruit fly larvae- the little tiny white larvae ought to be good food to throw into the mix.