Tiger Barbs Devouring Everything!

[joe17]

hi,
so I have a 50g tank with 14 tiger barbs, 9 serpae tetras and a tiny baby red tailed black shark that I added two days ago. So far everything everyone is coexisting very well except when it comes to feeding time. I never had any problems until I added the shark. The serpae tetras eat just as much as the tiger barbs so that is not the problem. That comes when it is time to feed the shark. I drop an algae wafer in the tank and then feed the tiger barbs with their usual meal. The second the barbs are done with whatever I am feeding them, they immediately jump on the wafer, leaving none for the shark who is too shy to join in the feast. He simply sits back and watches everyone else eat his food. The tiger barbs end up bloated and overfed and the red tail shark with no food.

My question at this point is what is the best way to feed the shark until he gets big and brave enough to get to his food?

 

[fluttermoth]

There are a few things you can try.
 
First of all, try feeding the tigers, then putting the shark's food in while their busy, rather than the other way around as you've been doing.
 
You can try putting the shark's food in or near his favourite cave/hidey hole
 
Or you can feed the shark after lights out when the tigers a more sleepy.
 
Incidentally, you shouldn't be feeding your shark too many algae wafers. RTBS need a meaty diet, they're not algae eaters, although the wafers won't do him any harm, and all fish seem to like them.

 

[joe17]

Oh okey, I didn' t realize it was the wrong food for him. So what should I be feeding him then?

 

[fluttermoth]

You want a meat based catfish pellet.
 
If you have a look in your LFS you'll see, from the labelling, that there are two kinds of catfish food; ones for algae eaters and ones for the more carnivorous cats, like your shark

 

[Chaydell]

Joe, I use shrimp pellets for my bottom feeders.  I will typically drop in a pinch of food for my tiger barbs as well as few pellets in the same area of the tank.  Once the tigers are done with their floating food they attack the pellets.  On the opposite side of the tank I drop a few more pellets for my bottom feeders.  It took a while for the more timid bottom feeders to realize what was going on, but once they got the idea there were no more issues.  Feeding after lights out is a good way to go too.

 

[joe17]

Thanks everyone for the tips!! Would it be a problem for tiger barbs to feed on algae wafers though? I thought that they also need a more meaty diet. I will go get some better food for my shark as soon as I get the chance, I thought all sinking pellets were the same. Oups! I added a new cave for the shark today that the tiger barbs don't like so I'll see if that helps. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress! Thanks again

 

[fluttermoth]

As long as the tigers are getting other food and not living exclusively on algae wafers, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Chaydell]

I found shrimp pellets that I use for my bottom feeders along with algaw wafers.  The barbs go after both, but I try to keep the shrimp pellets as half of the food they get.