Will Fish Die If They Dont Get Enough Food

[platyfanatic]

Hi guys, i was just wandering, i have 3 platys, 3 guppies and 6 neon tetras.
When i feed my fish because neon tetras stay at the bottom or in the middle of the tank, they dont get get much food.
I was just wandering will they eat off the food that falls to the bottom of the tank, also will they eat off the algae
More importantly will they die if they dont get enoguh food each.

 

[JamieBailie]

I always worry about this, Either feeding too much, Or not enough. Will be interesting to see the replies

 

[platyfanatic]

Yep it sure will.
Also yes it will be a interesting topic.

 

[backtotropical]

Fish can undoubtedly die if they don't get enough food. They will eat stuff that the other fish miss. If you are worried, try feeding half the food at one end of the tank and the other half at the other end at the same time. This will give them more of a chance. Good luck.

 

[cheesy feet]

If you are unsure they are not getting enough throw the flake into the water so it sinks quicker. Yes fish will die if they don't get any food but even some should be enoguh for them just to live off.

 

[platyfanatic]

Thanks for all of the advice guys, however i am sure that they will get some food that the other fish miss.

 

[Davidtq]

Thanks for all of the advice guys, however i am sure that they will get some food that the other fish miss.

Fish that wont come for flake I often feed with alternative foods like frozen blood worm etc, defrosted in a glass of tank water before chucking it into the filter flow, the way the worms travel through the midstream of the water will encourage even fussy eaters to go for them

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Like all living organisms fish will die if they don't get enough food...keep in mind however that over feeding them isn't healthy either. Overfeeding leads to excess fat being built up around their internal organs, and just about all animals that are fed just above starvation level live much longer. (For example eating only 1500 calories a day adds 15-20% onto your lifespan. Personally however, I'm much happier eating what I want and living a shorter life.) Eventually you'll be able to tell if your fish are getting enough by how slim they are. You don't want fat fish, but you also don't want anorexic looking ones.

There are different ways to get food to your middle feeding fish. One way is purchase specially made slow sinking food. Another is to stick some fish food to a wet finger and push it under the water line...the food will sink downwards. Or drop the flake near the filter output (if using a HoB filter), as the current will carry it down.

 

[JDonner]

Hi guys, i was just wandering, i have 3 platys, 3 guppies and 6 neon tetras.
When i feed my fish because neon tetras stay at the bottom or in the middle of the tank, they dont get get much food.
I was just wandering will they eat off the food that falls to the bottom of the tank, also will they eat off the algae
More importantly will they die if they dont get enoguh food each.

When you feed them don't feed them in a single spot, try to spread it over the full length of the tank and success is guaranteed. Just DON'T overfeed.

 

[Meds081603]

Fish have super powers. They are the only living thing on the planet that does not need "food" to survive. Obviously anything that does not get enough food will die a slow painful death of starvation. In all seriousness it looks like you got some good tips. In my community tank I used a couple different foods, some that sink slowly and some that float. You just have to spread it around and watch them to make sure they eat. I have had to on occasion even scare a particular mollie away from my zebra dannios so they can eat! I don't like stressing her, but a little stress to an aggressive eating mollie is better than 6 dead dannios.

 

[PRW1988]

Personally I think that the answer is no, regardless of a fishes species, if they get hungry enough they will find some source of food, or ,in the case of a more agressive fish, they'll push their way into line for food