flash_liam Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hiya, I've got 20 neon tetras, 13 glow light tetras and 5 golden barbs. Everything I've read says "there should be no food left after 2 minutes", but my fish seem to be absolute guts and after a minute they have eaten a LOT of food!! They are getting quite rotund, and the neons end up very buoyant. I've started adding the food at the filter end of the tank so the current pulls the food down into the water (I've heard that neons can gulp air while feeding from the surface and they then have issues trying to swim). I used to have 15 glow lights but I've lost two in the last week. I have checked pH, Nitrites and Ammonia levels and they are all good. Maybe they were over fed? One sank to the bottom and the other floated. Both were removed as soon as they were spotted (the sinking glow-light was removed within seconds as my brother witnessed the demise). At the moment I'd guess they get a teaspoon of Tetramin flakes each morning and every few days I also give them a wee sprinkling of blood worms. This seems like a lot for such small fish?!! Liam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hey there, feeding is a tricky subject. Here's my advice. A fish stomach is about the same size as a flake of food the size of its eye. Fish WILL overfeed and tetras will do a bit of a feeding frenzy. Try putting the flake food between your fingers and holding it under the water surface to avoid air getting into the guts from gulping from the surface, and you should be able to control the amount of food that some of the piggier fish get this way. In the end you're wanting to have nice, streamlined fish that don't get bouyant or rupture their guts from overeating. Remember, fish CAN die from too much food. You're doing well with only feeding twice a day, but try feeding much less than you are right now. A teaspoonful is HEAPS for small fish like that. Knock it down to a pinch twice a day and replace that pinch with the bloodworms if you want to give them a treat. Also, give the tank a day a week of rest with no food. This will give your fish a chance to clean up any scraps or refuse. I usually do this the day of the weekly water change. Good luck and have fun with that tank of yours, sounds wicked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flash_liam Posted August 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2005 Thank you Fish seem a lot less circular now. It still amases me how quickly fish respond to environmental changes. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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