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Feeding, FW
4/7/08
Hello Neale, how are you today? I have a question for you. Is it okay to
feed my fishes every other day, or is it best to feed it everyday? I don't want
them to starve but my tank has been very dirty lately, which means...i have to
clean it :( . Anyway, thanks for all your help.
<Hi there. What are the fish? If we're talking small tetras, Danios and the
like, they should really be fed daily, though you can safely skip one day a
week. Larger fish, particularly predators like big catfish and Oscars, can
easily get by on reasonably large meals every other day, and some would suggest
that for inactive predators (catfish, lurking pufferfish) that this is indeed
recommended. That said, I'm not a big fan of feeding large fish big meals
infrequently. I can't help but feel that water quality is better maintained by
feeding more frequent but smaller meals (snacks, if you like). Less protein is
dumped into the aquarium at any given instant, and therefore the resulting
ammonia spike is smaller. For short periods (up to one week for small fish, over
two weeks for big predators) most fish can go without food completely. If you're
holidaying or find yourself having to deal with filtration problems, then not
feeding at all for a while is therefore a perfectly viable course of action.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: feeding 4/8/08
Hi again, i have medium sized cichlids, like firemouths and convicts. Will
it still be okay to feed it "snacks" every other day or is it best to just feed
it "snacks" everyday. Last, when you say "snacks" how much exactly do you mean?
Thanks so much for your previous answer.
<Medium sized cichlids like these can/should be given one reasonable sized meal
per day. The standard advice holds here as in other situations: you want fish
that have gently rounded abdomens but shouldn't look swollen. Stop feeding when
the fish are still alert and looking for more, not when they are lethargic and
obviously satiated or "full". All the food should be gone within a minute or
two. Err on the side of underfeeding. Cheers, Neale.>
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Feeding Tropical Fish Turtle
Pellets – 03/22/08
Hi again. I have a quick question. Can I feed tropical fishes box turtle
pellets and aquatic frog pellets as an occasional treat? Thanks for your help
Neale.
< You can try them and see if they will eat them. Try not to overfeed and only
give them enough food so that all of it is gone in a few minutes. Remove any
excess left over food. As a treat I assume that they will only be fed
occasionally like once a week or so.-Chuck>
Algae eating bacteria?
3/14/08
Hi guys
I have a 10 gallon tank that i set up again after it had been torn down for a
move.
<10 gallon tanks are too small for most tropical fish, and very difficult to
maintain satisfactorily.>
It took me a month to get it running right (found a plant bulb that i missed,
was decomposing the whole time). It finally got to the point where i felt safe
to add fish and i did so. One neon to start then another bout 2 weeks later.
<I'd not recommend Neons for running in a new aquarium. In any case, these fish
need to be kept in groups of at least six specimens. To be honest, ten Neons in
a 10 gallon tank is about right, and then I'd add nothing else save perhaps a
few dwarf Corydoras, such as C. habrosus or C. hastatus.>
Shortly there after the algae exploded over night but i was already prepared
with a Pleco in my main tank. I have since moved the Pleco into his new home and
he's making his round on the tank walls.
<Plecs aren't suitable for a tank this small, and in any case the impact on
algae is misleading. By dumping nitrate and phosphate into the water, you're
only making the problem worse in the long term. Things like blue-green algae and
hair algae (which Plecs don't eat) become very likely. The "treatment" for algae
is strong light and fast-growing plants. Algae-eating snails and shrimps can
also help, since they add little nitrate to the water. But algae-eating fish are
a myth in terms of being the silver bullet.>
I do occasionally throw some algae wafers in at night to make sure Pleco has
enough. The problem is in the past week or so the water has been getting cloudy
on and off. And then today i noticed the piece of wafer i threw in the night
before was surrounded by a mass of mostly clear fuzz or slim approximately 1/4
thick the whole way around the wafer. What the heck is that!??!?
<Decay. Perhaps fungal, perhaps bacterial. In any case not directly toxic to the
fish, but a good sign you are massively
overfeeding/overstocking/under-filtering.>
I freaked out and vacuumed the gravel and found previous wafers with the same
casing around them, that and small sheets of whitish stuff. I neglected to take
a pic to help, if it happens again I'll be sure to do so first. Any ideas?
<Take out the Plec. It doesn't belong there. Stick with small (2.5 cm/1
inch-sized) fish. Feed sparingly. Remove uneaten food after a couple minutes.
Ensure the aquarium has reasonably good lighting and then add lots of plants.
Perhaps some Cherry Shrimps and Nerite snails.>
Thanks, Joe
<Cheers, Neale.>
Aquatic
foods/feeding/nutrition, reading 1/30/08
Hola, do you know what is the most nutritious frozen foods? ex. brine
shrimp, bloodworms, Cyclops...etc. Also can they be used as a staple diet? Of
course I will still vary their diets. Thanks for your time and advice.
<... Please read on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feeding.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Also, can I feed my fishes cooked shrimps and raw fish from the grocery? Thanks.
Sorry for the follow-up
<Keep reading>
Night time fishes, lighting, eating,
beh. 1/29/08
hi bob and friends I just set up a 20 gallon tank now cycled for 3 months. I
just added in some nocturnal fishes and I was wondering, do I have to cover the
tank up with a blanket or something to make the tank completely dark.
<Blankets are a bit extreme, but obviously if the tank gets bright sunlight, the
nocturnal fish will stay hidden. If the tank is in a dark corner things might be
different.>
I wanted to know because I don't want my other fishes taking all the food and
leaving none for my nocturnal fishes.
<They won't. Daytime fish won't feed at night, so food put in at night will only
be taken by nocturnal fishes.>
Also can daytime fishes smell the food and eat it?
<Not really, no. Some fish such as Corydoras feed both day and night, but things
like tetras and cichlids are daytime fish and hunt by sight. In the dark, they
sleep.>
Or is it okay to leave some light in it to create a moonlight effect for the
fishes.
<There are indeed moonlight tubes available for just this effect, though low
wattage red tubes work just as well.>
Last, how will I know when my fishes are sleeping?
<Sleeping fish look dozy. Some retreat to favoured burrows or nest, while
midwater fish often drift about among the plants. Several fishes change their
colours at night when they are sleeping, most famously the Pencilfishes.>
Thanks for your help. Thank you.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Koi food not for
tropicals....puffer beh....BORED 1/29/08
Hi, I wanted to know how to keep a figure eight puffer occupied. Mine keeps
swimming up and down the glass. How do I keep it entertained? Do I buy floating
plants? I don't want to buy like crazy mazes to put in. I provide 2 caves but
the puffer never goes in it. He eats and is healthy so why is he bored?
<This isn't something I'd be overly worried about. Wild puffers naturally swim
about constantly, scanning up and down solid objects like oyster beds and rocky
reefs, looking for food. Their prey is hard to find and difficult to eat, so
they need to hunt for hours just to get enough food to stay alive. In the
aquarium, we make life easy for them, but their instinct is still there to
search. Providing a strong water current (the equivalent of a treadmill) and
lots of TALL plastic plants and other ornaments will certainly help.>
Also, can I feed tropical fishes koi pellets? and the shrimp found in koi
pellets? Not as a main diet, just as a occasional treat?
<It isn't normally recommended that coldwater fish foods be given to tropical
fish, or vice versa. Certainly there'll be no harm is using them once a week if
you wanted, but don't use them as a staple.>
Are koi pellets nutritious for tropical fishes?
<They're different, and not really meant to be used one for the other.>
Last, can puffers eat mealworms and crickets?
<Both are best avoided unless killed and chopped up first. I'd honestly stick
with bags of mixed frozen seafood from the grocery store. Cheaper, safer, more
convenient. They're a bit hard for a small puffer like T. biocellatus to
digest.>
Thanks. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Tetra Fresh Delica in Daphnia
storage 1/25/08
Hi Neale,
<Neervana,>
I just bought some Tetra Fresh Delica in Daphnia,
<Yum!>
I was wondering if can refrigerate a pack that I have opened if it has to much
daphnia for me to feed my fish. If I just give them half the pack, and I put the
other half pack in the fridge to use until the next day?
<Should be fine.>
I would not leave it there for more than a night anyway.
<Good.>
Thanks, Neervana.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Tetra Fresh Delica in
Daphnia storage, and FW gravel vac. 1/25/08
Hey Neale,
Well I decided to give half the pack to my two bala sharks and the other half to
the catfish, and they loved it! They are going into a frenzy, but I didn't feed
them too much, I tested the water and it seems fine, N03 is a little high -
around 0.1 but I am doing a water change tomorrow morning anyway, so they should
be fine until the morning, shouldn't they?
<NO3 is nitrate, NO2 is nitrite. Make sure you know which you're testing. 0.1
mg/l nitrite is not good, and implies either overfeeding or under-filtration or
an immature filter. What you want is for that reading to go to zero. 0.1 mg/l
nitrate is fine, but I don't think many freshwater test kits register such small
amounts.>
I looked for a gravel vacuum everywhere in central London today but none of the
pet shops seem to have it. Do you know where I could get one?
<If you want one, then someplace like Wholesale Tropicals in Bethnal Green or
Aquatic Design Centre on the Great Portland Street would be two places to go.
Personally, I just use a stick and the hose pipe. Stir the gravel with the
stick, and siphon out the crud during the water change. Put water on houseplants
or in the garden -- they love fish tank water!>
I wanted a Hagen one. I have to use a manual cleaner tomorrow but I'm worried in
case it scares them and they get stressed. What should I do?
<Take the kid gloves off! Fish will get used to you cleaning the tank if you
don't chase them and you do it regularly. Animals are very good at learning
what's danger and what isn't.>
Any other options? Not just replacing water is good enough, is it?
<It is the main thing, but cleaning the tank and maintaining the filter are both
important, too.>
I have to get the debris off the gravel as well?
<TO some degree, yes. No need to get paranoid, but if the gravel is obviously
dirty, then a quick stir and a clean will help. What's on the gravel is largely
harmless solid waste, and looks worse than it actually is. The dangerous stuff
to fish is dissolved in the water: ammonia and nitrite.>
Thanks, Neervana.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Bloodworms
12/5/07
Hello everyone. I wanted to know how to feed bottom feeders frozen
bloodworms since they float. All the bottom feeders do not go to the surface to
eat and only eat when it is in the bottom of the tank. Is there another way to
feed them with out hand feeding them and without the other fishes eating them?
Thanks a lot for all your help.
~Logan
<Are we talking about wet-frozen bloodworms or freeze-dried bloodworms?
Wet-frozen bloodworms don't float. I've used them for many years, and they
almost always sink straight down. Thaw them out in a small jar of water, and
then decant into the aquarium. They'll sink right down. Freeze-dried bloodworms
are something I don't use, so can't comment on their utility. In any case,
bloodworms shouldn't be the staple for most fish. If you're keeping plecs,
loaches, Corydoras, etc then ordinary pellet foods, especially if fed at night
when the lights are out, will do perfectly. Only a few fish, like spiny eels and
Mormyridae, need bloodworms as a staple. Cheers, Neale.>
Loaches and worms... Logan by
any other name... fdg. again 12/5/07
Hi, how do you feed clown loaches worms without other fishes eating it?
Thanks for all your help and advice.
<Christopher, don't bother with the worms. Waste of time. Just go with
good-quality catfish pellets and algae wafers, in equal amounts, at night.
Clowns feed at night, your other fish likely don't. Repeat as required, adding
suitable veggies like tinned peas and Sushi Nori and cucumber to the mix
periodically. Clowns will thrive on this sort of diet. Cheers, Neale.>
... Hi, which worms are
nutritious and cheap? FW fdg.... 12/5/07
<Contradiction in terms. Nutritious, safe food by definition is more
expensive than useless, disease-risky food. If you're talking about all-round
value for money, it's hard to argue with (wet) frozen bloodworms. Most fish love
them. All live foods come with some degree of risk, with the possible exception
of brine shrimp, but essentially they're a gimmick for 95% of the freshwater
fish sold. We use them because it's fun, not because the fish need them. So if
money is an issue, skip live food and concentrate on nutritious frozen and
prepared foods.>
About how much are they?
<Over here in England, around £2-3 per package.>
Also, how many and how often should I feed my fishes?
<I use one block (about a tablespoon of worms, I guess, when thawed out) for a
busy 180 litre community tank PLUS two lightly stocked 30 litre tanks. Per day.
In other words, not much food is required. Far less than inexperienced aquarists
often suppose.>
I have 5 danios, 2 swordtails, 1 platy, 2 balloon platy, 3 loaches, and 1
Bristlenose Pleco that live in a 50 gallon tank.
<None of these fish *need* bloodworms. Flake plus pellets will do for all of
them, and the Platies, Plec, and Loaches will further appreciate (REQUIRE!)
algae-based foods for good health, such as Algae wafers.>
Last, how do I take care of the worms and is it easy to breed them without
having to buy another 50 gallon or so tank?
<Don't bother.>
Thanks for your advice and tips.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Catching Live Mysis Shrimp 11/11/07
Hi, Just wanted to thank you people for all the work you do. Have used your
website for several years as I got hooked on fish. I currently have a 70 Gal
Reef Tank, 85 Gallon Planted, and several other smaller tanks with various
freshwater species. I live next to a large lake that has a large population of
Mysis shrimp living in it. I would like to be able to get some of them to feed
to my fish however I am at a loss at how to catch them.
Have a nice day
Jonathan
<Nice... have seen this done (the lucky pugs at Long Island, NY, Atlantis
Aquarium collect hundreds of pounds at a go behind their facility... small mesh
netting... arrayed on poles if you can get a friend to help pull a seine...
http://www.memphisnet.net/
one of my fave makers of such... or largish hand nets of the same, soft
material. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Feeding questions, FW
11/07/07
Hello crew,
<Hello,>
From what I read I understand that
1) omnivorous fish I have to feed with variety of food: meet (frozen) and
vegetables (Spirulina flakes).
<Correct. What you're trying to do is mimic nature, and offer a variety of
foods. Humans are omnivores, but that doesn't mean we can survive just eating
peanut butter and bread. We need a variety of things, though primarily plant
foods of one sort or another, with a bit of meat for protein. Omnivorous fish
need precisely the same thing. Mostly plant material, but some meaty foods.>
2) herbivorous fish I have to feed with Spirulina flakes, wafers and raw
vegetables.
<Correct, though again variety helps. Even herbivores such as Severums or Plecs
will be eating some small animals occasionally. So giving something like a Plec
algae-pellets most nights, but something meaty like a prawn or mussel once a
week would be just about perfect. Likewise Severums will thrive on a mostly
plant-based diet, but appreciate bloodworms, daphnia and other small
invertebrates two or three times a week. Only in some cases do meaty foods
actually do harm. Tropehus and many Mbuna cichlids fall into this category, and
get "bloat" if fed anything other than algae or plant-based foods.>
Does it mean that carnivorous fish (blue rams) it is OK to feed with
frozen food (daily) and tropical flakes (occasionally)? Anything else?
<Ah, you see this is a common mistake. Mikrogeophagus spp., are, like almost all
dwarf cichlids, NOT carnivores. While a lot of books will imply they are eating
nothing but invertebrates like worms and insect larvae, but that isn't true.
Virtually all dwarf cichlids are detritus feeders, sifting the sediments for
algae and decaying plant material. (The "Mikrogeophagus" part of their Latin
name means literally "small earth-eater" and refers to their feeding mode in the
wild.) Small benthic invertebrates are a "treat" rather than the staple diet.
It's the failure to get this aspect of their diet right and consequent
nutritional deficiency that, in part, leads to problems such as Hole-in-the-Head
and Hexamita. Indeed, virtually all cichlids are herbivores to some extent.
Giving them insufficient plant material is just as bad for them as it is for
another group of animals that evolved as herbivores -- humans! So just as your
doctor tells you to "eat more greens", that advice is rock-solid when dealing
with cichlids of almost every sort. I maintain dwarf cichlids using Spirulina
flake and fresh green algae dragged out of my garden pond. Daphnia and other
small invertebrates are offered a couple of times a week. This works well, and
encourages them to breed freely and maintain excellent colours. There are some
nice Malawi cichlid frozen foods out there that mix plant material, algae and
small prey animals into each cube. I recommend these as a useful staple for just
about every cichlid kept in the hobby, and likely far better for them than plain
vanilla flake day in, day out.>
Thank you for your help
Mark
<Good luck, Neale>
Re: A few questions... FW
fdg. 10/11/07
Neale,
Thank you for your very informative response. It is very helpful. We have
another quick question - how much should we be feeding them as they always seem
to be hungry! We are giving them a variety of things, including bloodworms,
flakes and pellet like things.
Many thanks, Katie & Tony
<Hello Katie and Tony. Fish are always hungry! But as a broad rule, give
standard community fish a small pinch of food once or twice per day, and only
enough that they eat it all within two minutes. In the case of omnivorous barbs
especially, some green foods can be useful. These are more "filling" than meaty
foods (just as we observe when eating out own dinners). So a slice of cucumber
or a crushed tinned pea can be used as an alternative to flake or pellets for a
couple of meals per week. It's actually very difficult to starve fish. They need
tiny amounts to stay healthy, because they aren't burning calories to keep warm.
So, as long as their bellies are gently convex, you're doing fine. Cheers,
Neale>
Gut blocked by a ghost shrimp? FW
10/1/07
Hello folks...
I have a juvenile male Astatotilapia sp. that swallowed a ghost shrimp a couple
days ago and is not acting like his usual self; clamped fins, color is fading,
seeking solitude, etc... He can not seem to eat flake food now, either. He just
chews it for a minute and has to spit it out. Is he going to make it?
<Maybe>
Is there anything I can do to get what I am assuming to be the exoskeleton of a
shrimp out of his gut? Can I feed him some roughage, or is there no hope?
<Always hope... but can only wait at this point... nothing will move, dissolve
this mass faster>
Please and thank you for any help you can give me.
Martin C.
<Bob Fenner>
Bait shrimp for Oscar
8/26/07
Hello to all at WWW,
I've read time and again about feeding shrimp to Oscars. I envisioned those
nice, pink, fat, little shrimp they sell at the grocery store.
My husband passed a bait shop today and (thinking of my Oscar) brought home a
box of frozen shrimp. But these are *whole* disgusting looking shrimp, complete
with shells, tails, guts, whiskers,
everything. I went ahead and cleaned them under cold water and cut them up
(yuck) bagged them and put them in the freezer (while fighting off 4 cats and
some very interested dogs).
Can these shrimp be fed to an Oscar? It's highly unlikely they were raised under
clean or parasite-free conditions considering they were raised for fish bait.
It's the potential disease or parasite
exposure that has me concerned. I know Oscars in the wild eat them, but they're
probably also considerably more resistance to parasites.
Does freezing them make them safe for aquarium fish to eat?
If you deem them safe, can the Oscar get a very tiny chunk every day in since
it's part of his natural diet (he's only 3" now).
I've been looking through the FAQ's for references to 'bait shrimp' without any
luck so far, will continue looking.
Thank you for all you do. You all have the patience of Saints!
Mitzi
<Should be fine. As a broad rule, marine animals make safe food for predatory
freshwater fish because relatively parasites can infect both marine and
freshwater fishes. Feeding freshwater animals to marine fish is (broadly) safe
too, but there are specific problems with using freshwater *fish* as food for
predatory marine fish because of nutritional imbalances. You're correct about
wild fish being less troubled by parasites, though the reasons for this are more
to do with population biology and epidemiology than resistance. Freezing doesn't
necessarily kill parasites though it may do. Regardless, your Oscar will
certainly enjoy the whole shrimp, and the extra fibre will do him good. Just
make sure you balance the diet with other things: shrimps contain a lot of
Thiaminase, and long term this causes problems with Vitamin B1 availability. So
use them a couple of times a week, and augment the diet with other things, such
as shelled mussels (an excellent staple for most fish), earthworms, and a good
quality cichlid pellet. Some green foods are also important, either as algae
wafers or things like tinned peas. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Bait shrimp for Oscar –
08/26/07
WWW Crew (Neale),
Very thought-provoking, thank you. The idea of feeding the entire shrimp makes
perfect sense. I'd read another Crew member's recommendation to take the shells
off 1st because of big pieces of shell causing swallowing or digestion problems.
I'll chop them up with the food processor (and not tell my family lol!) into
coarse chunks and freeze them and just thaw out a chunk a few times a week for
him. The shelled mussels are an excellent idea and I'll do that also. Thanks to
the WWW website he's got quite a buffet in the freezer right now of peas,
earthworms, his shrimp, frozen bloodworms, tadpoles & crickets, twice a day he
gets 1 pre-soaked medium Hikari Cichlid Gold pellet. I only give him less than a
1/4" chunk of 2 of these frozen foods twice a
week but he sure works for them begging non-stop. My 11 yr old son is disgusted
and demoted me to the bottom shelf of the freezer-ha!
I'd written to you a few wks ago about putting a similar sized blue crayfish in
a 90 gal tank with the Oscar and got mixed opinions. Just to update you-the
crayfish is still in his 20 gal quarantine tank, I've decided to just keep him
there by himself (he's so funny!) and get another tank for quarantine. This is
exactly what happens to all my quarantine tanks :-/ The 90 gal is going through
a fishless cycle (thanks to WWW also) so the 3" Oscar is still in his 47 gal.
I'd bought it as a "40 gal breeder tank" but when I did the math on it with
several different size/gallon converters it measured out to 47 gallons. Not sure
why they marked it as 40 gal (it's 36" x 18" X 17" tall).
Interesting also.
I'm grateful beyond words for this website. I've learned more through this
website than I did from the endless other websites and books I've read. Thank
you!
Mitzi
<Hello Mitzi. Glad we could help. Obviously whether or not you remove the shells
from the shrimps depends upon the relative sizes of shrimp and Oscar! An adult
Oscar (30 cm+) can handle unshelled shrimps around the 5 cm length without any
fuss at all, and the shells will do him good. But a juvenile Oscar trying to
swallow a shrimp almost as big as he is... well, that's not so sensible, and
shopping the shrimp up makes sense. So use your discretion there. Oscars *are*
crustacean eaters though, and they have the mouthparts to handle them. Because
fish can't really choke as such, assuming the prey fits into a fish's mouth, it
can usually swallow it, even if it takes a long time to do so. Sometimes
aquarists get confused by watching the prey seemingly stay in the throat for
long periods. Fish have "pharyngeal teeth" in the throat used to process food.
Cichlids in particular have very sophisticated pharyngeal teeth that explain
part of their success at being able to evolve into a bewildering variety of
types able to eat everything from snails to plants. It's also why most cichlids
are such opportunistic feeders, as you're discovering. Most cichlids will eat a
wide variety of foods, and while some are specialists, most are omnivores
feeding on whatever animals, plants, or organic detritus they can find. So your
approach of "a little of everything" is just about perfect. Don't forget to try
and add some greens to your Oscar's diet -- most cichlids eat some green food,
whether algae, live plants, or decaying plant material. As for your aquarium: it
contains 6.3 cubic feet, which is 39.2 Imperial gallons but 47 US gallons. I'm
guessing the manufacturers labeled the tank using Imperial rather than US
measurements. Everything is easier when people switch to the Metric system,
because a litre is a litre is a litre wherever you live. (And it's so much
easier to work out weights and lengths, too! One 10 cm cube of water weighs one
Kilogram and has a one Litre volume. Idiot-proof.) Good luck, Neale.>
Feeding, freshwater. 8/16/07
Hey Crew,
Can you recommend a guide for the amount of food fed, as a general rule. I find
my levels are pretty good,( 0 ammonia, 5 nitrate but the nitrite is between 0
and about 0.1) These booklets which come with the test kits read like 0 - 0.3 is
acceptable but I'm not so sure about 0.3 ?! I thought 0 was the only ' right '
answer. I fed my angels tonight (my Q tank) and literally dabbed my finger in
flake crumbs and it was surprising how much of the surface it covered. I later
performed a 1/3 wc and the nitrite reading was between 0.1 and 0.3 ? Perhaps
feeding earlier had a substantial impact. I have read on the forums that a piece
the size of a fishes eye is sufficient for it to survive on, other reads say
feeding should last between 1 -3, 5 and 10 minutes as a rough guide.
Just thought I'd mention that I have just bought and installed an R.O unit in my
garage and hopefully this should help my readings though I have been buying it
already from my LFS.
Many thanks and Kind regards,
Steve.
<Steve, as a general rule, fish need about half as much food as we think they
do. Indeed, most of us are pretty bad at estimating how much food we actually
need, let alone doing this for animals with a completely different level of
metabolism! It is semi-normal to register tiny amounts of ammonia or nitrite
immediately after feeding. That said, when this happens it is usually a sign of
inadequate filtration. A bigger (read: appropriately-sized) filter would process
more water through the biological media more quickly, and hence the ammonia
released by the fish would be metabolised by them that much faster. So when I
say "semi-normal" I don't mean it's acceptable, but rather it's common, since
people often under-filter their tanks. For angels, you want a filter with at
least 4 times the volume of your aquarium in gallons per hour turnover. In
absolute terms, an adult angelfish probably needs the equivalent of a dozen
frozen bloodworms or one or two flakes per day to remain healthy. Fish aren't
(with a few exceptions, like tuna) warm blooded, so they don't need to burn
calories to keep warm. This is why mammals have to eat so much. Fish simply
aren't like that, and their energy demands per day are miniscule. Fish don't
need to eat every day, either (except for baby/growing fish, which need 4-6
meals a day). And in many cases, we tend to give them high-protein foods (which
are polluting) rather than vegetarian foods (which are not polluting). So
switching some of the meals to green foods is one good way to keep the fish
healthy and well fed without causing pollution problems. Cichlids are pretty
good in this regard: most are at least semi-herbivorous anyway and the rest are
such greedy pigs that tricking them into accepting tinned peas, Sushi Nori,
spinach and the like is rarely difficult. Frozen bloodworms and crustaceans are
also good, since their percentage protein is far lower than flake food.
Bloodworms are something like 5% protein, while flake is often 35% protein. So
weight for weight, flake causes 7 times as much water pollution. Bottom line,
feed less food than you think they need, use more green instead of processed
food, use low protein frozen foods, skip feeding them a couple or three times a
month, feed only once per day, and beef up the filtration system if water
quality remains poor. Cheers, Neale>
Feeding Peas to Goldfish (& Other Fish Too!) 5/7/07
Dear sir/madam,
<Pufferpunk/Jeni here today, I'm a madam.>
I have read a lot about the benefits to feeding peas to goldfish to help their
digestive system.
<Absolutely>
Do the peas have to be crushed once they have been skinned or can they be put
into the tank whole? I have a image of a whole pea stuck inside a little
fantail!!!
<Depending on the size of the fish, either way is fine, as long as you defrost
them 1st. Also, try algae wafers. ~PP>
Thanks for your help, Chris Stone
Overfeeding Freshwater Fish - 4/6/07
Hi,
I have a really silly question. I was told when you overfeed fish that the
stuff that comes out of them that looks like poop or feces is their intestines,
is this true? I have never heard this before and I needed to check it out!
<No, this isn't true. When fish are overfed, the food comes out pretty much as
it went in, but because of the water, mucus, and compression, it may be formed
into "strings". These could be mistaken for the intestines I suppose. The cause
is lack of fibre, and the remedy green foods such as cooked peas and algae. The
main problem from overfeeding fish is the resulting decline in water quality:
the protein decays into ammonia, and the ammonia poisons the fish. The filter
removes the ammonia, but up to a certain level, and if you put too much food in
the tank, the filter can't cope, and the fish get sick. Cheers, Neale>
Hello Crew! Upgrading to a larger FW, Picking out Auto Feeder
3/29/07
Hello,
My name is Derek, and I just wanted some advice about something, I have a ten
gallon tank full of guppies and platies, and I plan to upgrade to a larger
tank, what would be the best size tank for me next?
<Mmm... about as large a space as you have, and system as you can practically
afford, maintain... Perhaps a 29 gallon>
Also what mechanical feeder (that lasts up to 2 weeks) would you recommend?
Thanks
-Derek
<My fave (the ones I use) are Eheim products... though there are (nowadays)
quite a few manufacturers of good ones. Bob Fenner>
Peas
Hello, I absolutely hate peas but I love my fish so I thought that I would
do this pea thing for them. So after skinning a few peas I didn't really know
what to do next. Do I have to cook the peas before I feed them and some of them
are a little large, would it be sensible to cut these down a bit more. thanks.
hayli fairy x
<Likely a good idea to prep. a batch of peas: "blanch" (microwave in a bit of
water), allow to cool, pinch the skin off just before feeding... BobF>
Overfeeding A Community Tank
Thanks for your reply. I have a few further questions.
I wrote this all up and it was forever long, so now I’m going to try to be
short, but it still isn’t very short. Sorry. We’re having feeding problems in
our 37 gallon tank (guppies, Neons, ADFs, angelicus Botia loaches). I think the
guppies are gorging themselves on our plants. Some of the plants are suffering
(mostly because some of the guppies enjoy grabbing the end of the plants and
literally jerking them while swimming backwards, which pulls some up), but
overall they’re bearing it. The guppies all have enlarged their stomachs since
joining the planted tank. They’re slowing down on their nibbling somewhat and
are mostly picking algae off. Since they’ve starting picking more at the algae
on the plants, they’ve also not appeared as interested in the flakes. If it was
just the guppies, I think we could get away with not feeding flakes at all, they
eat enough plant material, but I don’t think the Neons are eating the plants as
much and they still eat the flakes, which means the guppies eat those, too. I’m
almost afraid that the guppies are overeating, though none of them appear
constipated and they’re still having good, uh, bowel movements. Should we only
feed flakes once a day instead of twice? Would the Neons be alright? If they
don’t give any other indication of feeling ill, just have large stomachs, should
we not worry?
< The guppies feeding on the algae is normal. Feed your fish once a day and only
enough food so that all of it is gone in a couple of minutes. The other fish
will be more hungry and begin to come up to the flakes more aggressively. The
more they eat, the less flakes are available for the guppies.>
We feed our ADFs once a day, the frog/tadpole food, and they don’t appear to eat
them, but I’m assuming they’re eating something because they’re still alive
after about a month. We had problems with the guppies eating the frog food but
they don’t do that so much anymore since they’ve been gorging themselves on
plant material. We give half the flakes, let them eat those, then add a few
more flakes and add the frog food in another spot in the tank. But I’m not sure
that the frogs are eating them. I find leftovers occasionally, and I see fish
eating them an hour or so after I’ve dropped them, but again, the ADFs seem to
be doing well. They mostly hide during the day, probably because of our plant
lights, but they’re always out at night. They loved the brine shrimp. Is the
frozen brine shrimp nutritious enough for them to eat all the time? (See below
for more about our brine shrimp plans.)
< Feed them sinking pellets after you turn out the lights. At first drop in only
a couple until they begin to get use to them as food.>
We have three loaches. They mostly hide, but two come out and play pretty
often. The third, however, I have only seen once (other then his tail sticking
out of his hiding place). When I saw him, the other two loaches were swimming
circles along the side and he was sitting in the bottom. As soon as he saw me,
he ran and hid. There are quite a few hiding places, the ADFs use a lot of
different ones, including piling in with the loaches, but we’re adding more just
in case he doesn’t feel secure enough. We bought shrimp pellets, but they won’t
touch them. They just sit at the bottom and the guppies pick at them. Our tank
is heavily planted and it’s next to impossible to vacuum. I pick them out
sometimes, but I have to stand on the arm of the couch to do it and it’s still
hard. Will they deteriorate all right and act as fertilizer, or should we look
into a shrimp for cleanup?
< Leftover food with rot and increase the nitrates. Change food to one they will
consume while you are watching.>
We talked to the LFS last night and they said to drop them with other food they
like to teach them that it’s food. We tried white mosquito larvae last night
with no interest from them. The only thing we get them to eat is frozen brine
shrimp, which we’ve read isn’t the most nutritious for them, more like chips.
< Correct>
My husband’s working on a brine shrimp hatchery for more nutrition with the egg
sacs. But even then, only the two came out and I don’t think the third did. My
husband is up for most of the nights and he said he hasn’t seen the third loach,
either. Should we be worried? We saw him more in their quarantine tank and
didn’t see anything unusual (besides that they wouldn’t touch their food).
<Many loaches are shy and only come out at night. You have a heavily planted
tank so it may be awhile before you see him.>
Also, a few of our guppies fins almost look clamped, but not quite. We just
noticed this yesterday afternoon. My husband had added CO2 with a homemade soda
bottle thing and apparently our pH has dropped almost a point. It’s at 7.2
now. We were monitoring the pH and it dropped over a 24 hour period and has now
held constant (between 7.2 and 7.4) for a little over 24 hours and we think this
is where it’s going to stay. Was that too quick of a drop?
< Guppies like hard alkaline water with a little salt added to it. Plants
usually like soft acidic water with no salt. You have a conflict. Many plants
don't need CO2 although almost all will benefit from it. The pH drop is from the
CO@ adding carbonic acid to the water. When the CO2 is gone the pH should bounce
back up.>
I did a 30% water change after noticing the halfway clamped fins and they do
look better this morning.
< Probably diluted the CO2 and raised the pH.>
(There are only 5 of the 17 guppies we have doing this, but one is the male
lowest on the totem pole and usually has his fins low. All the rest are
females.) But if the pH of our tap water is higher, and it’s being lowered in
the aquarium because of the addition of CO2, is adding the water going to change
the pH of our system and then change as the new water is infused with CO2?
< You will have pH fluctuations when doing water changes.>
Is that going to be a shock?
< Big changes in pH are not tolerated well by many fish.>
Our water is filtered with a Living Water filtration system from EcoQuest and so
we don’t have to add anything to it and would really hate to add chemicals to it
in order to change the pH, but I don’t want to shock the fish. Would the drop
in the pH have caused the clamped fins, or should we look to another source?
< When fish are stressed they become susceptible to diseases. Try more frequent
but smaller water changes.>
Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate barely registering, probably 2 or 3, alkalinity
300. The same before and after the water change. With CO2 calculations, my
husband says this is a perfect amount of CO2 addition and doesn’t want to take
away any and won’t be adding any.
Thanks for your time*.again. Celeste
< CO2 is needed by many stem plants like Bacopa. Plants like Cryptocorynes and
swords will benefit from CO2 but I have found it is not needed.-Chuck>
Jack Dempsey Hooked On Blood Worms 11/27/06
I have a 2 inch electric blue jack Dempsey and he is in a 60 gallon tank. He
has been pooping stringy white for several days. He is eating fine (although he
refuses to eat anything but bloodworms) and moving around fine. Water tests all
measure zero for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. No signs of ick on him or
other fish in the tank, and the others poop the normal brown/black poop. Is the
poop from eating only bloodworms or is it reason to be concerned about something
else? Thanks for your help, Kelly
< Don't feed him for three days then offer a few blood worms with some other
foods like Spectrum pellets. Over time his blood worm only diet will cause
problems.-Chuck>
How To Cook One Pea - 10/22/2006
Do I just buy a pea at the grocery store and shell it? (And do I have to
cook it--how do you cook one pea?) Or, is this something I can find at a pet
store?
<I don't think you'll be able to buy "a pea". Get a small bag of frozen. Then
just thaw, shell and feed>
Thanks for all the advice. I cleaned out his bowl last night, and kept him in
another spot. I let the bowl filter itself and I transferred him back in today.
He's still not as perky as usual, but he seems a bit better. A pet store
here in town recommended some salt that you can put into fresh water tanks, and
since the owner lives nearby me, she offered to bring some to me. I am so
grateful for the help. Gotta keep my little guy alive! Cheers!
Holly
<A little salt never hurt a goldfish. But Epsom Salt may be a better choice if
he is bloating. Don>
Salt in FW systems, feeding FHs, worms that are larval
coleopterans 9/15/06
Hi, it's me. Again.
<<Well, hello again, Cecille.>>
Thanks for the fast response. And, yeah that will surely help.
<<Glad to hear it.>>
But, I just have another question. I've been browsing quite a lot in
the net about aquarium maintenance and such and some suggests to use
salt. I have this 15 gallon tank. How much salt should I put in it?
And, what good would that give, actually?
<<Good question, Cecille. What you've read probably suggests one
tablespoon of salt per five gallons of water. In your case, I would
suggest a total solution of 2 1/2 tablespoons per volume of tank
water. If, for example, you remove three gallons of water for a
water change, dissolve 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt in the new water to
achieve the 'recommended' solution rate. Obviously, you'll have to
do some calculations for subsequent water changes to maintain this
ratio properly. To be safe, err on the side of adding less salt than
more during your water changes. (Remember that salt will not
evaporate with water, which means that any evaporation that takes
place effectively increases the amount of salt per unit volume.) As
to the 'good' of adding salt, you'll find this debated among
reliable sources. Most freshwater pathogens don't tolerate salt well
and salt helps to keep these under control. It doesn't eradicate
them but provides them with less than desiraable breeding conditions
which keeps them at levels that the fish's own immune system can
deal with. (Costia is an example.) Salt has also been cited as
increasing a fish's ability to uptake oxygen from the water. This is
true, particularly in the presence of nitrites in the water.
Nitrites deprive the hemoglobin in the blood of oxygen and the
sodium ions in salt (NaCl) combine with nitrite to become sodium
nitrite which increases blood flow and provides oxygen to the
oxygen-depleted areas of the body. Finally, salt increases the
specific gravity of the water. In the event of physical trauma
(injury) or, the like, swelling is caused by fluid build-up in the
affected area. This fluid (low specific gravity) in injured area is
released, via osmosis, to the surrounding water (higher specific
gravity) relieving the swelling and increasing beneficial blood flow
to the injury promoting healing. Now, is all of this enough to
convince you to add salt to your tank? Possibly. Live plants are
adversely affected by salt but, since Cichlids typically don't have
these in their tanks, you might be inclined to give it a try.>>
Okay, I have just another one more:
I've been feeding my FH pellets for a few months now and a few brine
shrimps whenever I could find them. But, the shrimps are really
quite rare and a bit pricey, too.
<<Your Flowerhorn definitely needs a varied diet. Good for you for
adding the Brine Shrimp to its diet but I understand about price and
availability. Just keep in mind that too monotonous of a diet can
lead to problems no matter how high quality the food might be.>>
A few days ago, my friend gave me a couple of worms.
<<I tried that with my wife but she insisted on jewelry. :)>>
Super worms, he said. Are those good food?
<<They're beetle larvae, as you probably know. The exoskeletons of
the 'Super Worm' (Zophobas morio) are reportedly more easily
digested than typical mealworms and they grow larger. Beyond this, I
have no specific knowledge of the food value involved.>>
I haven't tried feeding those to my fishes. He said it will enhance
the "characters" in the fish's body. Is that true?
<<I find that a debatable issue, Cecille. In my opinion, it sounds
like "hype" though, again, I couldn't verify this for you, one way
or the other.>>
And, what do I do with them once they turn into beetles?
<<If you plan on breeding them for more "worms", hang on to them.
I've run across several sites that describe how to breed these. A
simple 'Google' search will lead you in the right direction.>>
Thanks in advance again.
Cecille,
<<Any time, Cecille. Glad to help. Tom>>
Green Peas 8/20/06
Hello Bob and...
<<Tom? :)>>
No question this time, just an observation that may help some of your readers. I
notice by reading many FAQ'S and articles on WWM that most of you recommend
frozen peas for certain fish. For those of you with arthritis, shelling the peas
is a little difficult. I use the dried peas in a bag like to make split pea
soup. Soak them in water for about 10 min. and they seem to work fine. Just
thought some of your readers may benefit from this...Thanks...DR
<<Thanks for the tip, DR. Will pass this along (as you know, by now) and I'm
sure others will, indeed, benefit. Thanks, Tom>>
Do fish smell or see? 8/10/2006
Hi crew.
<<Hello.>>
I just wanted to know whether fishes can see or just smell the food.
<<Most do both.>>
There is a lake near my house with green water. It contains a lot of snake
heads and typical Indian cichlids of whose name I do not know. So do the fish
smell or see.
Thanking you in advance.
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>>
Bye.
Too much Spirulina? 8/4/06
I was wondering if there can be too much of a good thing.
<Uh, yes>
I have a colony of 20 Tropheus. I feed them Jehmco pure Spirulina
flakes (ingredients: Spirulina and lecithin) in the morning, and NLS cichlid
pellets in the afternoon. I know that pure Spirulina by itself is not a
balanced diet, but was wondering what you thought of feeding it once a day in
conjunction with NLS?
<New Life Spectrum... a very good, balanced diet/food in and by itself>
Is that still too much Spirulina?
Thanks,
Kelly
<You should be fine here with this species, feeding regimen, regular maintenance
otherwise. Bob Fenner>
Feeding fish while on holiday - 06/20/2006
Hello,
<Hi there - Jorie here>
I am going on holiday soon for two weeks.
<Yay for you!>
I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank with pump and filter, and 3 largish goldfish.
We have had them for about three years now. Can you advise as to what to do, as
there is no one to come in to feed them - should I buy the "vacation blocks"
from the pet shop, or are they not suitable? Many thanks, Lynn.
<Lynn, I would first look into an automatic feeder - I've heard very good things
from the one made by Eheim, although I cannot claim to have used it
myself. www.drsfostersmith.com sells it, I believe. I have not heard such
great things about the "blocks" you refer to, so if it were me, I'd choose the
auto feeder before those. Best of luck and have a great vacation! Jorie> <<RMF
relies on Eheim automatic feeders, and has for many years>>
Cycling, on nitrite spike, going out of town 6/18/06
Greetings WWM folks!
<Cris>
I've got a 10g planted tank (w/ Eco-Complete) that is on the nitrite spike part
of the cycle, NH4 not all the way down yet. I will be away
for 10 days and have a friend who will stop by to feed the three Corys (C.
habrosus) every couple of days. I'm trying to figure whether to
assume that the cycle will complete soon, or to put in some zeolite and risk it
stalling/clobbering the cycle, or to ask my friend to
check the Ammonia Alert and put in the zeolite if there's a spike.
<I would just be very, very light on feeding... like "one flake" per, per day>
The third seems like the best plan to me - any thoughts?
Thanks for all the good information,
Cris
<Just good guessing here, but this is what I'd do. These Corydoras won't starve,
but might easily be poisoned by over-feeding boosting nitrite concentration (I
would not have placed them in an uncycled system). Bob Fenner>
What to feed newly caught lake fishies? NANFA.org - 4/24/2006
Hi there...
I did an internet wide search and came up empty handed on what to feed the fish
we caught out of our local lake.
We'd love to be able to keep them in an indoor aquarium or our outdoor 90 gallon
pond; but I have yet to find what to feed them...
We caught 10 spot-tail minnows, and 1 brim. (bream?)
<Can likely be easily trained onto pelleted "pond" or aquarium foods... do seek
out high/er quality of these... as some do a good deal of polluting>
Also.. could you tell me possibly whether they would survive better indoors or
out?
<Mmmm>
We live in Alabama.. and the pond is made of black plastic with very little
shading right now (newly installed)...
<Well, best to be where conditions are more like their natural habitat... but
stability is very key. If your house isn't too warm... versus the pond being too
small and/or shallow... I'd keep them indoors>
Anything else you might be able to add (or point me in the right direction) as
to water temp/food/plants...
<Do look up the website NANFA (.org) A treasure of useful information on
natives, their captive care>
for our new fishies would be wonderful!
Thanks so much for your time and attention regarding our newbies!
~Jennifer Darnell
<Welcome to the wonderful world of aquatic life keeping. Bob Fenner>
Feeding Fish Vegetables 4/21/06
Hello. I was wondering why pet stores feed their fish oranges and cucumber
slices. Is it good for them to eat? Should I give orange and cucumber slices to
my
fish? I was just curious. Have a nice day! Katherine
< Humans, guinea pigs and fish cannot manufacture their own vitamin C. So they
must get it from the food they eat. Veggies such as zucchini squash, cucumbers
and lettuce are very good for algae and plant eating species. Never heard of
oranges before.-Chuck>
Earthworms 'N' Eels - 03/07/2006
This is just a note for those eel lovers or those wanting to embrace the eel
so to speak.
<.... I might pet one, but hugging is maybe not quite in my plans.>
A couple of years ago I bought 4 eels for my hundred gallon aquarium. Two fire
eels and two tire track. Sadly someone left the lid on the tank askew and I
lost one a couple of weeks ago.
<Aww! So sorry to hear this!>
It was about 18 inches long. I still have three left that are about that size,
one is a good 23 inches long. They share the aquarium with a sun catfish, a
drift wood cat, a tiny (but extremely swift) zebra loach, a very fat clown loach
which I bought at the same time (he's a good 10 inches long) a spotted perch, a
dojo and a pair of spotted catfish that act like they're on crack. I love my
eels but let future eel owners be warned, they'll eat you out of house and
home. They pick at flake food in the morning, ah but at night they go through 3
of the large cubes of frozen blood worms and whine for more. I'm thinking that
someday in the future I will find just one very enormous eel in that tank, all
other fish having become snacks. Do you know if eels might eat fishing worms?
<Yep. Especially at that size. I recommend culturing your own, to be sure they
are in good health and nutrition. Google "vermiculture". You can start with
worms in your own yard, provided you haven't used any pesticides, herbicides,
etc.>
I'm curious but haven't tried offering any.
<I'm sure they'd love 'em. Try small worms, not big fat
Nightcrawlers.>
I was kind of hoping that the larger worms might just fill the tanks up a bit
quicker. Luckily I can say that none of them have had an ailment in the years
I've had them. (knock on wood) and I don't want to encourage anything a live
food might bring in.
<Agreed.>
So if you have any information on earthworms for eels please let me know. It
would be much appreciated.
<I say give it a try - I've seen even smallish (<8" or so) spiny eels take small
worms.>
Thanks Jo
<All the best to you, -Sabrina>
Color Enhancement via foods, FW - 02/20/06
Hi,
<Ed>
Just want to say thanks again for you help in the past and hope maybe you can
answer my question here. I searched your site, but
could not find a definitive answer. I have a 55 gal fresh water community tank
with a wide variety of fish. Most of which tend to be
quite colorful. I have seen many 'color enhancing' foods out there, and have
read a bit about the chemicals involved (one talked about
Marigold leaves as a good source of carotene), and from what I have seen,
different chemicals seem to be related to different colors.
What is you take on this.
<There is indeed some science/fact here... I did a bit of a sponsored study way
back in college re carotenoids derived from sponges role in the coloration of
Garibaldi/Hypsypops...>
Do you have a natural or commercial suggestion for making sure the coloration of
my fish are being all they can be?
<There are a host of natural compounds added as foods to prepared formulations
for this purpose. A cursory search on the Net should reveal what these might be,
or the inputting of the ingredients on your commercial foods...>
thanks again for the great work, and the service you provide for the community.
-ed
<The use of "krill", other crustaceans, Spirulina... many other substances do
enhance color (and vigor/health). Bob Fenner>
Feeding Big fish 1/7/06
Hello, I seen your article and it was very informative. I just have a few
questions. Is it alright to feed them fruits and veggies from the grocery
store if cleaned properly? Also could you explain what you would do to
clean those foods and which ones would be good to feed my big guys in my tank.
They have a big appetite and my budget doesn't allow me to buy a lot or
daily feeder fish. Also buying dried fish foods or frozen is expensive and
doesn't last long with their hunger. I need some good methods and ideas to
feed them and make sure they are getting enough to eat. Here is what I have:
in my 120 gallon, clown knife, alligator gar, Oscar, jack Dempsey, red snook
cichlid, medium sized Pleco, and two medium African cichlids. The first 5 I
named have big appetites and could each eat a dozen feeds in one day. In my
30 gallon I have 3 smaller fish but a growing Tiger Oscar and cichlid salvini
that have big appetites and are almost able to eat a dozen feeders alone.
I need some help because I want my fish to grow. Thanks, Justin Hunt
< First try trout chow from a feed store for the meat eaters. Frozen smelt can
be tried too. The Plecos will go after par-boiled zucchini. Just rubber band it
to a rock. There is a recipe in Ad Konings book "Enjoying Cichlids" that is made
with frozen peas and shrimp held together in a gelatin mixture. My fish love it
I make it often.-Chuck>
Questions about Danios, Guppies and Tetras 2 12/22/2005
This is an add-on to the previous mail that I had just sent.
4) I'm feeding them with fish pellets n flakes because I noticed that each of
them have the different interest on food choice. How many times I should feed
them daily and what is the proper amount of food per fed?
Thanks.
<Twice a day, about as much as they consume in a minute or so is about right.
Take care not to offer so much food that there are remains lying about. Bob
Fenner>
It's All On The Site - 10/26/2005
Why shouldn't I feed my Oscars and Red Devil beef heart and goldfish??
<Read the articles and FAQs here, under Foods/Feeding/Nutrition: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm .>
The only time they get goldfish is on Saturdays (I'm not around Sundays and Mondays to feed them). They get
beef heart only once a week.
<Harmful to fatal feeding practices. Please read.>
I feed them daily. Thank You so much.
Stretch's Tattoos
Dayton, Ohio
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
White Fuzzy Balls? 9/25/05
I have a 65 gallon freshwater aquarium with a Fluval 404 canister. All
conditions are near perfect and the fish load in about 12 card. tetras and 2
angels fish. The tank is about 3 months young. All along the bottom of the
rock gravel is soft cotton like fuzzy balls. I vacuumed them up 3 weeks ago and
now there back.
<It sounds a lot like leftover food growing weird fuzzy stuff on it, you might
try cutting back on the amount of food you are feeding, or making sure not to
feed more than your fish will eat. It is also a good idea to make sure no one
else in the household is feeding your tank without you knowing. If you could
send us a picture of the fuzzy stuff it would help us to identify it. Best
Regards, Gage>
Culture of food organisms 9/22/05
Hi WWM crew. an excellent site for aquarists. I have a question for you. How
can I culture organisms such as infusoria or daphnia at home? Any help in
this regard will be greatly appreciated.
thank you.
<Mmm, well... use of Google, other search tools on the Net shows many
references... There are even books on live aquarium food culture... Have you
searched on Amazon.com re such? Bob Fenner>
A Sucker For Inverts - 08/11/2005
Hi
<Hello!>
This is sort of a strange question,
<I'm sort of a strange person, so that's fine.>
but do you know of any marine or freshwater inverts which you suckers when
feeding,
<I assume you mean "use", not "you"? And what do you mean by "suckers"? Can
you define/describe?>
either to locate or catch prey? I'm preparing a project and need some one to
point me in the right direction - looking for scientific papers or any related
articles any and all information would be appreciated.
<I'm really not quite certain what you mean by "suckers". You might look to the
cephalopods (squid, octopus, etc.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cephalop.htm ) and echinoderms (starfish,
urchins, etc.,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marind5_5.htm
, many divisions near bottom of page) for more.... >
Thanks, Yasi
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
A Sucker For Inverts - II - 08/12/2005
Sorry
<No worries.>
Well, suckers as in their feeding method they have sucking apparatus, do they
use sucking mouth parts, and do they use suction cups like with an octopus to
hold onto prey, is sort of a broad question? That's why I need some assistance.
<Very broad question, indeed. Start your research here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marind5_5.htm
, and again I emphasize Cephalopods and Echinoderms. Wishing you
well, -Sabrina.>
Earthworm Farming - 08/08/2005
Namaste!
<Good morning! Sabrina with you, today.>
Hello people. This is Mitra from India.
<Nice to hear from you, almost halfway around the world - thanks for writing
in!>
Can you please tell me how to store earthworms because we have a very dry soil
over here and the worms come out only when it rains. So I need to collect them
and store them when they are out. So please help me.
<Try a google search with the words "earthworm farm" or "vermiculture". Here is
one excellent site I found: http://www.jerusalemcityfarmers.org/earthworm.html
, and there are many, many others. You might try searches containing "raising
earthworms" or "keeping earthworms", as well.>
Thank you, Mitra
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
New Cichlid Food Caused Cloudy water
Howdy, I have a 85 Gal tank full of African cichlids and I recently
purchased a new food to feed them because they have grown a lot bigger and
flakes were NOT cutting it. After a week of using this food (Cichlid sticks) the
water got REALLY cloudy and the ammonia spiked. The ammonia is now down to 0 but
the Nitrite is spiking (1ppm). I don't want this problem to get out of hand so I
have been doing daily water changes (25%) Now the question I have is if I keep
replacing the water won't the cycle basically start all over again?
<You have overfed your fish and the bacteria have been at the uneaten food
causing the problems. Next water change you should vacuum the gravel to get rid
of the junk that has accumulated in the gravel. The bacteria live everywhere, on
the gravel, plants, rocks etc...
A gravel vac that is done too well may remove some of the beneficial bacteria.
Water changes alone usually don't.>
Also could you recommend any good foods for my African cichlids?
< Most African cichlids come from Lake Malawi and are often referred to by their
native name as Mbuna. Their main diet is algae that they scrape off of rocks. I
would recommend a quality veggie pellet high in krill and Spirulina.>
PS... off topic but when I was doing the water changes I discovered babies!!!!!!
They're so adorable!>>>Thanks! Ash
< Watch out or you could become a cichlaholic!!!-Chuck> Triops and Their Nutritional Value?
Hi! I have a tank with 2 dwarf puffers and a dojo loach. I like to feed the
dwarfs live food whenever I can. They like those pesky little pond snails a lot!
I've also fed them bloodworms, live mosquitoes and am thinking of trying clams
and squid and such after reading some of the WWM FAQs (which are super helpful,
btw!)
I was wondering if Triops had any nutritional value for fish like puffers, or
for any carnivorous-type fish? They seem like they might, but a ton of searching
on Google and such has not given me any good information about what they may do
for fish. (I now know that they are a scourge of rice paddies and live in my
neck of the woods, El Paso, up at Hueco Tanks park!) All interesting, but not
what I wanted to know! Do any of you have any ideas about Triops as a food
source?
On a sort of related question, can dwarf puffers eat daphnia, or is it too
small? Is Gammarus too big?
>> Triops are a great food supplement for puffers, as are Gammarus, and all
types of other shrimp. The daphnia you will simply have to try out. I would
think that your puffers will love chasing them down. Many large fish like eating
small live foods. Good Luck, Oliver
Please Don't Send us Questions Like This!
Hi,
I was wondering what could i give my fish as a snack. I seen other fish stores have pieces of fruit in the tank. Could i give them this?
<<What kind of fish do you have? Thanks, Oliver>> Switching Food
Dear Bob (or who ever is reading this) Thanks for helping people with their aquatic
needs. Anyway I have a 500g tank full of:
1 Oscar
1 red devil
1 African cichlid (don't know what type it is)
1 pleco
and 2 dojo loaches.
I want to switch food because the pet store was out of the stuff I feed them so how do you get fish to switch food? I used to feed them shrimp and pellets but there were no shrimp or pellets when I got there, so I got cichlid fish sticks. So help!! Sean
< Switching food is no big deal. I suspect that they will still come to the front of the tank when you approach to feed them. Only give them enough food so that all of it is gone in two minutes once each day. Siphon out the rest. After a couple of days they will get the hint and be eating like they use to.-Chuck>
Iodine in fresh water
Hi
<Hello there>
I'm sorry to bug you, I know that this is posted on WWM, but I can find the article that talks about using marine iodine in fresh water aquariums, for ghost shrimp.
Can you just tell me how much to use in a 90 gallon tank, that is planted and is a community tank. I do remember that it was some thing like half of what the marine dose is, but I just want to make sure.
Thank you in advance, and keep up the good work.
Lukas
<Mmm, well... depends on a few things... like what source of iodine/ate/ide one is using, what your water chemistry is... There are a few ways to approach this... using test kits for measuring what is actually there, what you're adding, simply observing your livestock to see if the "need something" (e.g. difficult molts), or simply pouring in X amount per the source/manufacturer's instructions... About half the marine dose is what I'd use if going the latter route. Bob Fenner>
Soaking food in medication
I have heard that you can soak medication in the food of fish before
feeding them to cure diseases and rid parasites. is this true and what
is the best way? also if you could point me in the direction of an
article that would be great too.
<Please use the search tool here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/index.html
and read on! Bob Fenner>
Brine vs. Mysis 'Shrimp Face-off'
Hello; How are you today? I have a question about feeding Bettas. I have frozen Mysis shrimp which I feed to the fish in my marine tank, (seahorses, etc). I was wondering if I could feed the Betta
Mysis shrimp also. All the research that I have done, says that you should feed Bettas Brine shrimp. From the packages the San Francisco Brand Brine Shrimp has 5 percent protein and .5 percent fat. The PE Mysis shrimp are 18 percent protein and 8 percent fat. Do you think the PE Mysis are too high in protein and fat to feed to the Bettas?
Thanks Much;
Kevin D
<Mysis win hands down. They are bigger, but as long as your Betta will take them they would be a big improvement. Adult Brine Shrimp have little or no food valve. If that's all he's getting you are starving him. Get a good Betta pellet or flake food. Then feed the Mysis or frozen Bloodworms two or three times a week as treats. Don>
What kind of food is best?
Hello. I just have a quick question. Which food should I use for a 5 gallon tank that contains a Betta, 4 white cloud minnows, a small bottom feeder, an
algae eater, and a few small snails in it? I have been feeding them dried blood worms. I tried flakes but my Betta will eat then very
sparsely. Thanks for your help.
<A standard "Betta" food (pelleted likely) is best as a standard offering for your Betta and a good brand of flake food for the others... with occasional feedings of live, frozen/defrosted, freeze-dried... meaty foods of particle sizes that they can ingest. Bob Fenner>
Pacu teeth and food/wafer evaluation
I just thought you guys would be interested in a little product assessment considering algae wafers and Pacus. My
Pacu is nuts over Algae wafers, so I've been shopping around for the ones that would be best for him. The two I've been using are pretty much the same as far as ingredients go. These products are Top Fin and Hikari, I've found that Hikari are actually better in two ways: they are about a dollar cheaper and have a half an ounce more in weight, also the wafers are a lot tougher and
Pacu likes them that way because they feel good on his teeth. He actually takes the time to chew them and you hear a crunch that you can hear from the opposite side of the room. So there ya go, they are better for
Pacu owners. Since I started feeding this to Pacu his teeth have grown in more plentiful and there are any tell tale signs for sore teeth anymore. Of course he gets a very plentiful diet of what ever just happened to be in my salad that night too. (No dressing of course) He seems to like grapes a lot too.
<Thank you for this input. Will post/share... you've made many Pacus happy with your testing, reporting. Bob Fenner>
Mmmmm, Bloodworms.... 01/20/2005
I have a 40 gallon community tank, home to 20 assorted non-aggressive. How often should I treat them with some yummy (ugh) blood worms?
<It really totally depends on the type(s) of fish in the tank, and also upon whether you are planning to offer live, frozen, or freeze-dried bloodworms. My meat eating loricariids get frozen bloodworms as a major part of their diet, but fish like, say, guppies, don't need 'em at all, and just once in a great while would be fine.>
My hubby said twice a week, but I think that may be too much.
<Let us know what you've got in the tank, and we'll be better able to direct you. Chances are, though, that you can just use them at your discretion.>
The regular diet consists of Pro Balance color, Spirulina, and total flake (obviously not all at the same time). Any info you have would be great!
<Get back to us; I'd love to be of assistance!>
Thanks, Eagle Tucker
<Wishing you and your fishes well, -Sabrina>
My Betta is eating small roaches
I have a gorgeous Betta in a tank, unfortunately I also have roaches in my
house. About a week ago a small one (roach) managed to get inside the tank and in to
the water, he immediately gobbled it up. I know bettas eat insects and larvae in the wild but are roaches ok?
I mean its probably not the first time that's happened and probably wont be the last so
I'm kind of worried.
<Interesting... I think this may well be okay... as long as the Roaches haven't been sprayed, poisoned in some way... Perhaps rather than "hotels", you can market "Betta Roach Extractor" aquariums! Bob Fenner>
- Jar O'Zooplankton -
I've tried to find a definitive answer on the web chat forum search venue
but I am still confused. How long does Sweetwater Zooplankton stay in the
refrigerator after being opened? <A pretty long time... have sat on jars for as
long as a year.> I have one male Betta to feed, so I don't use a lot. Is this
stuff "alive"? <No.> I hear that it will start to smell really funky when
spoiled, but how close to "spoilage" can you continue to use it to feed your
fish? <The stuff is pretty stinky from the time you first open the jar...
wouldn't be to concerned until stuff starts growing in it.>
Thanks-Also heard that Sweetwater sold out to another company and that anything
labeled Sweetwater is old to begin with...any clue? <I don't have any
information about that one way or the other. Cheers, J -- >
New 29 Gallon Tank
Please help I just purchased a 29 gallon aquarium and I was wondering if you
over feed your fish, what is the best way to remove the excess food. I tried to
remove some of the water with a gravel vacuum hose and the 4 giant Danios went
crazy is this normal? Also, I was wondering if the Top Fin Power Filter 30 is
sufficient for the 30 gallon? I have 4 Giant Danios in the tank right now, next
week I would like to add something else. What would you recommend?
As you can tell this is my first aquarium and I need help.
Thank you.
<The gravel vac is the best way to clean up. You should use it with every water
change. The Danios will calm down a few minutes after you're done. I don't know
your filter, but you need one that will pump around 120 gallons an hour or more
for a 29. A turnover of 4 times per hour is the lowest you should go. More is
better in most cases. Don't add any more fish for a while. New tanks are harsh
on fish, it needs time to cycle. Instead pick up a test kit. You need to test
for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia is building up in there right now. Do
water changes to keep near zero. When ammonia and nitrite have both spiked and
crashed and nitrates start to rise you can add a few more fish. Expect this to
take around 6 weeks. Cory catfish would be a good addition. Don>
Not enough algae
My son has a fish tank, the algae is not growing & he has lost 2 of his
algae eating fish. He doesn't have enough algae in the tank.
<You can feed the fish algae wafers to get them enough algae or if you don't
have algae you don't need algae eaters. MacL>
Feeding Peacock Gudgeons - 12/15/2004
Hi,
<Ahoy thar, matey!>
I have four peacock gudgeons, but I am having trouble feeding them.
<Not exactly uncommon. These can be finicky feeders.>
They are in a tank with about 25 Neons. At feeding time, the Neons go crazy,
scaring the poor gudgeons away.
<This is very definitely a problem. You may find that the two species simply
are not compatible.>
Any suggestions about how I can get some food to the gudgeons?
<Well, first off, the gudgeons may simply refuse prepared foods. It can be a
touch tricky to get them to take anything other than live foods, at first. I
got my pair onto Spectrum marine pellets rather quickly; it took them a few days
to understand that it was food, but once they tasted it, they ate with
gusto. On top of that, they have been breeding like clockwork on just the
spectrum. Definitely offer them a very high quality food, or start them with
live foods if all else fails. Some ideas to keep the Neons at bay - feed the
Neons a floating food on one side of the tank, and the gudgeons a sinking food
on the opposite side (Spectrum sinks, by the way). If necessary, divide the
tank. Best option of all is to remove the gudgeons to their own tank - but be
aware that if you have a male and female, they will establish dominance over the
other two gudgeons and possibly cause some harm. These are beautiful fish, and
well worth the bit of effort it may take to get them eating. Good luck with
them.>
Thanks, Nate
<Wishing you and your gudgeons well, -Sabrina>
Frog/pleco/goldfish
hello, I have a few questions. I recently just set up a 10 gallon tank, with
3 fantail goldfish, 1 pleco, and an African dwarf frog. I bought algae
wafers for my pleco, which I'm concerned that the goldfish are eating them
instead.
the goldfish are also eating the frog food. I feed the frog the sinking
tadpole/frog pellets. I have heard that feeding bloodworms can actually make
the
fish sick???
< Feeding bloodworms has been known to cause digestive problems in some fish. It
may be from overfeeding.>
I'm not sure how that all works but I was told that the frogs
like frozen bloodworms, so is it possible for the bloodworms to come alive after
they have been frozen??
< Once they are frozen then they are dead.>
I am looking for a substitute to feed my frog so I
will have to deal with worms of any sort...ugh. and I am also trying to find
away for my pleco and frog to get food without the goldfish eating it all first.
please help!
< When you turn out the lights the goldfish will go to sleep and the pleco will
come out to eat. So feed the algae wafers at night. Unfortunately I think the
goldfish may still find some of the wafers , even in the dark but it is worth a
try. Your frog is a carnivore and will require some sort of critter to feed on. I
suggest that you get some small earthworms and wash them and place them in front
of the frog. I am sure he will snatch them up right away and hide so the goldfish
won't get them.-Chuck>
Using the Internet 4/23/04
hello, I am trying to find someplace to buy live blackworms by the pound, shipped to my door ? the fish store's in town don't seem to carry a constant supply or ask a fortune for
them, any ideas where too look ? Thanks Robert
<you've made it this far on the Internet, not do backup my friend to your search engine or some other (Google.com). Simply do a keyword search for your target words/phrases (i.e. - live, blackworms, delivered, aquarium foods, etc) and see what you can find. Also, check out some of the big aquatics message boards (also find many with keyword searches) and ask around the online community. Its the very beauty of the Internet... be resourceful my friend! Anthony>
Wonder supplements for fish? (03/12/04)
Greetings aquatic connoisseurs...
<Hi! Ananda here today...>
My question is in regard to the addition of so called mineral and vitamin
supplements to my fish tank. I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank and have seen
products such as Biovit, Zoecon and Kent garlic Xtreme, which all claim to boost
immune systems, promote growth, enhance
personality (j/k)...
<Increase intelligence? My mollies could use that....>
do these work or are they just unneeded chemical additives?
<Biovit and Zoecon are vitamin and mineral supplements, and can be useful if
your fish are not getting a balanced diet. They are best used added to food, as
you want to get the supplements in the fish and not lose them to the tank water.
The Garlic Xtreme seems to be just garlic juice -- though it costs many times
the price you'd pay for the garlic juice in the spice aisle of the grocery
store. That said, there is anecdotal evidence that garlic juice can work as a
food attractant. There are more anecdotes that more-concentrated garlic can help
deal with internal parasites and worms, but as far as I know, no formal research
has been done to prove or disprove its effectiveness. --Ananda>
- Freshwater Foods for Marine Fish -
This will be my easiest question in history. I went to my local fish
store and bought several packages of frozen fish food of the San Francisco
brand. When I returned home, I realized I had mistakenly bought a pack of
Daphnia which the package said was for freshwater community fish. As
it was only $3.00, it is not worth risking the health of my marine fish (percula
clown, royal Gramma, Heniochus, PJ cardinal, canary wrasse) by feeding them this
freshwater food unless you give me the Okay. <Nothing wrong with this food -
most Mysis that is fed to marine fish are of freshwater origin.> Is there a
risk of adding a parasite or pollutants to my tank if I feed my marine fish this
food? <No... only if you overfeed, just like any food.>
Thanks, Ray
<Cheers, J -- >
Re: I got a question for yellow labs
Dear Magnus,
Thanks a bundle.
<no prob.>
My fish's mate died due to eating some food covered with white fuzzy
stuff. I didn't realize it could kill my fish.
<Fish just like humans can get sick by eating foods that are bad or rotten, be sure
to only give foods that are still fresh and free of fungus to your fish.>
My lab seems to be very active but is afraid of light. How
can I solve that problem?
<Many cichlids don't like exceedingly bright lights. If you can
find a less bright light at the store to put on your tank your fish will be more
active. Or just give it time, the fish will get use to your light and
start coming out more. -Magnus.>
Overfeeding Neighbor Syndrome
Ok, try not to laugh out loud....
<Alright, I promise. Sabrina here, today>
After reading all of questions and answers, I realize I am a complete amateur at
this. I don't really even know what some of these things (abbreviations) stand
for…
<No sweat - gotta start somewhere, eh?>
Here is the situation…..My tank is 29 gallons, with 4 fish. (one 4 inch gold
fish, one 1.5 inch fantail gold fish, one 1.5 inch calico(?) gold fish, and one
2 inch "white" fish that always looks like it is trying to kiss
everything).
<Try looking up "kissing Gourami", "Helostoma temminckii"
- might that be your fish?>
We were away for the week and the fish were taken care of (fed) by the neighbor.
When we returned the fish (except for the "white kissing" fish) were
lethargic, and their fins look shredded. I don't see any small white spots
except for one big one on the fantail gold fish. Of course the neighbor has no
idea what happened. I have never had any trouble with my tank before and have
had it for 4 years. I clean the rocks once a month..
<Might consider doing this and a partial water change more often, perhaps
twice a month>
..and change the filter cartridge about every 3 weeks. I immediately changed out
about 20% of the water and added "Fungus Clear" as directed by the
only pet store in town.
<This, I'm assuming, was for the 'big white spot'? I'm not sure the fungus
clear is your best option for this. Can you describe this spot more? About how
large is it? Does it look fuzzy? Does it look like an injury? Does it look like
it's on the outside of the fish, or is it like it's eating into the fish? Is it
kinda cauliflower-like? Red or bloody? You might be able to find helpful info
here: http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/diseasehome.htm
. Beyond that, the best I can recommend for treatment without further details
would be a good antibiotic like Kanamycin (Aquatronics manufactures this as
"Kanacyn"), or Nitrofurazone (Aquatronics "Furacyn") or a
combination of the two (Aquatronics "Spectrogram").>
I added 3 tablets (1 per 10 gallon) and removed the filter cartridge. After an
hour the fish really seemed to perk up and start swimming instead of just kind
of floating through the water. However, tonight (6 hours later) they all seem to
be slowing down again. Sluggish, lethargic.
<A larger water change will help, I'm sure>
These are fish my children won from the county fair. The 4 inch fish is 6 years
old. My kids are very sad. Of course they think MOM can fix everything so I am
trying to give it my best shot!!
<Well, with all due luck, this is fixable!>
I have a filter for a 20-40 gallon fish tank, a heater, and an aerator (18"
bubble curtain). I check the water with "Quick-Dip 5-1 test
strips".
<The test strips really aren't the most accurate things out there; you might
want to consider investing in liquid reagent type test kits>
Currently, my tank is 80 degrees, nitrites "0", hardness 100 ppm,
alkalinity 80 ppm, pH 6.8. The nitrates, according the color chart, are about
160. (Very, very, very bright pink).
<Holy Mackerel! That's a *very* high nitrate reading. I think you can
probably bet your neighbor overfed the fish by a great margin - one way to avoid
that is to prepare the fish food for each day in one of those pillbox type
things with the days printed on top - then you'll know the fish will only be
getting "X" amount, and no more, each day. For now, though, it's
imperative that you do some water changes to get those nitrates down, I'd do 50%
right away and another 50% tomorrow, too. Please be sure to use a dechlorinator/tapwater
conditioner.>
I have not ever checked ammonia and actually don't even know how to go about
it.
<You can find test kits at the local fish store - again, the strips are
rather inaccurate; better to go for the liquid type tests>
I don't know of anything other than 20% water changes. Should I continue to make
water changes? If so, how often?
<As above, I'd increase your regular water changes to twice a month instead
of once, and do some big ones right away to drop the nitrates.>
Should I keep the filter cartridge out or put it back in?
<If you are medicating, keep the carbon-containing cartridge out of the
filter. If it is possible to remove the carbon from the cartridge, do so, and
put the cartridge back on.>
Should I raise the temperature?
<No - certainly not - goldfish are coldwater fish; a temperature of 65-70
degrees is much more reasonable; higher temps might make them more susceptible
to illness - but the temperature is also going to be partly dependant on the
'kissing fish' - which might not be ultimately compatible with the goldfish,
mostly due to this temperature issue.>
Should I use freshwater salts?
<Not a bad idea at all - I'd go with one tablespoon per ten gallons. Remember
not to add salt when are only adding water lost due to evaporation - salt does
not evaporate.>
As I said, I am definitely an amateur, so any suggestion at all would be an
improvement. I am desperate to save my fish.
<Feel free to let us know if we can be of further assistance. Wishing you
well, -Sabrina.>
Holly Cluxton
Where's the beef?
I have a red tail catfish in a 125 gallon tank with three snakeheads and a
Pacu. The red tail cat has been doing fine until recently. The
fish has not eaten for about 3 weeks now and it's belly is swollen as if it has
gorged itself. I have changed the water and checked ph levels.
<Have you checked ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, as well? These
are important.>
The day I changed the water the catfish's belly appeared to have returned to
normal size however the next day it was again bulging. There are no
smaller fish in the tank for it to have eaten. The catfish is
approximately 8 or 9 inches long. Do you have any idea what might be
going on? The last time the catfish ate was raw red meat that it had
scavenged while I was feeding the snakeheads.
<Yoinks!! Don't feed your fish red meat (or poultry)!! This
can result in extremely serious, and sometimes irreversible, nutritional
deficiencies/disease. Not a safe practice at all. The
saturated fats in red meat and poultry are indigestible by fish, and will build
up in the liver. This is often eventually fatal, and can have no
outward signs. There is no treatment for fish with this condition,
other than rectifying the diet of the fish to prevent further damage.>
Is it possible that the catfish is unable to digest this?
<I think that's at least part of the issue - again - red meat is bad for
fish. Please try to get your fish onto a safer diet; there are lots
of recipes online for do-it-yourself seafood mixtures, and plenty of frozen
meaty foods available as well. Granted, a big ol' hunk o' cow is
cheaper - but it'll do in your fish in the long (or short) run. Now -
on to fixing your catfish. With all due luck, he's simply
constipated, but yikes, he hasn't eaten in three weeks?! And he's
still bloated?! That's pretty amazing. What are you
offering him? Are you absolutely positive that no food is escaping
the snakeheads and Pacu and getting caught somewhere where the Redtail might
snap it up when you're not looking or at night? Try feeding him with
earthworms (if he accepts them, it may help to clear any blockage in his gut),
or try a bath of Epsom salts, at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 4 gallons in a
hospital tank, and raise the temperature a few degrees. Good luck to
you -Sabrina>
Please Help.
<Sabrina here, I'll certainly try>
I was doing very well with my well planted 10 gallon tank
for six months until I added a bristle nose pleco and fed it zucchini.
(microwaved).
<no reason to microwave; give it to him fresh, it'll be healthier for him
that way>
I also had four tiger barbs. PH 6.8 maintained with
combination tap water (treated with conditioner) and distilled water
because our PH is too high otherwise. We also condition the water
with
peat.
<sounds good>
First, after we used a piece of uncooked zucchini we had a bloom
(white).
<probably a bacterial bloom.... did you remove the uneaten zucchini? If
it stays in too long, it can foul the water>
Ammonia started to increase so we did a water change of about
30 per cent, added Ammo Lock and some cycle and some Clear biological
water clarifier.
<the water clarifier is probably unnecessary; I've never used any, myself, I
just rely on water changes>
It all seemed ok after a couple of days. We then
used some cooked zucchini for the Bristlenose. Within two days the
ammonia has soared to over 5. The nitrites are between 0.3 and 0.5.
<Yeowch!>
have done two 33 per cent water changes and the ammonia is not
decreasing! Even right after a water change it appears to be the
same.
I do not understand why!
<you're still using the Ammo-Lock, right? That will register
ammonia on an ammonia test, even though there's no harmful ammonia in the tank
any more, so it's kinda tough to tell>
I have lost one Barb.
<could have been the initial ammonia spike>
The other three seem ok
and the Bristlenose seems ok too.
<good>
I did a big gravel vacuum today to
ensure any left over food was not rotting. (particularly zucchini).
<good>
I
added some more ammo lock and a double dose of Cycle. A friend suggested
some stress zyme.
I know the fish cannot survive such high ammonia.
<the ammo-lock's almost definitely the culprit on why you're registering
ammonia on your test; I think it says it'll do that somewhere on the bottle,
too, if you want to check>
I also know that if I
keep doing water changes then I may just be prolonging the ammonia
"spike".
<what with the ammo-lock, you may already be well past the spike, just keep
an eye on nitrites, and if you feel the need, keep up with water changes, but
omit the ammo-lock, and see if that ammonia value goes down>
I have stopped feeding the fish for a couple of days.
<won't hurt, but probably unnecessary since most of this is probably
attributable to the ammo-lock>
What caused the spike? Was it the zucchini or just the addition of
the
Bristlenose?
<my bet is that the zucchini was left in too long. I usually drop
a piece of veggie in for my plecs right before bed and pull out any leftovers
right after I wake up. Also, cooking the veggies in the microwave
will cause them to break down faster and foul the water far more quickly. Try
a smaller piece of zucchini, and if your plecs willing to eat while you're
awake, when he seems done with it, pull out the remainder; otherwise, try
dropping it in right before bed and pull out the leftover first thing in the
morning.>
What should I do now. ? It was all going so well until now.
<with all due luck, you'll be back to normal in no time>
Thanks
<sure thing>
Eat, Don't Kiss!
Hello to all at WWM,
<Hello! Ryan here>
I bought 2 pink kissing gourami's 4 days ago and have them in QT by themselves
but they are not eating. I've tried reading over all the faq and am
still at a loss. They are in an established tank and all my water
parameters check out okay. I haven't noticed any white spots or any
other obvious signs of illness only that they hang out on the bottom of the back
of the tank. I've tried offering frozen blood worms and brine shrimp. Also
I got some zooplankton all to no avail. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.
<Amy, are there adequate hiding places for them to feel safe? I
like to keep a piece of PVC or some fake plants in my QT to reduce stress. Was
the brine you offered live? If not, try that. Brine shrimp
are a poor substitute for real food, but seem to get almost any fish eating. Small
live worms may do the trick as well. These fish are generally very
hardy with an appetite to match-could you contact the LFS which sold you the
fish and find out what they were eating previously? Good luck!>
Thank You,
Amy
Re: Established Tank - need more friends :)
I have another question - so I thought I'd just reply here.
<Not a problem, Ronni here with you this AM>
What are your opinions on those automatic feeders? We'll be gone for 11 days
this summer, and want to make sure the fishies don't die :) ~Bill
<I have no personal experience with them but have heard good and bad. The one
thing everyone agrees on is that if you use one, set it up several weeks before
you leave and monitor it closely to make sure it’s working properly. Another
option if you have someone watching your house is to pre-measure the daily food
into little cups (disposable plastic Dixie cups work great) and label each one
with the day it is to be fed. Set these on or near the tank so all the person
has to do is dump it in the tank. I’ve done this several times and have never
had fish loss this way. It only works though if you’re using dry food and you
can trust the person to actually do it. :o)>
Re: freshwater morays
I have just purchased 2 freshwater morays and have them looking
well so far but have a dumb question. How do you use the worm feeder cone? I
bought the cone and worms yesterday but can't seem to find any literature on
using them.
<Go to the manufacturers’ website and see if they have any info on using it
there. You might also search http://www.wetwebmedia.com
for worm feeder cone and see what you can find. Ronni>
SW Food for FW Fish
I have a question. I have 2 big packages of Formula One frozen fish food. I
bought it for my meat eating Saltwater fish. Can it also be fed to my freshwater
fish like Black Ghost Knifefish or Blue Brichardi or African Cichlids?
<I would not make this their feeding staple but if you're just trying to get
rid of the food, try it. If they eat it, great. The food won't hurt them>
I know they eat vegetables but was wondering if for the meat part of
their diet can they eat the formula one. Are these foods interchangeable of just
for Saltwater fish?
<Normally, aquarists like for SW to eat food from their SW environment and FW
to eat food from their FW environment. But a little won't hurt. David
Dowless>
Freshwater food
Sorry but I forgot to ask you something in my first e-mail What is the
better frozen foods to feed freshwater fish Tetras, Guppy and Platy. I am now
feeding flake food and this Sally's frozen brine shrimp. But I have heard that
frozen brine shrimp is not the best way to go and also how many times a week
should I feed frozen foods. Also just bought some livebearer food which is a
mixture of flakes and Tubifex worms is this stuff any good? Or better yet what
do you fellas suggest that I feed them? Thanks again guys Bill
<Hey Bill, personally I like frozen food, not necessarily frozen brine
shrimp. There is a large variety of frozen food out there. Check
out the link below for more information.
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfoods,fdg,nutr.htm
Best Regards, Gage>
Frozen Mysis shrimp
As you can see I originally sent this on Dec 21. Judging from my MS
Outlook the mail did get sent however, I have not received a response
and I know you respond promptly. I'm not sure what happened, but I
am trying to send it again.
<not sure... may have got through and a glitch on our end. You are correct
though... we do aim to answer promptly when possible!>
Judy
Happy holidays all,
<and to you in kind>
I just bought a package of cubes of frozen Mysis shrimp to feed my freshwater
fish (platys, molly, Betta) to supplement the flake food they eat regularly
(they seem to love it).
<mysids are indeed very nutritious>
My questions: (1) is this healthy for them or is it like giving them
junk food? They seem to love it
<do read the protein content... fairly to very high for a frozen food. Adult
brine shrimp however is complete junk food... a hollow barren animal. Frozen
foods in general (excluding brine shrimp) are necessary for most fishes as they
provide vitamins not available in the baked dry foods (pellets and flakes)>
(2) How often should I provide this food?
<3-5 times weekly minimum. A small amount daily would be nice>
(3) the shrimps fall to the bottom very quickly
<feeding too much or too fast. Try smaller portions that can be consumed
quicker>
and this bothers me for two reasons, first of all the fish don't get a chance to
eat as much as they would if the shrimp stayed suspended for a little longer and
secondly, I imagine the uneaten shrimp will decay and reduce my water quality
faster than if they weren't down there rotting away. Are these
legitimate concerns?
<legitimate and correct>
And lastly, this is dumb question, but I'm hoping maybe there is a
technique - is there any way to keep the shrimp suspended in the water for a
little longer?
<wringing the pack juice/water from the thawed meat may help somewhat
(squeeze through a white nylon fishnet, or cheesecloth>
Can I mix it with something? Put them in a net? Other ideas? Thanks
for your help. Judy
<best regards, Anthony>
Beef liver as food?
Hi! Just want to ask if beef liver is ok as food for Oscars and Bichirs. I
bought it by mistake, and I read a book by Dr. Axelrod saying its ok. How do I
prepare it? I plan to boil it after removing the fat, then mixing it with
pellets before freezing it again. Is this ok? Thanks a lot! John
<livers naturally and necessarily contain high concentrations of metals. They
are also very difficult (like beef heart) for fishes to digest (a very unnatural
food). Other natural aquatic foods are more nutritious (higher protein like PE
Mysis shrimp and krill at 70% protein!) and much easier to digest. I do not
recommend liver or beef heart to fishes. Best regards, Anthony>
Flake Food
Hi again -
I was wondering about the dried flake food that I use to feed my Great Danios and Harlequins. Should the flakes be broken up into smaller pieces (so that it's easy for the harlequins to eat), or is it better to let them float at the top of the tank?
<Your fish are more than able to tear apart the flake food. I would leave as is to avoid breaking up too small such that the fish avoid the tiny particles and these end up in your filter.>
Thanks, Leslie Ann Roldan
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>
Home made food for freshwater fish
Hello All,
I hope everything is going well. I have decided that it is time for my fish and I to take our relationship to the next level. I would like to start making home made food for them. I have checked out Bob's recipe in his book, and am looking for some ways to tweak it for my freshwater fish. In my tank
I have Angels, glass cats, lots of Corys, two tiger Plecos, a spotted high fin Pleco, a
pit bull Pleco (are some Plecos more the scavenger type, as opposed to algae eaters?),
Pristella tetras, and bleeding heart tetras.
<Grind, chop very fine...>
I am thinking of adding blood worms to the mix, how about some night crawlers?
<Yummy!>
As far as greens go is spinach a good idea, or what about some dandelion greens, my tortoises sure dig that stuff.
<Spinach is better for fishes>
What do you think would be best for them? I may need to just make a mix for the carnivores and keep feeding the algae eaters algae wafers.
<Good idea>
Would a similar mix work for my fancy goldfish, possibly a little heavier in the green department?
<Yes... and less protein overall>
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
<You may well end up writing a/the article here... do keep good notes on your experiments>
Best Regards,
Gage Harford
BTW, my reef tank is doing well, and in a funny twist of fate I am now working at a LFS to keep me busy while
I wait for this tech stuff to turn around, HA.
<Outstanding. Bob Fenner>
Re: Home made food for freshwater fish
Well my friends,
I must say that the first attempt at home made fresh water fish food was a
spectacular failure. The angels were interested but were quick to spit it
out, and did not give it a second chance. Hopefully the scavengers will
like it. So here are today's ingredients:
spinach
fresh raw prawns
albacore tuna
blood worms
freeze dried crickets
Kent Zoe and Zoecon for vitamins and stuff
Xanthan gum to bind it together
<Sounds good to me... likely just unfamiliarity working against you at this point>
I think on the next try I will leave out the Xanthan gum, it was an organic
thing to bind it so I figured I would give it a shot. I will also leave out
the albacore and add the night crawlers.
What do you think?
<Worthwhile to try>
Needless to say, I have plenty of turtle food.
Best Regards,
Gage Harford
<Keep good notes... and sending them along. Bob Fenner>
INFUSORIA TABLETS!
Good Morning!
Quite a few years ago when I was growing up in Chicago, Illinois, the
pet shops were selling tablets called "Infusoria Tablets". You would put
these in a jar of water and all kinds of natural food critters would
hatch, just like "Live Rock". Daphnia would also hatch out of these
tablets.
<Wow, I remember back... and it was quite a few years back... like a few decades, yikes!>
I live on the Central California Coast and am not having any
luck locating this product. Have you heard of this product?
<Not made by anyone any longer as far as I'm aware. But we can make our own "infusoria" cultures with a bit of boiled old lettuce, straw let to soak in water... and time going by, letting it sit in the sunshine... No Daphnia this way though>
If you know
if this product is still available, can you give me a link to be able to
obtain some. Would like to be able to use this product again to feed my
fresh water fish.
Thank You!
Rudy
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner, WetWebMedia.com>
Re: INFUSORIA TABLETS!
Hi Bob!
Thanks for the input. Gosh it really is decades ago! How does one get daphnia
eggs or cultures to grow??? Any input would be appreciated!
<Glad to try to answer... starter cultures, populations of Daphnia species can be collected in many places or purchased from supply houses (the fish magazine classifieds also have some listed). They're easily grown in a "kiddy pool" outside, feeding them "green water" which can be produced in the pool or in jars, a spare aquarium. Some folks make the green water with dried plant material soaked in water, others throw a pinch of complete fertilizer in to spur it along. Bob Fenner>
Thanks Rudy
Homemade Food
Anthony or Steve:
I have a pair of Bolivian rams (Microgeophagus altisponsa) in a heavily planted
ten gallon with a pair of pygmy Corys (Corydoras pygmaeus). I will hopefully
add another 4-6 pygmy Corys in the next few weeks, but no other fish. I have
had the male Bolivian ram for about a year but I just purchased the female. She
is pretty skinny (I think they had forgotten she was in the tank at the LFS;
they certainly didn't know what she was) and he is just recovering from a bout
of HITH (I have learned my lesson about going to college and leaving my fish at
home). Anyways, I hope to eventually breed the Bolivians, so I want to get their
weights back up over the next few months. Right now they are eating Omega One
Natural Protein Formula in the AM and vitamin-soaked (Zoe and Zoecon)
bloodworms, brine shrimp, and Whiteworms in the PM.
<the Whiteworms will fatten them up quick, the brine shrimp is useless, and
some more larvae would be nice for roe production in the female like frozen
glassworms>
The female eats really well, but the male and the Corys are more reluctant. I
make homemade mouse food so recently I decided I would like to try doing the
same for the fish so I will have a good fresh food to use in addition to
prepared foods. I checked out the recipe in TCMA, but it is for SW fish. Would
it still be adequate for FW fish?
<yes... very much so. Just adjust for your specific fishes needs (like adding
more bloodworms, Daphnia, glassworms, etc)>
Is there a recipe for homemade food that would be healthy for both FW and SW
fish?
<its not FW vs. SW, but rather herbivore, omnivore and planktivore (or piscivore
for the predators <wink>)>
For that matter, my fiancé and I use a vitamin supplement for the FW and SW
fish, do we need to buy one for the FW tank and one for the SW (i.e., is there
really any difference between FW Zoe and SW Zoe)?
<little or none as I understand it>
Also, is there anything special I can do to encourage pair-bonding in the
Bolivians?
<yes... play Luther Vandross music by candle light>
Thank you so much!
<best regards, Anthony Calfo>
Fear, Fish Behavior
I have a 5.5 gallon tank with 4 balloon mollies and two bumblebee gobies. The Nitrite levels are good, the ammonia levels are good, I have added salt to the water, and the pH is fine. The mollies eat fine, but the gobies just seem to hide, and are not eating. I do feed live foods as recommended. Is there a chance the gobies are afraid of the mollies, and thus want to keep a low profile? Thanx. James Kim
<in such a small tank, yes... the gobies may simply be intimidated by the activity of the more assertive fish. But admittedly, they are not gregarious fish to begin with. Anthony>
PS How long before the gobies die?
<shouldn't let them go more than 5-7 days without food. Do move them to another tank or trade them back, please>
New 20 Gallon Freshwater Tank
Hello Robert,
I had a couple of question being a first time fish owner. I have a 20 gallon
freshwater fish tank.
<Okay>
At what temperature should I keep my fish tank at?
<The mid to upper seventies F.>
How often should I feed my fish (I have (4) iridescent sharks, (2) angel fish,
and those little neon fish, along with some (2) Buenos Aires Tetras)
<Twice a day... or three times... A good practice is to "feed your
livestock" before feeding yourself... And to take a bit of time while doing
the same, to carefully observe... make sure all are getting food>
I also noticed my fish tank gets "cloudy", I have black pebbles on the
bottom of the tank. What can I do to make the tank clearer?
<Many things. How long has your system been up/running? At first, many tanks
get cloudy, as various microbe populations are "settling in"... take
care not to overfeed during this time. Is your filtration adequate? Do you
utilize at least some live plant material? You should... all these and more will
help clear, and keep your system clear.>
How often should I change the water, if so, how much water should I change at one
time?
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water.htm
and the links beyond re general maintenance>
And finally,
Should I put live plants in the tank?
<Definitely. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/plttks.htm
and the FAQs beyond>
I appreciate your time and response, my email address is or by just replying to
this email. thank you
<Welcome to the ever-fascinating hobby of aquarium keeping. Bob Fenner>
Feeding Cichlids Black worms, my opinions (what else do I have?)
Dear Mr. Fenner:
Just curious, I have a 135g. freshwater tank with cichlids of various types,
have been feeding t |
