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Hey all, I have a quick question dealing with my 20h tank and it's inhabitants. I know about the 2 minute rule or so when feeding fish--giving only as much food as they can eat in several minutes--but I have noticed a small problem I'm not sure how to answer.

In my 15L, my barbs go nuts for food, and will clean the surface as I give them their flakes. When they start getting full, flakes actually hit the water ()and remain a bit before they are swallowed. Awesome.

Now back to my 20H...I have Gourami's in there mostly, with a few random tetras (and the faithful crab and dojo loach). My problem is this: my fish aren't as eager to come up and eat and therefore I can't tell if they're getting enough food. I do supplement all diets with brine shimp and bloodworms, and these they do come up for quite quickly, but when it comes to their morning meal they take their sweet time. How do I know when there's enough food available to them, if they aren't as responsove as my other fish? I also have to keep in mind that I have 2 scavengers in my tank, and they require some goodies too (they get their pellets and wafers of course as well).

Any ideas?

I think that they are eating the food but are just shy. I definantly wouldn't feed them more than usual. A hungry fish is always healthier than a fish that is accidently over fed.

-Vincent

In an aquarium with a reasonable 'clean up crew' of bottom feeders, the apparent reluctance to feed (as opposed to the actual willingness to feed, but to feed in a somewhat 'stealthy' manner) is not a problem. My Panda Fun Palace falls into this category - the Cardinals are 'stealthy' feeders, but they MUST be eating some of the food that I add to teh aquarium, otherwise they would ahve perished long ago.

In the case of my Panda Fun Palace, I have no worries about rotting food (and the possible septicaemia issues that may arise therefrom - see this thread for a discussion of the very topic in question) because 14 Panda Corys eagerly ferreting out every last edible morsel within seconds of my opening the aquarium lid (and believe me, they are relentless gravel combers once they sense that dinner is on the way) plus a battery of snails seeking out food among the Hornwort leaves means that food simply doesn't get a chance to rot - there are more than enough hungry mouths to devour whatever slips past the Cardinals.

I'm back to quoting the wisdom from the old Innes book here, namely feed small amounts often. Paradoxically this is of particular importance with your ravenous Barbs - the reason being that since Barbs are, basically, garbage compactors with fins that will stuff themselves to bursting point with no need of encouragement upon the part of the aquarist, they are in danger of gorging themselves. When they do this, they pass partially digested food during the excretion process, and this partially digested food places a bigger loading on your biofilter than the waste from fully digested food does. Consequently, you should be taking pains to feed your Barbs small amounts often to lessen this bioloading side effect, as well as feeding your other fishes in the same manner. Not only does this reduce or eliminate the risk of excess bioloading due to partially digested food, but more closely approximates the wild state, where fishes have to snap up whatever becomes available to them when it makes itself available. In the wild, small fishes in particular are constantly foraging, and their digestive systems are therefore adapted to a process of taking small meals often, while the once or twice daily large banquet is an 'alien' situation for them. Of course, there are times in the wild when fishes find themselves surrounded by a sudden increased abundance - the transition from dry season to rainy season in tropical climate zones for example, when all sorts of delicious food critters multiply like bacteria with the arrival of the rains, prompting a spawning frenzy among the fishes - but sudden abundances are not the norm (except on a seasonal basis). DAILY sudden abundances are DEFINITELY not the norm in the wild, which is again a good reason for trying to match your feeding patterns to the natural rhythm of the fish's digestive system, and feeding a small amount five or six times daily, practical considerations allowing of course.

Bear in mind that in the case of my Cardinals, they're used to feeding in a 'stealthy' manner in the wild, a process they carry with them into the aquarium. It's fairly unusual to see Cardinals launching themselves toward the surface unless they have a LOT of other hungry fishes to compete with, and in that case, the aquarist should tailor each feeding accordingly. Even so, quite a few of the hungry snappers that launch themselves at the surface with athletic gusto are messy feeders, that leave spare food particles in their wake, and consequently, the less ravenous fishes will still receive their share if you examine the situation closely. Of course, there is nothing stopping you providing appropriate treats for bottom feeders (which of course I do with 14 hungry Panda Corys waggling their tails at the front like a batch of Labrador puppies clamouring "Daddy! feed us!" () because they'll ensure that it's all devoured in pretty short order), but it's like everything else in this game - a learning process involving trial and error while you alight upon the amount of food that walks the nice tightrope between insufficient feeding and overfeeding. Small amounts often, incidentally, also makes finding that balance a lot easier, because the chances are that if you feed six times per day, the bottom feeders and 'stealth diners' will still get their share even amid a batch of 'pigs with fins' pushing to the front of the queue because those fishes will still be partially full when the next meal arrives ...

In short, nothing to worry about if your feeding regime is a good one. Enjoy the diversity of your fishes' personalities as well as their colours!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002