what to feed

[tim_2251]

I have a 55 with 5 angels 4 tiger barbs ,pleco,and a red t shark and a 29 with guppies and neon tetras I always had oscars this community tanks are kinda new to me I started out feeding tetra flakes wanted to find a better feed i bought new life spectrum 1 mm sinking pellets they are too big for the 29 but the angels and barbs have no prob eating them its just they sink so fast they miss a lot and im afraid theres wasted feed getting down in the gravel where the shark loves cleaning it up ,any suggestions ??.what about hikari micro wafers or micro pellets they say they are semi floating anybody using them ?

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Whynot try small frozen blocks of food? They float until they have completely dissolved.

[Fishguy2727]

This is one reason why I like sand. You can try bowl feeding, there is a whole article on it in my blog. I would stick with NLS, it really is the best. Even small fish that can't swallow it whole will grab it and swim around with it while it soaks. This is actually good because it keeps aggressive feeders busy so less aggressive feeders get their share too.

[jbeining75]

Try and see also if the guppies or neons will peak at h20 stable wafers. I have heard people feed them that and get good results...

[NickFish]

Wow, I can't believe your angels still have their fins with TBs in there.

There are plenty of fish foods. Some will tell you fish should only be fed one type of food, the main example being NLS.

While there is no doubt NLS is a quality food, I do not believe it should be fed exclusively. Substitute your fish's diet with live and frozen foods twice a month.

My personal favourite diet, and the one have experienced the best results with, is a diet of Hikari micro pellets with feedings of live or frozen foods every other day for smaller community fish (like your neons and guppies). And feeding NLS with live or frozen foods once or twice a month to larger cichlids.

When feeding NLS, you don't need to put a bowl down to catch falling pellets, you can just pick up a good bottom cleaner. A pair of bolivian or german blue rams would fit in your tank and they are great cleaners. Also you could put in 6 corydoras. When cories get used to a tank there's nothing stopping them from eating all the fallen food they can find.

[Hairback357]

I feed my fish as much variety as I can. I feed regular pellets and staple pellets, All kinds of frozen food, Some flake, Veggies, and some freeze dried stuff. I mix it up and I feed frozen foods once or twice a week. If your worried about to much food going to the bottom maybe try a good bottom feeder like the Talking Cat Fish. I am actually considering trying one myself because of so man y recommendations. I think they could eat guppies though if it was big enough but I hear they don't bother fish to big to eat.

I know you didn't ask this but I am a little worried about your stock list. Tiger Barbs are not good with Angels and the RTS can be very aggressive. I would keep a close eye on those Barbs. They can chew up an Angel in no time.

[sailor]

NLS does make a small fish formula, you could feed a bit of that for your neons.

[Fishguy2727]

If you bowl feed you would put the food in the bowl initially, not just catch falling pellets. I used an undergravel filter riser tube (3', 1" diameter clear tube) to put the food right in the bowl. This is explained in the article.

If you just want more bottom feeders than you want something that is going to be out when the food is first put out so it doesn't rot. This would be cories and loaches.

For a long time variety was needed to properly feed fish. This was because we did not have a food that alone was a complete and balanced diet. Now we do. This is proven when fish do better on a NLS exclusive diet than when it is mixed with anything. Why not do them even better and cut out the other foods. Variety is not a nutrient an dis not needed.

[Augus]

what is NLS?

[sailor]

NLS is New Life Spectrum, it's a very good brand of fish food. It is hard to beat for the health and dietary requirements of your fish.

[smaug]

I have a 55 with 5 angels 4 tiger barbs ,pleco,and a red t shark and a 29 with guppies and neon tetras I always had oscars this community tanks are kinda new to me I started out feeding tetra flakes wanted to find a better feed i bought new life spectrum 1 mm sinking pellets they are too big for the 29 but the angels and barbs have no prob eating them its just they sink so fast they miss a lot and im afraid theres wasted feed getting down in the gravel where the shark loves cleaning it up ,any suggestions ??.what about hikari micro wafers or micro pellets they say they are semi floating anybody using them ?
I use hikari micro pellets and everything in my tank from my 7"bala to my half inch cory loves them.I do try and feed a variety of different sized foods and I dont worry so much that they all get an equal share every time.

[tim_2251]

yea i knew the barbs werent a good choice with the angels but they were with the 55 i bought so i had to find them a home they are gone now. what would be compatiable to put in with the angels?

[smaug]

yea i knew the barbs werent a good choice with the angels but they were with the 55 i bought so i had to find them a home they are gone now. what would be compatiable to put in with the angels?
Tetra that do not fit in there mouths are always a good choice.I have diamond tetra and glolights with mine.BTW,4 angels are an awful lot for a 55gal and for best results you will want to keep your stocking list light.