Feeding Bumblebee Catfish

[Sasquatch]

I've recently acquired a bumblebee catfish and I'm wondering of the food I bought for him might be too large. He's only about 3" long, and won't get much of any bigger.

The food I bought for him were Nutrafin Sinking Shrimp Pellets and Hikari Sinking Pellets. He seem to like both and jumps on them eagerly when we put them into the tank.

The problem is that both foods swell as they absorb water and become 2-3x larger than when dry. I can't tell if the catfish is having trouble eating them. When he eats he tries to take a piece whole, but usually can't. He'll take a chunk off and swallow it and then "take a breather". You see him just laying there opening and closing his mouth. He also has a habit of writhing on his side after he's eaten.

I've tried breaking the food into smaller bits, but they swell so much that they're still too big.

Is this behaviour normal? Will feeding him these large pieces of food lead to problems?

Thanks for the help.

[blue fin]

you could presoak it in tank water before putting it in the tank and see if he has less trouble eating it...

[Sasquatch]

I tried that last night and it helped. Tonight I'll presoak them and cut them after they've soaked so that the final size is small. They just swell so much it's hard to judge how big they'll get.

But I'm really concerned about wether the behaviour is normal or not. I don't want him getting constipated or having his stomach swell too much.

[blue fin]

Cool, good luck

[Sasquatch]

I pre-soaked half of a Hikari wafer last night and once it had swelled, cut it into 4-5 pieces. He had no problem eating them. I also added some veal heart (nothing but the best for my bumblebee:thumb: ) and he jumped all over them.

I think it's mostly a question of cutting down on the portions and making sure that they're small enough for him.

Thanks for the help.

[jeffs99dime]

imagine if they ate bumble bees! lol --i'm going to shut up now lol