feeding fish in my 55g

[Nautilus291]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to feed my fish in my 55g tank. None of them seem to want to eat off of the top of the tank. Ive tried Hikari cichlid small pellets and they are still to big for them. Ive also tried cichlid flakes and they dont seem interested in them either.

the only thing I can seem to get them to eat is tetracichlid mini granules. And I dont know how good they are for them. they also liked when I put some frozen blood worms in the tank, but how often should I feed them those?

My loaches seem to love shrimp pellets, but is there anything else you guys would suggest. Ive tried algae waffers but they didnt like them.

[Abbeys_Mom]

Blood worms, I would stick to once a week or less.
Loaches love shelled peas (frozen or canned) mine go nuts for them, but again, once a week or less.

[Lady Hobbs]

Sometimes I feed my fish and have to walk away. While my angels about attack me when I walk up to the tank, the Silver Dollars won't eat with me standing there as they are timid. They general grab the food as it falls in the tank and don't grab from the surface.

[blue fin]

have you tried color bits, they seem to sink nicely. I think that's what their called anyhow...

[Nautilus291]

Ill have to look for them. even if the pellets or flakes fall to the bottem they still dont eat them. They will follow them for awhile and then they just swim away.

[blue fin]

my tetras and barbs fight over them because they're too big to eat in one bite, the larger tetras just gobble them.... all seem to like them pretty well though..

[AuroraAustralis]

I alternate feeding mine mini cichlid pellets, flake, frozen brine shrimp, live blackworms and frozen bloodworms. Abbeys mom is spot on about the bloodworms, they shouldn't be fed too often. Mine only get them occasionally as a treat and a little more often when conditioning for breeding. I also feed them BBS (when I can be bothered hatching some) and the rams LOVE them. They prefer them to adult brine shrimp and I suspect it is because (aside from them being live/moving food) wild rams are microfeeders and feed on microscopic insects and such. My rams constantly graze the bottom looking for food and pick at what seems to be nothing but is probably in reality some tiny microscopic organism/insuforia. The rams are always the first top, front, centre for food no matter what they are offered. Feed them a varied diet and don't offer anything else if they don't eat what is given and they will learn to accept all foods. Try leaving them a day or two with no food before giving them food they are reluctant to accept. They will eventually eat food they aren't that fussed on if hungry enough lol

[Nautilus291]

none of my fish go to the top of the water to eat. They all stay at the bottom and wait for the food to drop and then fight over it. Ive tried pellets and there too big for my fish, or they just dont like them becuase they try to eat them and then leave them alone. I got the smallest pellets possible too.

[Incredulous_Ed]

have you tried water logging the flakes so they sink?

[Nautilus291]

They usually sink end up sinking but the fish never show interest in them. They will float right next to the fish and none of them go and eat it.

but that is a good idea thanks!

[Severus]

Ive noticed my fish are a lot more aggressive towards food when they think i am not in the room. I just hide when they are having a weird day. How long have yours been in the 55?

[Nautilus291]

I just added my last couple of fish last week, so not very long.

[Severus]

Eventually they should come around. All mine did.

[Chrona]

My cardinal tetras will never eat from the surface, while my angelfish and guppies hog it all, so I will just mash up some flakes in the cap of my tetramin bottle and swirl some water in it so the mini flakes start sinking. Then I pour a tiny amount just so that all the inhabitants know there is food coming, and put the rest in slowly, so that all the food gets eaten before it hits the bottom. Takes a bit longer, but it has worked well. It also helps to shut the filter off when doing this, since the current it makes tends to blow flakes around underwater, making it harder for the fish to find them.

[Rue]

Have you tried frozen food? They all seem to love brine shrimp...

...speaking of which I need to buy some fresh stuff...

[Nautilus291]

the brineshrimp That I fed them was frozen, but they said not to feed them that every day. I started getting the festivums to eat flakes and the severum but the gb rams still only go for the granules. Luckily It looks like the yoyos like them too becuase my water never gets cloudy and they always to to the area that they fall too.

[Glasstapper]

I just remembered in that last PM I sent you I said I give color flakes and freeze dried bloodworms every morning...... ignore that. I forgot I just recently put bloodworms down to an occasional evening meal because it is too often to feed them that more than once a week. The morning meals are only either color flakes or spirulina algae flakes.

[Nautilus291]

thanks for all of the information!