fish feeding methods?

Question

I have just put in two tiny female swordtails (at least thats what i think they are) into my small tank to start a cycle and i tried feeding them but they don't seem to eat.

The pellets i use don't seem to fit in their mouths and sink to the bottom of the tank. When i put in flakes, they nip at them but they spit them back out and now the bottom of my 2.5 liter tank is littered with flakes. THere are flakes all over the place, I use rocks as substrate and there are pellets and flakes stuck in between them, there are also flakes on in my java fern and java moss plants.

is there another way to feed these fish that is less messy? my tank is really narrow and tall so it is difficult to clean it.

the tank is actually 2.5 gallons, not 2.5 liters

Answer 1

First off you need to get the old food out of the tank. This excess food will create some naste bacteria and will in time kill off your fish. If you have sword tails they should be feed flake in small amounts twice a day. If they are pecking at it they will eat it. I would not feed pellets unless you have a bottom feeder and them I would only feed a few. Pellets left not eaten can cause huge problems with you bacteria bed.

Answer 2

Depending on how long ago "just put" means, your fish may still be getting acclimated to the new tank and they aren't interested in eating yet. Many fish won't eat right after being moved. If you just got these today, remove the food from the tank (as everyone else here has said) and wait till tomorrow to try feeding them again. Once they feel at home in the tank (and see there aren't any predators waiting to eat them if they come out for food), they'll probably show more interest in eating. If the fish have been cared for well where you bought them, going a few days without food won't hurt them. Then try crushing the flakes, or soaking them in a little tank water first will help the fish to eat them (or using the live food).

A piece of rigid tubing (like the kind that goes through the center of an undergravel filter) with about 5-6 feet of airline tubing attached makes a good siphon for removing small stuff like the flake food, as long as the gravel is too big to be pulled through.

Answer 3

Vacuum your tank out or you will soon have an ammonia problem. Sword tails should eat tropical flakes, they don,t need a lot food, 1very small pinch of flakes will do 1-2 daily, the reason they are not eating is most likely because they are eating the food off the bottom! It would also help you to get a larger tank, bigger tanks are easier to care for than a smaller tank. swordtails need more room than a 2.5 gallon tank! In a 10-20 gallon tank they would do better and your tank would be less dirty! Also you should be doing 25% weekly water changes! Good luck!

Answer 4

I have fed my fish many different types of food and I have noticed they have to work out there own technique for eating a particluar food, when I first got my tank my fish did exactly the same and each time i fed them they got better, leaving alot of food in your tank isnt a good idea tho as it starts to rot and pollute the water, they also may not be eating due to the stress of new tank syndrome.

Also you could try feeding live foods, all fish love live food which is available at most local fish shops and there are lots of different varieties to try? You also might want to get a couple of cory cats, they will eat the pellets and clean the flakes of the bottom but as they like rooting in gravel, rocks might not be good for them

Answer 5

You need to first remove any and all uneaten food from the tank before it fouls the water and kills the fish. Especially with a new tank this is very important. Feeding really small fish can be a challenge sometimes. Try crushing the flaks into smaller pieces before feeding them. That usually works fairly well for young livebearers. Feeding them small live mosquito larvae can also work as the larvae will live in the tank for days without fouling the water. The only risk is that they will become adult mosquitos and you will be food instead of them lol. To avoid that just feed a very few of the smallest larvae you can get. I keep a few buckets of water in the yard to grow mosquito larvae just for feeding to my fish, most fish love them.

MM

Answer 6

nicely, I stay in united statesa. and we don't in all possibility fish for carp yet, commonly in case you prefer a larger fish you utilize a larger bait. you will not seize as many fish however the dimensions of fish which you DO seize is specific to be larger than in the previous and many times lures will seize larger fish too because of the fact the smaller fish would be scared and run away the place because of the fact the bigger fish gets indignant and attack it. you may desire to provide fly fishing a shot too... I hear carp feed off the exterior