Annoying Guppy Behavior

[trianglekitty]

I have a group of 6 male guppies who are developing the habit of hanging out around the feeding ring ALL day long. It annoys me because I don't get to see my fish swimming about and acting naturally.

I use a feeding ring so their mirco pellets don't get swept away in the filter current. I've tried lifting the ring out of the water when it isn't in use (so they only see it when I'm actually feeding them), but they're still swarming in that one corner and it's been a week now.

I know they aren't underfed- if anything I overfeed them. Any suggestions for getting them to knock it off with the begging?

 

[guppi]

Try turning filter down or off for feeding that way you wont need the ring.

 

[trianglekitty]

Try turning filter down or off for feeding that way you wont need the ring.

Lord, I fell so dumb here sometimes for not thinking of stunningly obvious solutions...

Is there any kind of guideline to how long you can safely have your filter off? I know feeding will take only a few seconds with these greedy buggers, but I'm just curious in general.

Thanks!

 

[Mothi]

I'm not sure how long the filter can be kept off before causing harm to your fish. I always turn mine off during feeding time which is like one minute per day if that. I also turn it off during weekly water change and this can be upto 15 minutes.

 

[trianglekitty]

I'm not sure how long the filter can be kept off before causing harm to your fish. I always turn mine off during feeding time which is like one minute per day if that. I also turn it off during weekly water change and this can be upto 15 minutes.

I turn it off during water changes as well, but I also always take out the biowheel and let it float in the tank to make sure it stays wet. I guess I'm wondering if I need to be doing that or not.

 

[JoshuaA]

You can turn your filter off for a while without causing harm to the fish or filter. Especially feeding time there is no problem, just make sure the media keeps damp sometimes it can dry out remarkable fast which then could create problems. Other than that it is a good idea to turn the filter off during feeding time but just make sure you remember to turn it back on!

I have a problem that if I go near the tank all of a sudden all the fish go to the corner I always feed them in, to see the best of my fish I have to peep my head around the corner of the wall and be very quiet otherwise they catch on and straight away swim to the corner!

 

[guppi]

Have these fish got more brains than what we thought.?

 

[OldMan47]

I have seen my fish do much what yours are doing. They go to the place where they always get fed whenever I am around. I finally started feeding them front and center in the tank. That way I get to see them front and center almost all of the time.

 

[Olivia 22]

I can't stand to sleep with my filter on, it's soooo loud! I turn it off every night, so it will be off for about 8-9 hours a day and my fish are always fine.

 

[Althamon]

I touch the glass below where I normally lift the lid for feeding and they all swarm up to the top corner. I believe it's what scientists call positive conditioning where they are rewarded for behaving in a certain way so effectively you can train your fish to go to a specific part of the tank when they feed, Which does tend to show fish have somesort of a brain unlike the "3 seconds" we would normally associate with them

 

[OldMan47]

You are not doing your fish any favors Olivia. The filter being off that long each day means your fish must get all of their oxygen into the water during the time it is turned on, since flows will be near zero when it is off. You are also threatening the bacterial population in your filter media by depriving them of needed nutrients for several hours each day. If your filter is too noisy for you to sleep well, it is time to do some troubleshooting. I sleep in one of my fish rooms quite easily. That room contains 13 of my 26 active tanks. Since my filters run 24/7, the noise of the filters themselves must be controlled. My sleeping room has such low noise levels from the fish that it is other sounds that disturb my ability to sleep there. Whenever I waken during the night, it is because of noises unrelated to my fish.
Training fish is as simple as Althamon says. Fish will respond in a predictable manner to anything that reminds them of any feeding actions by you. If I want to "fool" my fish, I simply do the normal maintenance things for them and I get pictures on a whim.