ember tetras and peas?

[amaranth13]

Hi, I read it's good for fish to get small amounts of pea in their diet once a week to keep them 'regular'. I have just gotten ember tetras a week ago and I tried to feed them the inside of half a pea for all of them together, but I can't get it fine enough for them to eat (they're still very young) and it sinks so fast they don't get any before it reaches the bottom and then they lose interest all together.

Is it helpful to give a tiny bit of pea once a week? If it is, how can I make it float longer so they will actually eat it? I read somewhere that someone shelled peas, then dried them and ground it fine, but I think the shelled peas would get fungus on them and that would be worse than feeding no pea at all? Should I just not bother with it?

 

[seangee]

I can't speak for fish that are prone to constipation but I never give any of my fish peas.
My tetras and nano fish all get high quality micro pellets (New Life Spectrum) as their staple. This is supplemented by bug bites (or similar) fed on alternate days. Some of them will pick at an algae wafer and some won't so I feed thes ewhen there are other species in the tank that do eat them.

 

[Byron]

Agree. If fish are fed a wholesome nutritious diet of good quality fish foods, they will not need peas.

New Life Spectrum are quality foods. Another brand is Omega One; they make a superb veggie-based flake and sinking disk, called Veggie Flake and Veggie Rounds respectively, that are good for all fish whether or not "vegetarian."

The sinking disks are only if you have substrate-feeders like cories, loaches, plecos. Upper fish need the floating foods like the flakes and the Bug Bites.

 

[amaranth13]

Sounds like I should not bother with it. That will make my life easier, thank you both!