Hello again. I've been re-stocking my 75 gallon community tank over the last few weeks or so and have arrived at a stopping point for now. My problem is with my featherfin catfish. I got him when he was pretty small (bout 1.5"), and while he seems to have grown a little, I'm afraid he isn't getting to eat as much as he should. Naturally he is hiding most of the time, but I do catch a glimpse of him a couple times a day making his way through a maze of small caves and rocks I've got in the tank. Sometimes I have to search for a while before seeing him. Other inhabitants are 10 buenos aires tetras, 10 zebra danios, 7 male guppies, and 7 tiger barbs.
My feeding schedule is twice a day, flakes in the morning, sinking catfish pellets at night. All of my fish are voracious eaters to say the least and make short work of the flakes every day. I feed quite a bit since they really do eat every last spec, and fast. It's quite a sight to see. Then they spend the entire day NOT schooling, and instead digging around in the sand looking for more food. All of them except the catfish.
While I know he is nocturnal and wont forage much in the day, I was hoping he would get to have his food at night when the others slept, but no matter what, whenever I approach the tank to feed at night, all the other fish wake up and eat all of his pellets. No matter where I put them, they find them. I've tried hiding the food amongst rocks, corners, dark feeding, distracting with a turkey baster, but within a minute they swarm the pellets and gobble them up.
Any ideas on how I can make sure my featherfin doesn't starve to death? I know he is alive, but I literally haven't seen him come out of hiding once since I got him nearly a month ago.
Tank is 75 gallons, eheim 2026 filter, cycled, weekly 30% water changes.
My feeding schedule is twice a day, flakes in the morning, sinking catfish pellets at night. All of my fish are voracious eaters to say the least and make short work of the flakes every day. I feed quite a bit since they really do eat every last spec, and fast. It's quite a sight to see. Then they spend the entire day NOT schooling, and instead digging around in the sand looking for more food. All of them except the catfish.
While I know he is nocturnal and wont forage much in the day, I was hoping he would get to have his food at night when the others slept, but no matter what, whenever I approach the tank to feed at night, all the other fish wake up and eat all of his pellets. No matter where I put them, they find them. I've tried hiding the food amongst rocks, corners, dark feeding, distracting with a turkey baster, but within a minute they swarm the pellets and gobble them up.
Any ideas on how I can make sure my featherfin doesn't starve to death? I know he is alive, but I literally haven't seen him come out of hiding once since I got him nearly a month ago.
Tank is 75 gallons, eheim 2026 filter, cycled, weekly 30% water changes.
