Feeding Bottom Feeders

Hello, and good day!!

This is a direct quote from this website......

https://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/freshwater-aquarium-fish/cory-catfish/

Cory Catfish Diet And Feeding
“Cory Catfish diet includes basic food types including fish flakes, pellets and bottom feeder tablets. Corys will spend hours on end making their way across the tank bottom poking around for food. They will even move the surface gravel around a bit with their mouths, digging for more. While their feeding ability makes Corydoras Catfish really good tank cleaners, they should not be considered a substitute for proper tank care.”

“While Corydoras Catfish are adept at scavenging for otherwise uneaten food, the Cory Catfish diet cannot be mere left-overs. Left-overs may be in short supply so hobbyists need to make sure Cory Cats are getting their nutritional requirements met with supplements intended specifically for them. That said, avoid the temptation to overfeed. Only feed Cory Cats an amount of food that can be eaten in about 5 minutes.”

Do you feed them algae wafers?

https://www.chewy.com/tetra-pro-ple...MI7Yr-w7ju4wIVh-NkCh3Ivg8LEAQYBCABEgLezfD_BwE

(Some algae wafers for sale if you don’t....^ )

 

Just use frozen food, it will sink and the fish will be fine on it.

 

I did mention that in post #2.

 

I prefer the Tetra Brand pleco wafers.

https://www.chewy.com/tetra-pro-ple...MI7Yr-w7ju4wIVh-NkCh3Ivg8LEAQYBCABEgLezfD_BwE

 

Most algae pellets will sink a lot quicker if you dunk them under the water.

I'm afraid that does not apply to Corys. They are slow feeders and will keep at it for a couple of hours. I use micro pellets such as this https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Life-Spectrum-Small-Fish/dp/B004PBHZI0. They will float for a short while so the guppies can enjoy it and then sink - it also sinks really fast if you put a pinch under the water rather than on to it. Feed enough so that there is still some left for the corys when the guppies have had enough.

 

They can And will spend hours at a time poking around the bottom of the tank for food. And The Tetra pleco wafers I mentioned above, sink instantly.

And I have a question, if they are micro pellets, then how can there be any left after the Guppies “have enough?” (After all, guppies are pigs!!)

 

Some of the info in this thread has been confusing if not inaccurate (like the link).

First, cories must be fed prepared foods if they are to have proper nutrition. Most of us cannot provide adequate live foods, and frozen foods are not usually that good nutritionally; worms for example should only be fed once a week, as a treat. There are some very good, healthy sinking foods available.

Cories are primarily carnivorous so one of the first ideal foods is a good quality shrimp pellet. [I'll deal with brands momentarily.] Other "meaty" sinking foods are also essential. They should be fed a veggie-based food containing algae and/or kelp, as this improves their intestines; not as a staple (every day) but once or twice a week as an alternative. They might pick at cucumber and similar veggies but I doubt it, and in any event these are not nutritional for fish.

Now to brands. Some manufacturers load their prepared foods with cereals, fillers, fish meal, etc. None of this is good for fish. Omega One and New Life Spectrum are brands that use whole fish not fish meal or cereal meal. And their veggie foods contain kelp and algae. The Omega One shrimp pellets and Veggie Rounds both sink immediately and are highly nutritious. There are undoubtedly other good quality brands (those mentioned earlier in this thread are not) and members can mention them; I use the two I've indicated because they are locally available and high quality.

Cories take time to feed from quality sinking foods. The Veggie rounds for example might be in my tank for three hours before they are gone. I feed only three of these, and I have 46 cories feeding from them, and it takes them three hours to finish these. The shrimp pellets break apart a bit faster, and are usually gone in an hour; I feed roughly six or seven of these Omega One shrimp pellets for 46 cories.

I also use Nutrafin's Tablets because they contain earthworm, but they also have fillers so this is only fed once a week. Ian Fuller has developed a sinking tablet very similar if you can find those.

 

I too feed my Corycatfish shrimp pellets and they seem happy and healthy.
Now, if I could just get them to stop breeding so much.
I have 3 generations in my tank that I did nothing to facilitate. Right now I have around 20 in my 55 gal.