Feeding Question

[magicd]

Hey guys,

I have just recently bought a german blue ram i think (the pet shop owner called it a dwarf blue ram). Anyway i have 8 neons with it. When its feeding time (I am feeding Wardleys freeze dryed bloodworms which i crush up), all the neons eat it up before the Ram can eat it because the Ram just stays on the bottom looking for food. Should i get a type of food that sinks to the bottom and what sort do you recommend?

 

[stang1]

It never hurts to vary their diet, so try flake, pellets, frozen food such as bloodworm, daphnia, mysis etc.
try not to feed bloodworm too often as it is high in protein and can cause your fish to become bloated. You could try putting some flake food in for the Tetras and dropping some pellets in for the Rams.

 

[magicd]

Thanks stang1 i guess i will buy some pellets to feed the Ram.

 

[Thomas 2507]

I find that if you put some tank water in a cup then put the food in it (bloodworms) then pour the contents into the tank, most of the food sinks to the bottom. Try that.

 

[Essjay37 152]

It took my rams a few days to realise there was food at the top, but they're now one of the first fish feeding at the surface when the food goes in. I feed a variety of things, not all at the same time. They eat flake from the surface, chase the sinking granules from the top to the bottom to eat them, eat the sinking pellets before the loaches realise they've been fed. They also love frozen bloodworm and even peas.

 

[SuperColey1]

I feed frozen bloodworm and put the cube in frozen. The Rams will 'attack' it in their natural predatory way then whereas the tetras will not have the strength to pull it down.

After a while the Rams should 'ward' off the tetras who will hang around like vultures waiting for the scraps.

Andy

 

[nurglespuss]

I've often wondered whether putting in cubes of frozen food is a good ides, I've seen it done many times, but worry if my greedy fish would chill themselves gulping it down....

 

[SuperColey1]

Its sort of simulating their natural environment with insects falling into the water and being trapped by the surface so they rush up and gulp it down.

I've always fed them frozen food and the bits they eat are not frozen within seconds of it landing in the water. They wont eat the ice but they will drag the cube around the tank and it doesn't worry them that something freezing is touching their skin while they drag it.

some parts will come off and the tetras will grab these.

The Rams will drag the bulk to their chosen location and stand over it (where my pitbull plecs then locate and plonk themselves on top of it)

Nature = survival of the fittest so they all try and get as much as they can whenever it is available as they don't know if it is their last food for a while.

Andy