Feeding tactics

[New Boy]

In my tank the congo tetras and the rosy barbs eat the majority of the food that I put in the tank and the loaches and synos vacuum up the rest quite quickly. The rams seem to grab a few mouthfuls as the food goes by but don't eat from the surface or from the gravel. I'm worried they don't get enough food as they are getting thinner. Any tactics for ensuring mid-water dwellers eat enough? Any foods that only rams will eat?

Thanks
Andy

 

[Waterloo Kid]

I have the same problem with my keyholes (or at least I did). Firstly, if they get hungry enough they will venture closer to the surface and snatch food. The urge to eat will drive them to do this if they are otherwise healthy.
If you don't find this to be the case there are a few things you can try.
1/ Place the majority of food in one place but add a little extra in another place away from the main lot. Slower fish tend to hang about below and are more likely to spot the extra food going in. Spreading out the food over the whole tank helps but can lead to a lot of missed food which could have pollution implications.
2/ Try different foods for different fish. Use flake for the fast surface feeders, sinking pellets for the bottom feeders and slow sinking granules for the rest. I find Tetra-Prima (I think) is great for slower feeders.
3/ Use a combination of the above.


As a side note, I find that rams love shelled, thawed frozen peas. Try them on a few of these and see how they do.

Hope that helps,

WK

 

[Kittycat]

Just a few more suggestions:

You can pre-soak some food. This way, they will sink quickly. Also, if you stir the water a little when you put them in, they will scatter faster, ergo higher chances of reaching bottom dwellers.

Live food also helps, it scatters and moves around the tank, so everybody gets a chance.

 

[freddyk]

I drop food in the flow of the filter, which scatters it around the tank quickly.

 

[modernhamlet]

I drop food in the flow of the filter, which scatters it around the tank quickly.

Ditto.