Greedy Betta/hungy Catfish- How To Feed Bottom Feeders?

[trianglekitty]

I have a betta (Bontaleer) in a 10 gallon tank with 8 chili rasboras and 3 mini-moth catfish. I've only had the other fish for a week, and thus far he'd done very well with them (he was very curious at first but now ignores them).

The problem is that he sure doesn't ignore their food! I'm able to feed the rasboras by distracting him with his own food on the opposite side of the tank. However, when I put in wafers or bloodworms on the bottom for the mini moths he eats it all. I'm worried the catfish will starve or Bontaleer will eat himself into sickness or death. Yesterday he was bloated from eating a full mini-wafer.

Any suggestions for saving my bottom feeders from a slow death by starvation and Bontaleer from a quick one by greed?

 

[ZephyrStarPlaties]

I have a betta (Bontaleer) in a 10 gallon tank with 8 chili rasboras and 3 mini-moth catfish. I've only had the other fish for a week, and thus far he'd done very well with them (he was very curious at first but now ignores them).

The problem is that he sure doesn't ignore their food! I'm able to feed the rasboras by distracting him with his own food on the opposite side of the tank. However, when I put in wafers or bloodworms on the bottom for the mini moths he eats it all. I'm worried the catfish will starve or Bontaleer will eat himself into sickness or death. Yesterday he was bloated from eating a full mini-wafer.

Any suggestions for saving my bottom feeders from a slow death by starvation and Bontaleer from a quick one by greed?

The tank is way overstocked. If it's possible to re-home the rasboras, it'd be perfect. My only suggestion regarding the feeding is blocking the betta with your hand while the catfish eat.

 

[trianglekitty]

Chili rasboras are tiny- they're a mirco rasbora commonly used in nano tanks. I did a lot of research, including posting here, before I added them. They get to be a little over an inch. However, I am testing daily.

Unfortunately the mini moths (also very small) don't eat quickly - they aren't like corys who will swarm a wafer. Thank you for the suggestion, though!

 

[RossC]

Feed the betta on the surface at one end and then feed the bottom feeders the other end of the tank but make the food sink. This is what I do for mine because dani os and guppies are also very greedy.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I put betta flakes in one side of my tank, make sure he's seen them and then put sinking food at the other side.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I'm no expert but I don't think you're overstocked.

Try soaking the wafers for a while to make it easier for the catfish to eat them, then it won't take them so long to get some. Or stop feeding the betta a separate food and put two wafers in the tank. While he's destracted with one the cats can have the other.

 

[ZoddyZod]

what's a mini moth catfish?

Algae wafers sink quickly and are far too big for your betta to pick-up/eat. They could be a soloution.

 

[Inchworm]

Erethistes jerdoni

Here's a link with a picture. Scroll down to the third picture. IMHO, they're very cute.

http/www.franksaquarium.com/hillstreamcatfish.htm

 

[ZoddyZod]

very interesting - I am not familiar with ANY of the species in that link. Commonly available in the U.S.?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Just keep playing about with different combinations until you get something that works (and gets them all the amount of nutrition they need obviously!)

 

[Inchworm]

very interesting - I am not familiar with ANY of the species in that link. Commonly available in the U.S.?

No, none of them are common. The man who owns the website lives about 40 miles or so from me. I saw them once when I went into his shop rather than have some of the dwarf cory species mailed to me. Too bad I didn't get some but he just had so many interesting fish...

 

[trianglekitty]

very interesting - I am not familiar with ANY of the species in that link. Commonly available in the U.S.?

No, none of them are common. The man who owns the website lives about 40 miles or so from me. I saw them once when I went into his shop rather than have some of the dwarf cory species mailed to me. Too bad I didn't get some but he just had so many interesting fish...

I can't recommend him enough...I had some questions before purchasing and he was very responsive. The fish go through a quarantine and are dewormed before they are available for sale. They arrived well-packaged and in great shape...it was my first time buying fish online and having them shipped, and it went beautifully.

 

[trianglekitty]

Unfortunately I'm still having this issue...the mini moths don't come out as soon as the wafer or blood worms hit the bottom of the tank. They're very shy and standing around trying to shoo Bontaleer away from the wafer means they won't eat. As soon as it starts to soften Bontaleer is all over it. I think I'm going to put in some driftwood and put the catfish's food under it so the betta can't reach it.

 

[Oddities]

Break the wafer up, place it in several locations in the tank? The betta can't be at all of them at the same time. This would hopefully keep the betta from eating them all/delay him long enough for the catfish to get interested?

 

[Inchworm]

Try giving them a good quality flake food. To get this down to them, take a pinch between your thumb and index finger, put your hand down into the tank, and give the food a flick. Some of it will rise and some of it will sink. There will be some high up for your top swimmers and some low for the bottom feeders.