Need Help With Feeding

[red turq]

hi guys

now it says on my food containers to feed 2-3 times a day but that does seem alot because i only have a 10 gallon tank(32 litres). i have got 10 tetras, 1 peppermint catfish and one red turquoise. so could someone please tell how much food i should be feeding these guys wth?

the food i am giving them is tetracolor (tropical granules) and spirulina wafers for the peppermint catfish( although none of the fish ever eat these)

thanks guys

 

[Rooster]

Is your tank planted ? If so, once, or twice a day should be enough - only feed what can be eaten in a couple of minutes... if theres any left after this, then remove it, and feed less tomorrow.

 

[red turq]

yes my tank is planted with live plants, although today i removed one because my red turquoise discus didnt have enough swimmin space. but i still have 5 live plants of different shapes and sizes aswell as some driftwood. for now those are all the fish i am getting to, because i dont want to have an overcrowded tank. so for now i will feed them twice a day with the pebble food and what are your reccomendations about live food for my discus, seeing as they prefer live foods?

thanks

 

[muckluck]

hi guys

now it says on my food containers to feed 2-3 times a day but that does seem alot because i only have a 10 gallon tank(32 litres). i have got 10 tetras, 1 peppermint catfish and one red turquoise. so could someone please tell how much food i should be feeding these guys wth?

the food i am giving them is tetracolor (tropical granules) and spirulina wafers for the peppermint catfish( although none of the fish ever eat these)

thanks guys

i only feed my fish once every 2 days or so because i don't want to end up overfeeding them. I have 5 small danios, 2 red rainbows and 2 golden opaline gouramis, and i only feed them a large pinchful. i suggest maybe doing the same? although i'm not sure - i could be under-feeding them, although thats what the person in the shop said to do - only every 2-3 days.

 

[red turq]

ahhh, ok

i will do that then because my tank is only 10 gallon and i dont want to put alot of stress on the filter. also my how many plants do you think that i should have in a tank size of 10 gallon? because my red turq still looks like he is annoyed about the fact that thier are so many plants because he is to scared to go through them, i alread took a small one out. and currently i have 2 big plants, 1 lilly pad plant and some driftwood with a plant on it aswell as a shipwreck for decor.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Red Turq,

I would suggest that feeding once per day is adequate. As Rooster says, feed only what the fish will eat in 2 minutes. If there is food left after this time, you are overfeeding.

Also, unfortunately, your tank is far too small to keep discus. You will need to re-home your red turquoise i'm afraid as it will very quickly outgrow your tank, if it hasn't already. You say you had to move one of your plants to give him more swimming room so it sounds like he is too big for the tank now.

How long has your tank been set up?

Did you cycle your filter?

Cheers

BTT

 

[sykogngsta]

isnt a 10 gallon a bit small for a discus?

 

[red turq]

hi,

yeh, you guys are probaly right.

my tank has been set up for 2 weeks and i cycled it in with 10 tetras to begin with. i got my red turquoise on friday. although he isnt that big yet he is about 7cm long by 7 cm high but still he doesnt really have enough room so i guess i might have to get rid of him. if i removed more plants could i perhaps keep him?

thanks

 

[red turq]

oh

and about my weekly water changes. how much should i take out? about 10 to 15%. and do i just fill it back up with tap water?

 

[backtotropical]

if i removed more plants could i perhaps keep him?

I'm afraid not, mate. He will grow to around twice the size he is now. The only way to keep him healthy would be to get another (much bigger) tank.

oh

and about my weekly water changes. how much should i take out? about 10 to 15%. and do i just fill it back up with tap water?

I would suggest to start with 25% weekly. Just fill back up with tap water but make sure you add dechlorinator to the tap water. Do you use dechlorinator already?

Out of interest, what is your water stats?

Ammonia?

Nitrite?

Nitrate?

pH?

Cheers

BTT

 

[red turq]

ok

at the moment i do use the dechlorinator. do you add the dechlorinator into the tap water and wait before you put it in?

and i havent been able to test for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia or ph yet because i havent got the kit yet, but i am getting the testing kit this wednesday. and how long do you think i have before i have to get rid of my discus if he is currently around 7 by 7 cm long?

thanks

 

[backtotropical]

ok

at the moment i do use the dechlorinator. do you add the dechlorinator into the tap water and wait before you put it in?

and i havent been able to test for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia or ph yet because i havent got the kit yet, but i am getting the testing kit this wednesday. and how long do you think i have before i have to get rid of my discus if he is currently around 7 by 7 cm long?

thanks

Yes, add the dechlorinator to the tap water then put it into the tank. No need to wait really, dechlorinator works instantly. You could give it a bit of a stir to be sure if you like. I always add the dechlorinator to the bucket first then fill it with water. This ensures that it is properly mixed in.

Let us know your test results when you get your test and we'll be able to get you on the right track.

It sounds like your discus is too big already i'm afraid. I'd start looking to re-home him immediately.

Hope this helps.

BTT

 

[red turq]

ok, thanks. i will get up my ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph levels up immediatley. i will post them up in this thread wednesday.

so see you then and thanks for your help.

 

[red turq]

ok guys i got my masters test kit and i now have the results what you have been waiting for.

my ph is currently a 7.0
ammonia is at 1.0 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 0 ppm

i was shocked when i saw these results because i thought that i might have stuffed something when i was settng up the tank but all looks good. what is your opinions of these water stats for my current fish?

oh and one more thing i also got a free GH and KH testing kit. do i need to use these?

thanks, look forward to hearing from you.

 

[rossyt99]

Hi, I would try to re-home the Discus as the Ammonia + lack of space won't go down well> They prefer a PH between 6.5-7.0 and like clean water> either regularly changed or passed through RO (Reverse Osmosis unit).

+ They should be kept in at least two, preferably 4 or more- Big, Tall tanks are better. (100L minimum)

(By the way, Did the seller ask you if you had water tested/ tank cycled/ Size of tank/ Discus knowledge?)

Where abouts are you located?

Good look (Hoping Discus is Hardy)