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Need Help Feeding Corys!!!

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  caique 
#1 ·
Hey Everyone,
I have 5 trilineatus (false Julii) and am really having a hard time making sure they get fed properly. I'd like to raise the school to 12 but as it stands now idk if it's in their best interests. My problem is that my other fish are just far more aggressive when it comes to feeding. My serpaes and red eyes can pick up large pellets or wafers and just swim in circles above them. My amano shrimp also like to steal anything that hits the ground and run off with it. :mad: I've tried feeding blood worms but nothing ever hits the ground, and when I place them directly on the substrate all other fish just come to the bottom anyways. Any suggestions?? Would a larger school help them posture a little bit, or would I just be spreading their already meager rations?
 
#3 ·
thanks Philly,
I've tried feeding at night a little bit, but as soon as I open the hood every fish in the tank is circling the top. If I drop a pellet in without some kind of distraction, its usually snatched up before it hits the bottom (although the pellet is 5X larger than the mouth of any fish carrying it around). Should I maybe try crushing the pellets up and placing them on the substrate? Or try to find a pellet or wafer too large for another fish to pick up?
 
#4 ·
Separate pieces might help. If all the fish rush to the top expecting food when you open up the lid, then try opening it up and leaving it open for 5 to 10 minutes before feeding. They will rush up expecting food when you open it and then likely forget by the time you actually feed them and you might be able to catch them by surprise.
 
#5 ·
Just feed more. Simple as that.

I have kept fish that people say their fish are like piranhas at feeding time, devouring all the food before it reaches the bottom, same as your scenario. The reason they are competing so aggressively/eagerly is because they must do so because they are sort of starving (yes they eat, a lot in comparison to the other fish, but it still is an indication of hungry fish). The corys aren't much of competitors so that explains why they aren't darting after that food even though they are starving.

You may want to increase feeding gradually though so your beneficial bacteria population can grow to the proper size to handle the increased bioload, rather than overwhelming the system entirely with a sudden significant increase in feeding.

Some fish may eat a ton at first, because they still have the frame of mind that food is scarce and they must eat all they can. After they learn food isn't scarce, you will see they will no longer need to attack the food and will even allow food to pass by them (their bellies are satisfied).

Don't worry about fish eating too much. I have never seen a fish eat so much it dies (and I've seen serious pigs). Constantly having obese fish is a different thing though, most fish won't over indulge (once they learn food isn't scarce).


But some other tricks you can try to get food to bottom feeders is spot feed the corys food in a area that mid water fish can't get too, feed all the food at once (they can't catch all the food at once, so some does make it to the bottom), feed top fish first and right away dump in sinking food, feed at night when mid water fish are sleeping, use even larger food, or more food that scatters around so they at least get some that the other fish don't manage to find, you could use Repashy gel food and make rather large blocks that the mid water fish can't carry away, that way all can peck at the food block.

As for the larger school, it wouldn't help their chances of getting food really, as you hinted at, they would even more so spread out their little portions of food. You can add more though when the food situation becomes better.

Believe me, the food situation is a food scarcity/starving thing. I've seen this behavior in so many different fish species (from nano fish to even large monster fish).
 
#6 · (Edited)
Hey Philly, Good call. Never thought about that. Well I suppose I'll give it a try this evening and see if we get anywhere.

Waterlife,
I was tending to feed on the lighter side, as I was having some algae issues and saw that as a contributing factor. But after starting a regular dosing schedule it has all cleared up. I guess now I shouldn't feel the need to feed so sparingly. I normally do 50% water changes weekly, do you think the increased pollution from feeding more should effect my water change schedule? I'll be going to my lfs tomorrow to check on their new stock of catfish so if I can't help myself I could end up with some more. Perhaps feeding a large block could at least be a temporary solution to this problem. If I were to remove the gel cube could I put it back in the next day or is it pretty much toast at that point?

Thanks
 
#7 ·
I have my group of corys trained to expect their food to drop in the right front corner of the tank. They love shrimp pellets, and other sinking foods. When I open the lid, they all rush over to that corner and mill around waiting for the pellets.

I put in the flake food in the opposite end of the tank to attract the other fish, then drop in the pellets or sinking foods in the corys end. It seems to work. I wait a bit and if the other fish are going over to pester the corys, I will drop a few pellets in the tank at the other end to keep them busy.
 
#8 ·
Use a piece of pipe. 3/4" PVC or similar.
Feed the other fish with food that will tend to float a while, and drop heavy food through the PVC into a cave or under a branch or similar place that the Cories will come to know, but is a bit hidden from the other fish, who are not going to be distracted for long with the floating food.

I do not think a feeding block will help.
a) the plaster ones are bad for water quality.
b) the gel ones (Tetra makes them) are attractive to the other fish. Worth a try. Hide it where the other fish cannot find it.

Make sure the food for the Cories is high protein- not algae wafers. They are not herbivores. Shrimp pellets are good.

Feed after lights out- the other fish will rush to eat as soon as you turn on the lights so you can see what you are doing, as you note, but turn off the lights (tank lights and the room lights) right away.
 
#9 ·
The Repashy gel food claims to be stable in tank water for 24 hours or so, depending on temperature, I myself don't find that to be so true (but maybe I add to much water to the mix?)
But yes, if you remove the gel from the water, you can store it in a sealed container in the fridge up to 2 weeks (still don't find that very true as my gel in the fridge starts to mold within a week, maybe my fridge just isn't cold enough?) or freeze it to last a month or longer.

As long as your beneficial bacteria (nitrifying) can keep the ammonia and nitrite levels healthy/low/zero even when overfeeding or overstocking, then those are fine. The TDS (total dissolved solids) and nitrates are what need to be removed with water changes. I don't know your tank size (gallons) or all of your fish stock/bioload, so I can't make a accurate recommendation on water change in that respect, but the you most certainly should have no issues increasing your fish stock and amount you feed and still be perfectly fine doing water changes weekly or every other week (monthly or longer even, depending how much the levels increase).

I am not nearly knowledgeable on plant nutrition as many others are on this forum, but will try to comment on the subject. Many people say excess nutrients (even from fish food) don't cause algae, because if they did, all EI dosed tanks would have a ton of algae. After all, the whole point of EI dosing is to dose an abundance/non-limiting amount of ferts/nutrients. And from the results that point does seem true. Then again, there are still others who debate that claim, and those people still are more knowledgeable than me on plant nutrition so I don't know enough to agree or disagree with either side. But from looking at EI dosed tanks, the fact that they dose a ton of ferts and well managed tanks don't have algae issues, it seems the large amount of ferts aren't the main cause of algae (there may be other factors at play, such as some plants supposedly releasing some chemicals that suppress algae growth).

And for what it's worth, I've had low tech and non-planted tanks that I've always overfed heavily and never had any form of algae. Sorry I can't give a more definite answer.

Oh and just to clarify, the feeding block I was referring to, was just Repashy gel food (or New Life Spectrum gel food) cut into blocks (or whatever shape you want, just thought a block so it couldn't be carried away), not those poor quality vacation/feeder blocks (I guess the ones made of plaster? that Diana mentioned).

Yeah cories are omnivores (carni-herbi mixed diet, but more so meaty foods). Of the Repashy gel formulas, the Community Plus formula would work. The Spawn & Grow formula is good for fry, to condition fish to spawn/breed and is also good to put good weight and healthy nutrition on malnourished/starving fish, but should not be used as a prolonged staple diet as it is too high in protein and fats to be considered a well balanced healthy diet. Can be used as a occasional treat though.
 
#10 ·
I just started feeding some Repashy Foods (Soilent green and shrimp souffle) to my RCS otos and pygmy cories.. and the Pygmies are loving it. I feed in a glass petri dish so it's not as much mess.
 
#12 ·
I too feed a bit more for the cory's, and drop the food in at night after all light's are off.
Am near sure they are getting their share ,judging from their plump belly's and increase in trumpet snail population.
I only feed all my fish, two or three times a week.
Crushed up cichlid crisp's,and new life spectrum for small fish.
Flake for the hoard of fancy guppies.
 
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