tranceFusion Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 ok so i spent alot of effort getting my powehead and pump setup to circulate the water and skim the surface on my aquapod, but now that I got an ocellaris clown and try to feed, it is very difficult. floating foods seem to make one quick round around the top and end up in the filter floss.. i got sinking pellets but he doesn't seem able to find them once they hit the ground.. any suggestions? thanks.. Link to comment
siwelk Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 turn the powerhead/pump off when feeding Link to comment
SeeDemTails Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 but now that I got an ocellaris clown and try to feed, it is very difficult. floating foods seem to make one quick round around the top and end up in the filter floss.. i got sinking pellets but he doesn't seem able to find them once they hit the ground.. any suggestions? thanks.. Yes, stop surface feeding! You should never surface feed reef fish, they are not guppies. Submerege a small pinch(the size of a tic tac) of flake and then let it go under water. You clown will eat every piece, and none will go into the surface skimmer. My clowns will swallow air if I even let a few pieces of food float, and it will freak you out because you will think something is wrong with it. You ever seen a clownfish fart? Pellet food sucks for reef tank. The only fish I have ever seen that could actually eat it well was a rectangulus trigger. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Yes, stop surface feeding! You should never surface feed reef fish, they are not guppies. Submerege a small pinch(the size of a tic tac) of flake and then let it go under water. You clown will eat every piece, and none will go into the surface skimmer. My clowns will swallow air if I even let a few pieces of food float, and it will freak you out because you will think something is wrong with it. You ever seen a clownfish fart? Pellet food sucks for reef tank. The only fish I have ever seen that could actually eat it well was a rectangulus trigger. I am glad you posted this response cause I have actually had the exact same problem. I haven't had a fish in 12 yrs, so I'm out of practice! Link to comment
Kirin1 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 +1 Also turn off anything else that moves water, and feed just a little at a time. I drop a few pellets (mine are small enough sit on surface tension) and watch them get eaten, then a few more, and a few more, always making sure I don't offer more then my clown will eat. Eventually when he's had enough he stops eating and swims away. There's always a little bit of excess for the hermits, but this greatly reduces the amount of food that goes into my filtration as opposed to dropping it all in at once. (edit: btw my clown is <1" long) Link to comment
tranceFusion Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Yes, stop surface feeding! Pellet food sucks for reef tank. The only fish I have ever seen that could actually eat it well was a rectangulus trigger. Well I got some Tetra Mini Krill those things won't stop floating for anything.. The other stuff I got was frozen Mysis, tetra tropical flakes (should i get the marine flakes instead?), Micro Crabs, and Hikari Marine pellets.. What should I be feeding this guy? It seems like turning off the pump and powerhead is key.. thanks.. i'm off to my job at the BK lounge now Link to comment
Spliffstar Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 +1 on turning off the pump. i feed my clown frozen mysis somedays and sinking pellets the other... He attacks anything i put in... where-ever it is.. but its true that in general, they are not surface feeders... i leave my pump off for a good 15 minutes so that everything including cleanup crew has a chance to get the food before it gets sucked into the filter. If you have a skimmer held by suction of the pump, then take it out before u turn the pump off so it doesn't fall to the bottom... Link to comment
JonathanS Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 cover intake with i fine mesh bag or simply shut up when feeding Link to comment
Rocket Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 They always say the dumb question is the question not asked. Now I'm starting to rethink that logic. Seriously though, just turn the pumps off, I usually let the system settle for about 5 minutes,then add my food, and then give them 45 minutes to an hour to eat with the pumps shut down. About every 10 minutes I'll turn on my Koraline for a few seconds to get the food off the sand bed. Seems to work for me, and the corals don't mind. Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 cover intake with i fine mesh bag or simply shut up when feeding wouldn't covering the intake starve the chambers of water causing the pumps to spit out air then go dry?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment
JonathanS Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 well yea but he seems desperate to not shut off the pump, so he could just clean the mesh off after finished feeding Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I would think the mesh may impeed flow and starve the pumps of correct flow. I don't see why turing the pumps off is a big deal. it is the proper way to feed as you and others have stated. Link to comment
tranceFusion Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 They always say the dumb question is the question not asked. Now I'm starting to rethink that logic. Seriously though, just turn the pumps off, I usually let the system settle for about 5 minutes,then add my food, and then give them 45 minutes to an hour to eat with the pumps shut down. About every 10 minutes I'll turn on my Koraline for a few seconds to get the food off the sand bed. Seems to work for me, and the corals don't mind. you sit here and call me dumb but you spend an hour feeding your tank?? aren't you supposed to feed only so much food that it is eaten in a few minutes? why is there still food there 45 minutes later? and I know some people recommend only feeding every couple of days but many people claim that its best to feed clowns a very small amount 3 times a day since they are constantly eating in the wild.. i am supposed to spend 3 x 1 hr = 3 hours a day feeding one fish? Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 haha feeding should be quick, who has time to babysit that for over an hour?! Link to comment
JonathanS Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 get an automatic feeder, and change your filtering to an overflow, and if still a problem use a ring to keep food from floating off Link to comment
Rocket Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 you sit here and call me dumb but you spend an hour feeding your tank?? aren't you supposed to feed only so much food that it is eaten in a few minutes? why is there still food there 45 minutes later? and I know some people recommend only feeding every couple of days but many people claim that its best to feed clowns a very small amount 3 times a day since they are constantly eating in the wild.. i am supposed to spend 3 x 1 hr = 3 hours a day feeding one fish? lol no no no I feed every 4 days, and its a frozen shrimp cube. My clowns and fire fish usually take about half of the shrimp, and then they don't bother. My emerald crab likes to try and catch a tiny piece and my shrimp takes a few. The rest feed the CUC since my algae count is very low. Nassarius snails like them a lot. They go crazy. BTW I am feeding them right now, while I eat my dinner. Link to comment
tranceFusion Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 the reason i didnt consider turning off the pumps is because i was reading care information on various other species who require food to be moving or to move quickly past their bolt holes before they will accept it as food. Turning off the pumps definitely seems like it will allow me to feed the clown, but were I to add a firefish or a picky eater down the line, it seems like I will need an additional option. I have spared no expense on this tank and have taken every single step by the book, i don't see why it is such a big deal to ask about other people's feeding routines.. Link to comment
tubatime1010 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Pumps off, get pellets that will slowly sink, take back the tropical flake, etc.. Feed Mysis and/or frozen Cycop-eeze. Neither one floats. Simply thaw it in a cup of tank water and pour it in! My firefish never even had a "bolt-hole" and he ate pellet till the day he died. (attacked ) Link to comment
JonathanS Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 turn off the filtering pumps and us powerheads for water flow Link to comment
nano-paul Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Yes, stop surface feeding! You should never surface feed reef fish, they are not guppies. Submerege a small pinch(the size of a tic tac) of flake and then let it go under water. You clown will eat every piece, and none will go into the surface skimmer. My clowns will swallow air if I even let a few pieces of food float, and it will freak you out because you will think something is wrong with it. You ever seen a clownfish fart? Pellet food sucks for reef tank. The only fish I have ever seen that could actually eat it well was a rectangulus trigger. All my fish eat formula pellets and have for years. I guess I am having a difficult time understanding why you think it sucks for a reef tank. Explain?? Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 your fish will learn when it is feeding time. They won't care if the food is moving or not. I keep a cup of mysis and brine in my freezer. when it is time to feed the pumps go off, cup goes in the microwave and boy do the fish get excited. Suck the now melted shrimp up with a syringe, in it goes into the tank and shortly into the stomach of all fish, crabs, and shrimp. Turn pumps back on after 10 mins, some food is usually still around which is nice since some corals eat it and the remaining goes in the filter. And yes, what is up with the surface feeding. My fish will eat anything that is floating on the surface. Link to comment
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