feeding problem...

[digihang]

Hi fellow reefers,

I would like some advices/assistances. I have 2 clowns, one big and one small. However, the small one doesn't seem like it can eat Marine-S pellets and the big one eats it like its nothing. Anyways, the small one tries to eat, however, the pellets went in its mouth and pop back right out. Then I thought of an idea, I crushed the pellets up into small grain size and the small one was swimming around swallowing the grain sized pellets. My questions is will this be enough for the small one's appetite? thanks

[OClownsandNanos]

Hi fellow reefers,

I would like some advices/assistances. I have 2 clowns, one big and one small. However, the small one doesn't seem like it can eat Marine-S pellets and the big one eats it like its nothing. Anyways, the small one tries to eat, however, the pellets went in its mouth and pop back right out. Then I thought of an idea, I crushed the pellets up into small grain size and the small one was swimming around swallowing the grain sized pellets. My questions is will this be enough for the small one's appetite? thanks

 

Hi digihang,

 

Do you soak your pellets in tank water for a few minutes before feeding? If you don't, you might want to try it. It may be that the pellets are too hard for the small fish to eat whole. They may have a lot less difficulty once soaked. I've also noticed that once soaked the pellets will break apart a bit, which would make them easier to digest for the smaller clown also. I feed Marine-S pellets also to my clowns.

 

Also, it's good to have a mix of foods for your fish. You might also want to try cyclopeeze. I have the freeze-dried kind that I soak first, then use a dropper to spot feed. Both fish should have no problems consuming it and every fish in my tank seems to love it also.

[digihang]

Thanks Clownsandnano!!! I never though of wetting the pellets. Very smart!

 

Is this the cyclopleeze you were talking about? I will pick a can next time I go to petco unless you suggest its cheaper online.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Liquid_Life_Cyc...IFDDRFD-vi.html

 

Where can I get a Dropper to stop feed my clowns? I think I over fed many times just trying to just trying to get it to float toward my clowns...

http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Marine_Nau...IFDFETP-vi.html

 

Thanks again for your awesome help! really appreciate it!

[OClownsandNanos]

Thanks Clownsandnano!!! I never though of wetting the pellets. Very smart!

 

Is this the cyclopleeze you were talking about? I will pick a can next time I go to petco unless you suggest its cheaper online.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Liquid_Life_Cyc...IFDDRFD-vi.html

 

Where can I get a Dropper to stop feed my clowns? I think I over fed many times just trying to just trying to get it to float toward my clowns...

http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Marine_Nau...IFDFETP-vi.html

 

Thanks again for your awesome help! really appreciate it!

 

Yup, that's the cyclop-eeze I use. Clowns love it. It's usually about $8 or so online so if you can get it at Petco for that price (or even a little more given you'd otherwise have to pay for shipping), go for it. I actually use a clear, plastic medicine dropper you can get at any drugstore. Mine looks like this but didn't come with the cleaner and was a few bucks. Works out really well for such small food.

[digihang]

Well I only got the clowns for 2 days im sure they can't get bored with the marine-s yet. my question about the dropper you got. Isnt it better to get a longer dropper so you can reach the clowns to release the food? A small dropper you have to reach into the water and thus the clowns will swim away when they see your hand.

[OClownsandNanos]

Well I only got the clowns for 2 days im sure they can't get bored with the marine-s yet. my question about the dropper you got. Isnt it better to get a longer dropper so you can reach the clowns to release the food? A small dropper you have to reach into the water and thus the clowns will swim away when they see your hand.

 

I have a few different tools I use for feeding. I primarily use the medicine dropper - the clowns have learned when my hand/the dropper is in the tank they get good stuff to eat so they swim to me. It doesn't take them too long to figure it out, maybe give them a week or two. (Even after the pep shrimp were in for about a week they learned that when my aquatic gardener's in the tank it may often mean feeding time and they start to show themselves.) The nice thing about the dropper is that it gives a lot more control - you don't have to put that much into the dropper at a time which is much better for spot feeding so all the food gets eaten. It works very well for feeding acans, etc., also. I also may use a turkey baster for feeding (though not too often) as well as my aquatic gardener (originally for my freshwater tank but since that's torn down I now use it for meatier foods for shrimp, corals, as well as for moving frags and hermits around). I also may use stainless steel tweezers for meatier stuff that I want to spot feed my corals. I don't have one of those feeding prongs you linked to; I'm sure they work fine also. I've just found that everyday kitchen/household tools also can work very well for reef-related stuff and don't cost a premium just because they're labeled for "fish."

 

I also either switch my Vortech to feeding mode to considerably reduce flow in my tank or I turn off the pump altogether (this is also a tip to the clowns that it's feeding time), then usually release the food at the top of the water column, near the clowns. This gives them time to get everything before it floats to the bottom since unlike my blenny and some other fish I've had, they are not bottom-feeders. So often times when feeding just the fish I don't even have to get my hand/glove wet, even with the medicine dropper.

 

The Hikari Marine S pellets are pretty well-balanced, so that would probably be fine for now as long as both fish are eating them. All my fish and inverts also love New Life Spectrum Marine pellets and seem to prefer them to the Hikari. I also feed some frozen - mysis shrimp thawed, drained, then soaked in Selcon, and frozen Ocean Nutrition Formula One. I will eventually jump on PE Mysis since I've heard really good things about that fortified mysis, but can't justify the expense now, esp. since my frozen mysis has not run out yet.