getting food to little clownfish

[skijumpersc]

I have two ocellaris, a big one and a little guy thats maybe a third of the size of the other one. I've had him for a couple weeks and they get along well, the only issue is that its really hard to get food to him. Any pellets I drop in get snatched up by the big one, he's a total pig. The little one doesn't know to come to the surface to get food and most don't sink past the big one to get to his level. I've been using a coral baster to get pellets to him, but I'd like to move past that. How can I train him to come up for food?

[Sancho]

Just toss a cube of frozen food in the tank as it melts it will dispearse so that everything in the tank gets some. 

[skijumpersc]

24 minutes ago, Sancho said:

Just toss a cube of frozen food in the tank as it melts it will dispearse so that everything in the tank gets some. 

I should've mentioned that I'm trying to feed light since I'm battling high nitrates

[banasophia]

Maybe do more water changes to deal with your nitrates while you get your clown eating?

[Sancho]

6 minutes ago, skijumpersc said:

I should've mentioned that I'm trying to feed light since I'm battling high nitrates

I toss a cube of misis twice a week that’s all I feed. 

[Aurortpa]

Clowns are very easy to catch, use a 20 oz coke bottle, bottom half cut off, cap off, to herd the clown inside in-tank, then isolate by sticking in substrate, while the little one can get a little stronger and learn to get some food—then let other clown out to feed. He’ll learn pretty quickly, had same issue with my clowns at first.

 

I use it to protect corals I am trying to spot feed too.

 

[skijumpersc]

25 minutes ago, Aurortpa said:

Clowns are very easy to catch, use a 20 oz coke bottle, bottom half cut off, cap off, to herd the clown inside in-tank, then isolate by sticking in substrate, while the little one can get a little stronger and learn to get some food—then let other clown out to feed. He’ll learn pretty quickly, had same issue with my clowns at first.

 

I use it to protect corals I am trying to spot feed too.

 

Thats a good idea, I've tried catching the big one to keep him out of the way, but its not as easy as I thought it would be. The other problem is they usually are hanging out together so by the time I've caught the big one the little guy is hiding. I'm afraid I've been stressing them out trying to do it that way

[Aurortpa]

Mmm, then maybe get spectrum sinking pelleted food, they don’t break apart easily at all or pollute water.

 

Turn off all flow of course, then you can squirt much more so he has a chance to get some and then net up any uneaten food off sand bed when done.

[Clown79]

Fish should have a variety of food.

 

Feeding small amounts of mysis twice a week is beneficial. I feed 1/4 cube weekly of mysis, cyclops another day. Pellets the rest of the week.

 

Getting sinking pellets helps. 

 

Soaking pellets and pouring them in will cause them to sink as well.

 

Using a pipette is another option

 

 

[SeaFurn]

I used a diversion technique - I dropped in a couple pellets and got the female swimming one way to pounce on them (away from the male) and then was ready to drop a pellet or two directly on top of the smaller male. As long as he was getting several pellets he was fine. 

When I felt like he wasn’t gettting enough that way (because the female was such a bully) I’d feed him some mysis using a pippette. 

Now that they are both bigger the food aggression has diminished and the smaller male grabs pellets with less interference.  There are still days he backs away during feeding and doesn’t get much but I’m less worried now. 

[specore]

All are good suggestions...except throwing an entire cube of mysis into a tank with only a couple of fish 😉

 

I personally would try a decent flake food.  You can take a pinch and release it just under the surface and the smaller guy should be able to snatch his share.  

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, specore said:

All are good suggestions...except throwing an entire cube of mysis into a tank with only a couple of fish 😉

 

I personally would try a decent flake food.  You can take a pinch and release it just under the surface and the smaller guy should be able to snatch his share.  

I think a cube for 2 clowns is overkill😆

[AquaVaj]

My 2 maroon clowns were doing the very same thing. The larger female will snatch everything and even nip at the smaller male if he went after the food. Once nipped he'll stop and go back to his usual swimming place. Once that happens I have to divert the female away with food and drop sinking pellets over his spot.

 

Fortunately she has let off quite a bit now so he can eat without having to be sneaky about it.