Tropical Fish Forums

[wossisbomb]

Hi, I have a flying fox who was abused in an old tank and lost an eye so he is half-blind and jittery and I am having trouble getting him food other than the algae he grazes on because my black skirt tetras will carry away all sinking pellets. I have previously attempted to cut holes in plastic cups but those were too small and the tetras still got in. Any ideas for feeding would be appriciated.

[UncleWillie]

I've had similar problems trying to get shy fish to eat in a tank full of active feeders. My best solution was feeding after lights-out. Many of these bottom dwellers have no problem seeking out food in low light / no light conditions. I come by the tank before bed and drop in wafers or pellets. Since I've never had a flying fox, this is my best suggestion. I've done this with catfish, suckers and plecos. Good luck!

[WylieFish]

I had a similar problem, except with Tiger Barbs. I found it best to feed flake food at the same time that I drop the pellets in the tank. Try dropping the pellets in a dark or crowded corner of the tank. Scavenger-type fish such as the Flying Fox search everywhere for food, whereas the tetras or barbs tend to "catch" the food as its falling through the main water column.
_________________
ConvectiveWeather: www.convectiveweather.com

[UncleWillie]

Oh yes! Great advice, Wylie. Had to adopt a similar strategy for feeding frozen foods to picky feeders and minnows that would eat anything. Flakes on the surface, while sneaking frozen foods to the bottom via plastic pipet.

[Zowie72]

I also had a similar problem with my pair of shy chocolate gouramis and I have to say that a plastic pipette has been one of my best investments! Everyone should have some, they're useful for all sorts of fishy things. Now I sneakily feed them directly whilst the others are eating the flakes.

Zowie

[wossisbomb]

I've found a solution by breaking a small clay planting pot to where the only entrance big enough to enter is exactly his body shape by rearranging the shards. I would recommend this because it looks very good and it also is easy to drop the pellets through the cracks. Of course pour boiling water over the shards before (pre heat the shard just in case). I wouldn't dip the full pot because I fear that it would shatter into un usable peices. Also for some strange reasons my tetras are surprisingly smart when it comes to stealing food and prowl the bottom looking for the pellets. In fact for a while they completly disregarded normal food and searched for the pellets when I had some cory's in the tank. Thanks for all the suggestions.