Banggi Cardinalfish feeding causing nutient problem

James5214 · Jul 21, 2022

And they are a little more finicky than you think. They sound easy but actually hatching them and keeping them alive for a few days without making the water they are in nasty is a little bit of a trial and error as you have to feed the brine shrimp so they can survive. I find spirulina powder the best but a little of that goes a long way so add the powder carefully

HuduVudu · Jul 21, 2022

Erin1971Texas said:
Where did you ever get an idea like that??

From the many Bangai that I have had over many years. From the many people that I have talked to that had the same experience with their Bangai.

Where did you get your ideas from?

doubleshot00 · Jul 21, 2022

Kiboshed said:
I never said my fish needed pellets, or flakes for that matter.

I have given my fish almost exclusively frozen food since I got them.

The issue is that it is making a cloud of nutrients when I do.

I thought pellets or flakes might fix that, rinsing them sounds much better. You rinse them with a bit of the tank water or fresh distilled?

I would find a better frozen food like Rods or PE Mysis. Get a few different kinds of food to. Mix them up into a slurry in a small container with RODI then drain into a fish net. Then dump that slurry in and other container with rodi water. Then use a turkey baster to suck the food up and distribute to the tank.

This works for me but if you only have a few fish then a pair of large tweezers may be better. Grab what you need and distribute in the tank.

doubleshot00 · Jul 21, 2022

Cali Reef Life said:
That's the problem cut it back slowly and find the right balance. Some people have so much filtration and ways to export nutrients. That being said most new reefers over feed. Your fish won't starve with a fraction of that cube a day.

This. I used to feed 2x a day now 1x and they are fine. We love to feed thats the problem because we think they are always hungry. IMO my fish are worst than my dogs when it comes to begging for food.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jul 21, 2022

HuduVudu said:
From the many Bangai that I have had over many years. From the many people that I have talked to that had the same experience with their Bangai.

Where did you get your ideas from?

I thought you were leaving.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jul 21, 2022

Kiboshed said:
Solid backup plan if the advice given fails. Also probly give the fish some more stimulation.

Not to sound stupid, but is this like raising seamonkeys as a kid? Lol aren't those just brine shrimp? Just add water and they grow?

One other thing to consider... These cardinals are nocturnal in nature so feeding after lights go down (or are almost out) might encourage him to eat more. And if you feed late enough, maybe the clowns will already be in bed and not steal the food

Tired · Jul 21, 2022

One thing to note on BBS is that, after 24-48 hours, they lose all their nutritional value and have to be gut-loaded to be decent food. When they've just hatched, though, their yolk sacs make them incredibly nutritious, and the bright color and motion really gets the attention of fish.

JumboShrimp · Jul 21, 2022

For cubes/frozen mysis, a stainless steel tea strainer over a dixie cup filled with water, until melted.

Kiboshed · Jul 21, 2022

The rinsing with a coffee filter worked great today.

He still wasn't into the pellets, but the Clownfish wanted them up fine.

Tired · Jul 21, 2022

Try feeding some pellets mixed in with the frozen food. He may not end up taking them, but if you can trick him into tasting some, he might realize they're food.

BelieveInBlue · Jul 22, 2022

Thought I'd chime in here with my very limited experience: I've had two banggai cardinals. One disappeared into the rocks overnight never to be seen again. The other one ate flakes/pellets readily, though it did seem more excited for frozens. Both were wild-caught. I've heard captive bred ones take to prepared foods more readily. Perhaps see if you could return yours and source a captive bred one?

Kiboshed · Jul 22, 2022

Tired said:
Try feeding some pellets mixed in with the frozen food. He may not end up taking them, but if you can trick him into tasting some, he might realize they're food.

Tried exactly this. He will gulp it up then spit it right back out.

James5214 · Jul 22, 2022

Have you tried the live BBS yet?

Kiboshed · Jul 22, 2022

James5214 said:
Have you tried the live BBS yet?

Not really an option for me yet. I'll update when/if I do though.

My issue wasn't so much getting him to eat. That was actually easy. The problem was everything he wanted to eat was messy.

Thanks to this thread I have a cleaner alternative now.

Though breeding live food just sounds like a good idea in general down the road.

Still trying to get me sea legs right now so to speak

James5214 · Jul 22, 2022

Kiboshed said:
Not really an option for me yet. I'll update when/if I do though.

My issue wasn't so much getting him to eat. That was actually easy. The problem was everything he wanted to eat was messy.

Thanks to this thread I have a cleaner alternative now.

Though breeding live food just sounds like a good idea in general down the road.

Still trying to get me sea legs right now so to speak

Totally understand. A few videos on YouTube and you will be like me harvesting them every 2 days lol. You can make your own contraption or they have brine shrimp hatechrys all over. Aquarium co op sells a very nice one but is around 50$ then u still need a light and a air stone. But yea once you feel comfortable. Anybody will tell you love baby brine will do the trick for any picky fish those little yellow sea monkeys bouncing around the tank lol. Hope your cardinal keeps chowing down and stays healthy

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jul 22, 2022

Kiboshed said:
Still trying to get me sea legs

Spoken like a true pirate! Arrggh!

D3DPrintedThingz · Jul 27, 2022

Kiboshed said:
This forum really is brutal to newbies.

I try to ask genuine questions and I constantly get shamed or insulted.

I know people are passionate about the hobby and the living things in it, but I am not hurting anything. Just seeking knowledge. The fish is happy and healthy, it's extra food is just making for pests in my tank that I don't like.

How does that make me such a bad person? Lol

So pretentious lol

I hate to see this, but please know that there are just a few bad eggs in the group. You will get your questions answered, by nice people. Ignore the bullies, they are simply unemployment-receiving attention-seeking neck-bearded basement dwellers with nothing better to do. Keep asking questions, the worst thing you can do is stop asking for help.