Fish having a hard time eating pellets

[LanM]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a suggestion or perhaps someone else's experience with small fish. I have 2 small clowns, an orchid dottyback and a Kupang damsel. All getting along great now.

Problem is it looks like their mouths are too small for the pellets and mysis I'm feeding. They repeatedly strike them and try to swallow but it looks like they can't get them into their mouths. Same with the mysis, only the dottyback and kupang fit full pieces into their mouths, the clowns have to find pieces just right so I end up with what I consider to be significant waste on the sand bed due to them not being able to eat it.

 

[Fudsey]

You need to get the small pellet. But until you do you can pre-soak them in some tank water and kinda mush them up before you feed. I have done that in the past in a pinch for some smaller fish.

I use new life spectrum 1 mm now

 

[Southpawzzz]

You could also break up the current pellets tapping in between coins or something of that matter I had too do that once but I would still recommend soaking them so the fish could “bite” out of the broken up pellets.

 

[40B Knasty]

These pellets are great for nutrition and size. Look at the tip of my finger for the size.

 

[Big G]

BRS sells this "hatchery" food that I feed to very small fish. They really like it. It's .5mm. Smallest I've found. Hope this helps.

 

[LanM]

Thanks for the reply guys.
I may pick up some of the hatchery pellets since I'm currently feeding the new life spectrum 1mm as suggested above, and theyre too big.

Will moistening them and crushing into a paste cause it to sink as fast as the pellets alone? I've tried to hold the pellets under the water for a moment pinched between my fingers but they sink like a rock and I end up with a handful of uneaten pellets on the sand bed. Snails are having a field day. I'm going to do water changes every 3 days until I get the feeding thing down. I have mysis and brine, the new life spectrum 1mm pellets, and reef frenzy nano (that I bought but left on the counter an hour away from home, so I'll be picking that up next time through).

 

[Big G]

Try putting some of the other pellets onto a spoon. Then place another spoon on top. Press. Just use a few pellets at a time. Depending on the pellets and pressure used, sometimes they just crush to powder; sometimes they crush just about the right amount.

 

[K. Steven]

New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula is o.5 mm. I used it for my small fish way back when. Try V2O Mini Mysis. My fish liked that as well before I could feed them Hikari mysis.

 

[EmdeReef]

You can try grinding the pellets with a pepper grinder and pre-soaking in tank water. I’d just make sure you pause pumps etc. depending on how skittish your clowns are, can even try target feeding with something like Julian’s thing. It worked for me after I got a really small captive flame angel.

Edit: wrong fish (facepalm)

 

[K. Steven]

You can try grinding the pellets with a pepper grinder and pre-soaking in tank water. I’d just make sure you pause pumps etc. depending on how skittish your clowns are, can even try target feeding with something like Julian’s thing. It worked for me after I got a really small captive bred coral beauty.

Biota Coral Beauty?

 

[Big G]

My bad typo Hatchery is .5mm. Corrected. It's really tiny stuff. Size reminds me of the regular fish food I used as a kid to feed zebras, guppies, etc.

 

[LanM]

Thanks for all the tips guys.
I will try crushing/reducind them in size, and will order some of the 0.5mm pellets.
I do shut off the koralia during feeding. The clowns have an awesome temperment and perosnality. I was 100% against clowns in my tank when I first decided to get into the hobby, but these two little guys have changed my mind completely. My davinici swims to the front glass when I walk into the room, and stays there intil I walk away. Feeding derived conditioning, but I'll take it. The dottyback and kupang could give a hoot unless they find out I have food, and the lightning is a bit less interested but a cool fish.

I was worried that the kupang was going to bully the dottyback because he was aggressive on the first night. Nope, 100% role reversal. all is well, and the dottyback wastes zero time keeping him in line. She leaves the clowns alone, so I think I'm pretty lucky in the cohabitation department.

I'll give that method a try tomorrow and report back.

Big G, I figured you meant 0.5, I saw it on the bottle. I'm definitely going to pick some 0.5 up. Is it a bad idea to mix up food? If I have 2 contianers of NLS 1.0mm, should I go with NLS 0.5mm, or is it ok to go with the BRS stuff?

 

[EmdeReef]

Biota Coral Beauty?

No unfortunately, sorry, beer, watching the game, typing. Meant to write flame. And don’t think it’s biota’s but it was tiny when I got it.

 

[Big G]

I'm definitely going to pick some 0.5 up. Is it a bad idea to mix up food? If I have 2 contianers of NLS 1.0mm, should I go with NLS 0.5mm, or is it ok to go with the BRS stuff?

I got the SA on recommendation that the hatchery where my fish were raised used it. Nothing wrong with NLS. I use the larger pellets from NLS.

 

[LanM]

Big G, just looked-- its funny that BRS also lists the pellet as being 0.8mm in the ad, however 0.5mm is printed on the bottle.
I wonder if the size of the pellet was increased, or if its just a typo?
Do you have a bottle on hand?

 

[CLew]

I had the same problem and I was feeding the smallest sized NLS. I bought a cheap ceramic pepper grinder off Amazon and it's worked well so far.

 

[Big G]

Big G, just looked-- its funny that BRS also lists the pellet as being 0.8mm in the ad, however 0.5mm is printed on the bottle.
I wonder if the size of the pellet was increased, or if its just a typo?
Do you have a bottle on hand?

Too funny. I have a bottle of SA that says .8mm on it and I compared it to a bottle of NLS 1.mm and the SA is tiny compared to the NLS. It's easily half the size. I think the SA bottle is mislabeled. LOL. Fish food conspiracy? LOL

 

[LanM]

Ha, maybe a conspiracy. I'll order some and we'll see
Courtney, thanks for info.

 

[Hersheyb]

You can also get the innovative for I’d grinder. Most of my fish won’t take pellets but when I grind them down they all go for it

 

[LanM]

Update: I still believe I'm massively overfeeding, however I don't think my fish are eating enough.

My Davinci clown tries hard to get the pellets down. He's getting frustrate and zooming around the tank with it on his lips. They get the pellets into their mouths, but Im assuming they can't swallow them because they spit them out and try to swallow repeatedly. The orchid dottyback is the only one that can.
I'm crushing, trying to grind but my grinder is too large. They eventually get some, but I'm left with 10 pellets on the sand bed. Doing 50% water changes every 3 days to keep from having issues, and added carbon yesterday.