Question about feeding

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GrubbyGirl
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Question about feeding

Post by GrubbyGirl »

Has anyone tried feeding their Zebras from a dish? With my L144's I have a couple of small teracotta dishes that I always put the food in to stop it floating to all corners of the tank. This then is their feeding station and they always come and check it out to see if there is anything to eat. I was wondering if anyone had tried it with zebras?

See the pic below for what I mean..............my Juvenile L144s enjoying broad beans!

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jerry58
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Post by jerry58 »

Hi
It sounds like a good idea but with zebs I think the other way round,as I find they eat a lot better when the food comes to them like in the wild so it passes them or the area they are in,especially smaller fish ( not sure size of your fish).
I do have foam over my uptakes to stop food going in the pump(and this kept minimal) and can clean old food off regularly and allow bit more food for this.
You have to imagine that in the wild they are in the rapids of the river say fast water and only have time to let go and grab food as it passes them or in the cracks and crevices when they use them to move around in the fast flowing water.
Even though you have them in other conditions they still use this method of feeding.
They don't forage much for food so might not look in dishes you supply.
Also they need to be kept in faster flowing high oxygenated water to do well and probably this will not allow most food you feed to stay in the trays.
If you give it a go keep an eye on the fish and monitor their food consumption .

Hope this helps.

Jerry
Caution is a most valuable asset in fish keeping, especially if you are the fish.
whale88
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Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:33 am

Post by whale88 »

jerry58 wrote:Hi
It sounds like a good idea but with zebs I think the other way round,as I find they eat a lot better when the food comes to them like in the wild so it passes them or the area they are in,especially smaller fish ( not sure size of your fish).
I do have foam over my uptakes to stop food going in the pump(and this kept minimal) and can clean old food off regularly and allow bit more food for this.
You have to imagine that in the wild they are in the rapids of the river say fast water and only have time to let go and grab food as it passes them or in the cracks and crevices when they use them to move around in the fast flowing water.
Even though you have them in other conditions they still use this method of feeding.
They don't forage much for food so might not look in dishes you supply.
Also they need to be kept in faster flowing high oxygenated water to do well and probably this will not allow most food you feed to stay in the trays.
If you give it a go keep an eye on the fish and monitor their food consumption .

Hope this helps.

Jerry
just curious Jerry, if the fast flowing water washes away the food, e.g. in tank, won't the zebras not get to eat anything? I'm always puzzled whether I should reduce the water flow/current in tank as it seems to wash away the food.

thanks!
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jerry58
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Post by jerry58 »

Hi whale88
I know what you mean.
I thought that at first so I used to turn my pumps off for an hour or so on a timer,but now I think the faster the flow the more they fight it and the food moves around a lot more.
You must remember that any fish needs flow in the tank to condition and develop their muscles if you don't have enough flow they will not and will be under developed and zebs are evolved to tolerate fast flowing water,also they use more energy fighting the currant and use more of their reserves and thus healthier fish and having to eat more. :wink:
IMO. The food will collect in other places in any tank with bare bottom,gravel,sand,wood,rocks ect,but on the whole if the food is moving around the tank as in passing the fish I find they are more likely to eat it as in the wild.
Where it collects they will eat it but I have found not so well I think its due to say two fish same place for food they end up doing more fighting and chasing than eating I don't hardly ever see two of my zebs in the same place eating the same food for long but if food coming past they don't need to move far from their spot thus less confrontation from other fish and more feeding time.
Its not a necessity to have the food moving around the tank I think you get better results from it.
In my fry tanks the food is crushed for them and I try to get the food particles to stay suspended in the flow for as long as possible hopefully till its eaten or collected on the filter sponged uptakes and they love it.
The food does collect in places in those tanks and if I leave it over night there usually is some in the morning so I actually after a while rake it off the bottom of the tank and the filter uptake sponges and round it goes again.Feeding in a faster flow also the food is distributed more evenly between the fish.
Obviously this does not apply to the heavier food like whole tablets,peas ect.
Hope this helps.

Jerry
Caution is a most valuable asset in fish keeping, especially if you are the fish.
whale88
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Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:33 am

Post by whale88 »

thanks for the useful information, Jerry.

I'm using whole pellets which tend to stay down for a longer time in the tank. Only hope that the zebs will be able to get their food. :)
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