# Fish Feeding help



## vquinnt (Sep 30, 2008)

I am having two seperate fish that I am having feeding issues and am hoping for some advise.

First I have a small clownfish that just seems to spit everything out I give it, I have tried just about everything that I have read they will eat and everything seems to just go in and out.

Second is with a Black Cap Basslet that just sits in a spot at the bottom of the tank and it is about impossible to get food directly to it. The Issue may be that it is new to the tank and still getting used to it. Sould I just be waiting until it comes out to feed, or am i going to have to find a way to get food to it?

Any advise would be greatly appriciated as I know how uneatten food will begin to cause tank problems very quickly. I am new to this hobby and feeding is one of the things that I have had issues answering my questions through other threads so any commits not related to the 2 issues would be helpful as well

Thanks,

BTW, 29 Gallon Biocude, all the water levels are good, 20 pounds Live rock.


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

Question: Did you get from a pet store and did you get the food they were feeding them? If no you should start doing this with future fish that way you can aclimate them to your food. (it may be pricy, but you won't lose a fish which is more costly) (and you should always quarintine all new livestock you add to the tank for pests or ick or misc)
You should have quarintined them both and gave them food that you know they were eating before and then slowly worked the food into your own. if you didn't get them from a LFS or have no idea what they were eating, then them being in the quarintine would have given them time to get use to the food hitting them, and always try to keep it on a schedual. feed once a day at 9pm right before lights turn off or at 7am a bit before lights turn on or a 1pm or whatever works best for you. Consistency helps with the aclimation of food.

Since the fish are in the tank teach yourself to be on a schedual and don't over feed unless you have an awsome skimmer, just feed enough. many times Clowns like to spit and eat spit and eat over and over again, they eat a little, but not much at first. I've know Basslet fish to be a bit on the shy side initally which is why it's not eating. when you feed, add a bit of garlic to the food to stimmulate their appitite then walk away from the tank so you're out of their view. with clowns, they like to watch you more then eat most of the time and the basslet will be too afraid of you to eat which is why it keeps hiding.

IN short, feed tank and walk away and watch from distance.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

Kellsindell said:


> ...don't over feed unless you have an awsome skimmer, just feed enough...
> 
> ...add a bit of garlic to the food to stimmulate their appitite...


 
IMO overfeeding regardless of your skimmer is unexceptable


and fish stores sell garlic solutions in a bottle (i think its originally meant to boost immune systems in fish but it was found to increase appetites)
put your food in a smaller dish and add a small amount of the garlic, i suggest using a pipette to suck up the food then stick it into the water and squirt out desired amount, this way the fish see pipette and that = food.

or ive heard of people using clear tubing to inject food down to a specific location, as your basslet that your trying to feed. try this, slowly lower down a peice of clear air tubing to your fish and shoot food down it, you may have to shoot food then just water after wards to work it down to him. its a good way to spot feed and also will get the fish to know tube=food.


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