Clown can't eat off the top

[mdisalvo55]

One of my clowns has a hard time getting food off the top of the water...actually it can't get anythign off the top. I've started to feed it flakes and bloodworms so they can sink for it, but has anybody else had this happen? He tries to get it but just misses everytime...any advice?

 

[vaporize]

wait, it will learn that food floats on water

 

[Chad Vossen]

my clown cant eat very well off the surface either. the mollies usualy knock food down for him or he just keeps trying till he gets it.

this problem is with flakes but i usualy feed mysis and brine shrimp.

 

[vaporize]

Oh I feed NLS pellets forgot to mention that, not sure if that makes a difference b/c of the size

 

[mdisalvo55]

It isn't that he doesn't know its there, he tries to get it it's just that he misses everytime and has no ability to catch any of it...I guess I'll just have to stick to foods that sink for the little guy

 

[vaporize]

I guess that's why my pellets works b/c it's large enough for them to hit & swallow them. Btw, highly recommended NLS pellets (no I don't sell them or affiliated) but all my fish go crazy on them even after a few feedings.

 

[jgoodrich71]

It would be better to submerge the flakes. I will take a pinch and stick it in front of a powerhead so that it blows all over the place. Not many SW fish, and especially clowns, feed off the surface in the wild. It's not natural for them to do that.

 

[mdisalvo55]

That helps, thank you...I was kind of afraid there might be something wrong with him.

 

[impulse]

If you can get it in the US, try NUTRAFIN Freeze dried tablets. They are unique in that you can press them onto the glass at a height suitable for the fish.Ingredients are: Krill,Tubifex worms, Shrimp, Blood worms, Fish meal and Vitamins. I have a 6' marine tank and find it great for the shy feeders, whist the greedy one are jostling over their frozen Brine shrimp.

 

[mr_miagi32]

My clown has learnt to wait for his pellets to sink. He watches, watches, and then finally eats the once they've sunk. As said, take a pinch of your flake, and dunk it underwater then release it. Dont just place it on the surface.

 

[vaporize]

You Aussie clowns are so well mannered

My Canadian clowns knew that if she doesn't get it within 5 seconds it appears on water, the blue tang is going to eat everything LOL

 

[IslandCrow]

I actually heard somewhere that it's not good for most fish to eat food that's on the surface of the water. They end up sucking in air and it causes indigestion or some such thing. I actually had the opposite problem. My clown was the only one who ate food off the surface, so keeping him from eating all the food before anyone else got to it was a pain. Now that he has an anemone, he doesn't like to stray very far. I usually feed live or frozen food these days, though, so it's not much of a problem either way.

 

[rbdesigns]

I take out water from the tank with a cup, throw in some flakes, then empty the cup into the tank. All the flakes sink and there is hardly any waste. I used to throw them in the tank and it would end up in the overflow before the clownfish could react.