Rilelen
New member
I went by my lfs last Saturday to pick up a pair of ocellaris clowns....and fell for a pair of perculas instead (who apparently had been there for a while, poor things). The larger of the pair is maybe 2.5"-3", the smaller one maybe half that size; both look to be in good health. They swam around and picked copepods off the glass, but didn't seem very interested in the pellets I had on hand (would eat a few but kept spitting them out). So I did a little research online about other popular pellet brands and ordered some of the smaller NLS .5mm pellets, which came in yesterday.
Here's my question: is it normal for percs to eat like little bottomless pits?
I've been following the "feeding to satiation" technique in the FAQ of this forum. The little fellows drop what they are doing and swim up to the front right hand corner of the tank as soon I come near the tank and start "begging" - and I obligingly drop in pellets until they seem to be less ravenous and "done". The things is....they seem to eat for about a solid five minutes this way, and I think I have done this about 6-10 times a day yesterday and today. Is it normal to spend 30-60 minutes a day hand-feeding a pair of clowns this way? Beyond that, I swear I must have fed them enough food that I am slightly concerned that the little one must have eaten a mass of pellets nearly as big as his own stomach.
Are they just getting their appetite back after acclimating to the new tank and eating lightly the last few days or is this normal? I am beginning to have nightmares of little percula clowns exploding as I naively stuff them to death!
Here's my question: is it normal for percs to eat like little bottomless pits?
I've been following the "feeding to satiation" technique in the FAQ of this forum. The little fellows drop what they are doing and swim up to the front right hand corner of the tank as soon I come near the tank and start "begging" - and I obligingly drop in pellets until they seem to be less ravenous and "done". The things is....they seem to eat for about a solid five minutes this way, and I think I have done this about 6-10 times a day yesterday and today. Is it normal to spend 30-60 minutes a day hand-feeding a pair of clowns this way? Beyond that, I swear I must have fed them enough food that I am slightly concerned that the little one must have eaten a mass of pellets nearly as big as his own stomach.
Are they just getting their appetite back after acclimating to the new tank and eating lightly the last few days or is this normal? I am beginning to have nightmares of little percula clowns exploding as I naively stuff them to death!
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