Aquarium people - I have a question about feeding catfish

[Rabrrrrrr]

I got me some catfish last week, some small ones. And I'm new to this aquarium biz, so I hope you can help me out.

Now, I know we aren't supposed to give the fishies more food than they can eat in a few minutes.

However, the damn catfish don't pop their heads up to the top when I put flakes in the tank. A few of them do come up when I put in a bit of tubiform worms.

So, for those catfish that don't bother to eat the food immediately, how do I judge how much extra food to put into the tank to make sure that the fish come to the surface leave some stuff so that it can float down to the bottom and be eaten later by the catfish, without leaving so much extra food that the catfish don't eat it either?

[NYC]

1. My understanding:

Catfish are bottom feeders. They eat what the other fish miss. I know that catfish are a popular food item, but some people do not want to eat them specifically because they are bottom feeders.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Well, I'm not looking to eat them. They are very small.

:-)

Though I do love catfish in terms of eating as well. Yum! It's too bad that some discount them for being bottom feeders. Damned tasty, I say!

But, anyway, the problem is that I don't know how much extra food to put in when feeding the fish since the catfish don't eat right away, and since the food all goes into the gravel, I can't tell how much they've eaten anyway.

[NYC]

11. Does it matter?

If you "overfeed" the catfish, doesn't that just mean that your tank will get dirty? (since they can't keep up with cleaning it)

Do catfish eat algae? I thought so. If not, ask about algae eaters. They also help to keep the tank clean.

I am glad to hear you will not be eating those poor, tiny little things. They are also glad to hear.

[Prodemsouth]

4. You are correct- usually some will fall to the gravel bottom and the cat-

fish will eat it- sometimes a good idea is to let the Aquarium establih itself with other fish for a week or two then add bottom feeding fish.

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. Sorry, I don't have an answer, but...

...I just had to say the thread title made me ROTFL. I read it as "a question about feeding you" and was picturing "aquarium people," as a bunch of those sea monkeys (the drawings in the advertisements, that look like merpeople).

Okay, so I'm a little weird. :silly:

edited for typo

[bettyellen]

5. Oh yes, they eat on the bottom and also kind of suck up scum from

the walls of the aquarium. They'll be okay, some drops to the bottom and they'll find it.

[democracyindanger]

6. In Russia

catfish feed you! /yakovsmirnoff

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. LOL!

I'm always up for a good Yakov joke.

[Lex]

7. Rabrrrr . . . I have a couple of catfish at the bottom of my tank

.
and when I feed the black-skirted tetra in the tank, the tetras swim to the top and eat their food, but inevitably some food will fall to the bottom for the catfish.

My catfish are healthy and happy and I don't feed extra, just to have it fall to the bottom.

If you get concerned, there are small sinking wafers that you can feed the catfish--you can buy them at most any petstore and it'll sink right to the bottom.

Hope this helps!

Here's a picture of what my catfish looks like--they're called "emerald catfish" because of their green color.


My black skirt tetra (I have 8) school together and here's a pic of what one looks like:

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Thanks! So far mine seem very happy. They zip around like

little hyper-active torpedoes.

I've just been worried since I have no idea how much food they are getting, and I don't want to end up starving them.

[Lex]

14. They sound like they are healthy and happy.

It's very uncommon for acquarium fish to be getting too little food.

Just keep an eye on them to make sure they are still darting around and happy. You'll soon get use to what "normal" is with them.

They will turn over the little pebbles or small rocks on the bottom and eat the old food. They constantly find it in crevices and cracks.

I like the little catfish guys. :thumbsup:

[NYC]

15. Zipping around?

Maybe they are looking for food. I don't really know what I am talking about, but catfish always seemed lethargic to me, just sort of grazed along the bottom. Maybe so much energy is a sign that they are actively seeking food. You need to ask the fish store so that you don't have to listen to people like me.

:hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. The albinos, especially, zip around like madmen

the black striped ones, the wise looking ones, are much slower and don't zip at all. The other ones, with the internal black stripes, do an 80% zip, with moments of rest.

The albinos, though, seem like they never stop. They almost make me nervous.

[NYC]

19. I don't know what kind of catfish I had.

Unlike the emerald catfish someone posted above, mine were long looking. Perhaps different types of catfish have different levels of energy.

[Lex]

20. Yes--mine are 'darty' too! I've had them for several years

so I'm familiar with their behavior.

They aren't the same kind of catfish that people think of when they are thinking of those placid fish lazily swimming by in a koi pond.

BTW, here's that food I've seen in the store before (but haven't felt the need to buy):
http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/bioblend/bioblend_bottomfeed.asp

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. I saw that product line the other night when I was getting food,

but they were pricey, so I didn't really look all that hard at them.

That one looks like it could be helpful and good.

And that particular line seems like it might be really good food. But I'm judging solely by what it says about itself, not by any knowledge of my own, nor the opinions of anyone I trust.

have you used anything from that line of foods?

[Lex]

24. I haven't used that brand either.

I just saw that it had a special bottom-feeder kind.

My guys just like the "Tetra" brand, which is relatively inexpensive. They like the "color granules" which are slow sinking small granules.

Here's a link with the different Tetra brand:
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=227&brand%5Fid=177

Looks like Tetra makes a bottom-feeding tablet (last page, last product at the link above).

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. Thanks! Tetra seems to be an awfully good food source

I first became interested in fish way back in junior high, late 70s, and almost got a tank of fish then. But didn't. But I did do a lot of reading and research, and I remember the Tetra brand of foods back then being highly recommended, and my fish experts at the store suggested Tetra stuff to me, too.

Good to know that they've been around and very popular for at least 25 years.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Ooh - pretty catfish! I have 2 albinos

and 2 with black vertical stripes (they look VERY wise) and two with a black horizontal internal stripe. Wish I could remember the damn names, and I need to go back to the petstore and get the names for my record book.

I love the emerald!

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. That's the same tetra I have!

I have three - they were my first fish. I'd like to get more so I have a nice school of them, and I was thinking that 8 might be a good number. Or maybe more - I have 125 gallons to work with!

But I'd also like some angelfish, and some African Cichlids.

I also want to get shrimp and crabs - can I put them in the tank without the other fish eating them? I have no plans of getting huge ass fish.

[Lex]

17. Yeah, the tetras look good when they move in unison

in a school. They flash, sort of.

I only have a 20 gallon tank, so the 8 tetras and the 2 catfish and a small algae eater are all I have in it.

It's low maintenance and I keep it at work (my office's is just a mile or so away so I check on them on the weekends). I love having it there--it's a stress buster feeding them and watching them.

I wish I could answer your questions about the other fish you plan to get, but I'm not sure.

Wow! 125 gallon tank! That's great!

[LeftCoast]

32. The shrimp and crabs will LOVE your fish...

If you love your fish though...I wouldn't mix the two groups. :evilgrin:

[Mr. McD]

13. Many species of catfish are nocturnal

and feed mostly at night. They will clean up most of the excess food and many are good at getting the uneaten worms out of the substrate.
I have some Corydoras panda in my tank. They are a small South American catfish. They will often come up to the worm feeder to eat.

[Fiona]

16. You can tie some vegetables to a rock and let 'em sink

I know it works for plecostamus... might work for catfish. Put a slice of zucchini on a rock and rubberband it. Let it sink.

[steely]

21. I reckon you are working with some one at the store.

I think some catfish, as pointed out, are bottom feeders, and they may also go for the stuff that grows on the gravel.

If the tank is new, there may not be a lot of "biology" on the gravel.

Did you happen to pick up any little bottles of aqua clear, or biology starter? This is essentially good bacteria that helps break down the ammonia and nitrates (bio flter). I think some cats eat it too, but I could be wrong.

Don't over feed, that cats will be fine.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Yeah, I have a couple good fish experts at the store

But since I just bought these catfish on Sunday, and won't be going to the store again 'til next week, I thought I'd ask here.

No aqua clear or biology starter - haven't even heard of them. Are they both good bacteria?

The expert guy that set up my tank for me didn't mention anything about either of those.

And thanks for the reassurance about the cat feeding - it seems they must be feeding fine, since they're full of energy... but I'm new to this, and I like to worry about things. :-)

[steely]

29. The stuff can't hurt - it's good bacteria.

I use Aqua clear in the pond, and Stress-Zyme, or something like that, in the tank, not that it matters. The tank is my hospital tank which used only when I need too (like in the spring or now, for one guy who is recuperating from an injury). My point is, I clean the tank in between needs, and have to start it up fast if req'd. The stress-zyme helps start the bio filter. Bottle is maybe 2 inches high. Some come in liquid or powder form.

The bacteria lodge on the gravel and the filter, and break down the ammonia and nitrates. The resulting nitrites (i think) are harmless, and can be used up by any plants.

The balance is tougher in salt tanks, where you must prep for a long time before you wind up adding feesh.

And fyi, as I am sure you've heard, too much food fouls the water, both from the food and the extra fishy poop.

I think "they" even recommend replacing the charcoal, sponge, and zeolite (if you use it) in the filter on separate cycles, so you don't wind up removing all of the bio-filter at one time - so the things 'seed' each other.

not that complicated, kinda cool actually.
hope you don't mind the late run-on reply.

[MichaelHarris]

26. when they get bigger

feed um cheese, they love the cheese. When they get real big put a hook in the cheese.

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. How big do they need to be before I can put a whole pheasant in the tank?

[MichaelHarris]

28. at least

2 pounds, at 5 pounds if your take is big enough you can take your shoes and socks off and go "noodlin'". Someone told me they have a whole thread for noodlers over at FR. Man those guys will stick a toe in anythings mouth.

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. I don't think it's their toes they're "noodlin'" with

Just saying.

[Name removed]

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