Food on the bottom ? overfeeding ?

netopr

netopr

Member
Hi I have only a 3 fishes on my tank (percula, Jawfish and french angel) and 1 hermit crab........
My percula isnt eating and the jawfish eats sometime.......The thing is that whenever I feed, the food cycles the whole tank and if the fish arent around the food, they wont eat, and the food gets lost.....
I have some food on the bottom of the tank (top of the LS)... Is this a sign of overfeeding my fish ???
I am kind of worried because I havent seen my percula eat that much for the past 2 weeks.... Only a pellet or two...
I tried the garlic method...
any suggestions
tank is a 29G
.25 ammonia
1.023 SG
small nitrite
10 nitrate
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
What types of foods are you offering these fish? They might simply not like the menu. Do you have a clean up crew to take care of uneaten food? If not, you need to consider this, or in time your water quality will be compromised.
 
veni vidi vici

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Originally Posted by Netopr
Is there any animal that will eat from the bottom ?
How long have you had these fish? Maybe try feeding them something else,when i feed my guys im lucky to have all my fingers left.Nothing hits floor,it barely makes it into water lol.
 
veni vidi vici

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Originally Posted by Netopr
Hi I have only a 3 fishes on my tank (percula, Jawfish and french angel) and 1 hermit crab........
My percula isnt eating and the jawfish eats sometime.......The thing is that whenever I feed, the food cycles the whole tank and if the fish arent around the food, they wont eat, and the food gets lost.....
I have some food on the bottom of the tank (top of the LS)... Is this a sign of overfeeding my fish ???
I am kind of worried because I havent seen my percula eat that much for the past 2 weeks.... Only a pellet or two...
I tried the garlic method...
any suggestions
tank is a 29G
.25 ammonia
1.023 SG
small nitrite
10 nitrate
oh? ammonia and nitrite should be 0 .Is this a new Tank?And i would definately syphon any uneaten food off of sand bed.
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
Tank size? How long has it been set up? Is there live rock? What type of filtration. Your biggest worry now is getting the water parameters in check or the fish will die.
 
b bauer

b bauer

Member
ammonia is high also what is your ph?when do you do water changes and how much do you take out?
 
crt81

crt81

Member
I know starfish are bottom dwellers/ eaters but with those high levels it may not be the right time to add it. Also you could get some more hermits or some turbos! Another option is a crab. I have a sally light foot and she goes crazy when she finds food on the bottom. I actually slightly overfeed so it wil fall on the bottom so she can eat!
And again I'd get those levels down before you add anything to add to the bioload!
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Sounds like overfeeding. Your fish should be able to eat everything you put into the tank in a minute or two at the most. If it is falling to the bottom uneaten you are putting in too much.
From your testing results looks like you are still cycling or that you getting a spike from all of the food. Can you help us with some more information on your tank, when was it setup, has the initial cycle completed, do you have any snails in the tank?
 
netopr

netopr

Member
The fish has been on the tank around 3 weeks.........
The tank has been up since last christmas with live sand but without any live rock...
I added live rock around 2 weeks ago... (I know I should have add the rock first, then the fish)....
I am feeding them marine pellets and krill (dry fish food). I will try to make my own food.........
tank size is a 29 gallon...... with the filter that came with the package.... I also introduced some type of round stones to the filter to help the biological filter to develop (last christmas)... I am planning on adding a skimmer soon.
I do water changes everyweek and I take out around 25% of the water...
I have like 2 tiny small snails that came with the live rock.... There are plenty of hairy worms, fether's, clams on live rock....
I didnt add anything to the tank from christmas to now since I was told I had to let it cycle for like half a year.....
thanks for the help
 
netopr

netopr

Member
I think that the live rock was cured since I took it straight from the sea reef (I live in the carebbean) and it barely was 1 or 2 minutes out of the water..... Its around 20 lbs
 
b bauer

b bauer

Member
unless it was under water all the way it was not cured and it not advised to take rock of a beach because of the junk on the sand near a beach no mater how clean it looks.also its illegal in most states but thats a different point.what kind of filter do you have?
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
ANY ammonia or nitrite indicate a cycling problem. These chemicals alone are enough to stop fish from feeding. I wouldn't feed any more than the fish will immediately eat until your ammonia and nitrite level are '0'. Your tank cannot handle this increased bio-load. If the readings you posted are just spikes well after feeding; you have a weak cycle going. If these readings are constant, you have a problem. Either not enough time, or not enough adequate surface area and/or water movement for bacteria to set up housekeeping. Do you have enough water moving over your live rock to oxygenate the bacteria? I have a feeling the only biological filtration you're getting is from the filter media. A powerhead (not expensive) may be more important, at this point, than a skimmer. Keep in touch; your problem shouldn't be too hard to solve.
 
netopr

netopr

Member
Originally Posted by srfisher17
ANY ammonia or nitrite indicate a cycling problem. These chemicals alone are enough to stop fish from feeding. I wouldn't feed any more than the fish will immediately eat until your ammonia and nitrite level are '0'. Your tank cannot handle this increased bio-load. If the readings you posted are just spikes well after feeding; you have a weak cycle going. If these readings are constant, you have a problem. Either not enough time, or not enough adequate surface area and/or water movement for bacteria to set up housekeeping. Do you have enough water moving over your live rock to oxygenate the bacteria? I have a feeling the only biological filtration you're getting is from the filter media. A powerhead (not expensive) may be more important, at this point, than a skimmer. Keep in touch; your problem shouldn't be too hard to solve.
thhanks for helping everyone......
How many powerheads should I get ?
Around how much are them ?
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by b bauer
do you have a hang on back filter or a canister?twice a year is not enough for either
Right. If you give your filter media quick rinse in the old water when you do water changes, you can get rid of lots of crud without destroying the bacteria colonies that live & work there. Until you're sure your LR is functioning; don't replace all of the media (foam, carbon, ceramic balls, etc) from your filter at the same time.
 
netopr

netopr

Member
Originally Posted by b bauer
do you have a hang on back filter or a canister?twice a year is not enough for either

Hang on filter.... is the square type filter ?
if so, then yes
 
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