Ideas for feeding the vision impaired?

[PJs]

:o Ok, I could take him back, but after 3 weeks of experimenting and two batches of eggs (tossed, for now) I've grown attached to him. And the LFS probably wouldn't take him back anyway. He eventually gets enough to eat, but not to grow fast enough.

I've been trying to find a way to make feeding this guy easier, esp. since he is only 4.5" and so should eat a lot. When he approaches food on the gravel, it blows away (although the gravel stops it somewhat). When I hold froz. red worms in the water he often inadvertently pecks my finger instead, but he usually gets a sizeable chunk while the rest floats away polluting the tank.

I've been trying to make an agar-agar gel to hold Sera cichlid bits or worms together, but even that has to be given in a large enough clump that it won't get blown away by his fins, thus causing waste and pollution. Helps some to make an indentation in the gravel. Haven't gotten the worms to hold together yet. Won't eat beefheart yet.

Any other ideas for me to try? Wish they sold that frozen worm feeder in this country. Perhaps I could make one ... How big are the holes?

Thanks!

[Jason]

I had a very large very old heckel that went blind after about 8 years in my possesion, I loved that fish so much that I spent weeks trying to get him to eat from my fingers, eventually he was trained and ate any food that I hand fed too him. Was a big comitment and took about 45 minutes a week just too feed him twice a day.

[PJs]

Oh - I can see why you'd want to take care of a pet you've had for 8 years. Yes, it is time-consuming. I'm actually hoping as he grows his body might catch up with his eyes and his vision will improve. He's definitely gotten better with eating, though, and will start on almost anything I put in the tank.

At least he doesn't swim around bored - he's constantly eating (or trying to)!:D

Now I'm going to find out what a heckel is - great name.

[Kindredspirit]

That is the sweetest thing I ever heard, Jason! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_11_61.gif

Very cool~



Marie~

[PJs]

Does anyone know of discus pellets, etc. that are bigger than Sera discus granules? The only thing I've seen are a type that float. They finally sink, but I imagine they've lost a good deal of flavor and odor by then.

The Sera granules get up to a little larger than the head of a rounded-type of straight pin. Again, I need something that would sink.

Thanks.

[Kindredspirit]

PJ~

I use Discus Pellets...wait let me get them ....It is called Discus ...wow , that was informative, yes? LOL...It is by Hikari , and called Hikari Tropical, 'great for all types of Discus'....it says...


I hold some under the water till they feel squishy and then i let them go and they fall to the bottom and soften. Then they all eat it! Took a while tho... they eat everything now!!

If anyone knows that this isnt good stuff, pl feel free to let me know asap!!



HTH~

Marie!http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_7_8.gif

[RiverCitiDiscusII]

Does anyone know of discus pellets, etc. that are bigger than Sera discus granules? The only thing I've seen are a type that float. They finally sink, but I imagine they've lost a good deal of flavor and odor by then.

The Sera granules get up to a little larger than the head of a rounded-type of straight pin. Again, I need something that would sink.

Thanks.


Hi, have you tried Tetra ColorBits? It is red in color sinking granules, and most discus hobbyist use it to feed to their discus, as part of a balance diet. I feed it to my young and adult discus. And it comes different size containers at your LFS. Hope this helps? Keep us posted......Al

[kaceyo]

Is it in a tank by itself? I had a juvie that always missed the food he was aiming at and wasn't getting much before his tank mates finished it. I just started putting the entire portion of frozen food for that tank in in one frozen solid chunk. The one with the bad eyes would hit it and get big mouthfulls before it melted and the other fish would eat as usual. It gave him the chance to start growing well, which he hadn't been doing, and eventualy he got over the problem. He was the smallest of the group when I was thawing their food but ended up right in the middle size-wise. HTH

Kaey

[PJs]

Perhaps those Hikari pellets are what they already have here, but it sounds like discus will eat them even after they've fallen. Thanks for the info!

The Tetra color bits sound pretty small, like what I already have. Thanks anyway.

Before this discus managed to get one mouthful before the worms thawed, now he's being a pain and waiting too long and they end up all over the bottom:p . He has one (major) tankmate, but she is not a problem. So, you let the froz. worms float at the surface? Thought discus wouldn't go for surface food, good to know. I was holding it for them, then let it go when it thawed enough for him to get ahold of it. Sure don't have time to do that too often. :o

Thanks again.

[kaceyo]

Sure, they'll eat from the surface, the bottom, and everywhere in between. Though it's not their first choice and he may have to "learn" to look there. I just put it in where he was most likely to see it and if he missed it he'd follow the other ravenous mouths to it. It may take him a bit to get the idea. Holding it will thaw it quicker too, and if there is a power filter you may want to turn it off for a few minutes at feeding time till he gets the idea. You could also try a floating worm feeder. I don't know how well the can suck dead worms out of one but it might work.

Kacey

[PJs]

Just wanted to update on feeding situation, in case it is helpful to others.

This discus is now eating much better from a little "food pit" I dug in the gravel. His food doesn't blow away as easily and he's eating quite well now, always waiting for more. For now he's getting tetra bits as I haven't had time yet to try out more food than I already have. (BTW, only potential food competition is his mate and she just eats from the rest of the tank area, so no problem.)

Another innovation is I'm using a (3/4" diameter) tube to drop the granules in and they go right down to his "pit", while he stands (hovers?) by watching them. Saves on mess, and we're all happier.

Haven't tried froz food on surface yet, way too messy, I fear, so I am still just holding it for him in the water. When the red worms start dissolving from the fish pecking, I let go and he usually manages to grab a chunk and gulp it in, often with that surprised look you get when you've sucked on a milkshake too hard. Brrr! ;) (Will try surface feeding later.)

Hope some of this helps, great if others have suggestions to add.

(And yes, we know not to breed fish with possible genetic problems. :) )