Feeding different species of fish in a community tabk

[Josiahfish]

I am relatively inexperienced to fish keeping. I have a tank with an established population of 20 neon tetras. I just got a Bolivian ram for the tank as well. The issue I am having is getting food down to the substrate so the ram can eat. The tetras eat all the food before it makes it to the bottom. Even when I bought bigger sinking  pellets the neons grab them and carry them around Until the pellets fall apart. Does anyone have any tips on how to feed both of these fish in the same tank without over feeding? Thanks. 

[Roko]

That's always a problem and you need to try what will work for you.

Some ideas -

Put food on one side and while tetras eat there add some sinking food on other side for ram.

Add some food to tetras and then with tweezers add some food close to ram.

Put enough sinking food so tetras doesn't have time to eat all before it drops.

You could try with stick on a glass food but add it in middle of tank.

Use repashy gel food, it will sink down.

Good lick.

[Fonske]

Live foods like baby brine shrimp and frozen foods like bloodworms work for me. It takes time to consume BBS so all species have a chance. Bloodworms can be fed to to a particular fish using tweezers. Also, after a while, my ram learned that food comes from above and there is a lot of competition, so she comes to the surface at feeding times. 

[ccurtis]

I have a 29 with cardinal tetras, a few panda corys a dwarf gourami, and a Bolivian ram. I feed a variety of foods in the tank. I feed xtreme krill flake, xtreme spirulina flake, xtreme nano pellets, hikari bottom feeder wafers, tetra shrimp wafers, and hikari algae wafers. I alternate different days of the week and keep it mixed up. 

My trick to getting food down the ram and the corys is to put in the flake food on one side of the tank. That draws the tetras and the gourami to that side of the tank and they feed on the flakes. At the same time I will break up the wafers and/or drop pellets in on the other side of tank. The tetras/gourami are distracted eating the flakes and the wafers and pellets get to the bottom where the corys and ram can feed. They also will feed on whatever flake will make it to the bottom as well. 

This is how I do it and works for me.

Good luck. 

[Tanked]

If you are using a hob filter, dropping the pellets into the water stream might quickly power them down to the bottom.  I actually use this method with the flaked food.  You could also try a piece of pvc pipe or other rigid tubing to hide the sinking pellets.  If this is done in the same location day after day, your ram may learn where it's food vending machine is found

[Nick Y]

17 hours ago, Roko said:

That's always a problem and you need to try what will work for you.

Some ideas -

Put food on one side and while tetras eat there add some sinking food on other side for ram.

Add some food to tetras and then with tweezers add some food close to ram.

Put enough sinking food so tetras doesn't have time to eat all before it drops.

You could try with stick on a glass food but add it in middle of tank.

Use repashy gel food, it will sink down.

Good lick.

I agree feed heavy quickly and/or try Repashy community blend.   That will sink before the tetras can eat much 

[Josiahfish]

Thanks everyone. I am trying some of the suggestions. I will report back with what worked for me. 

[Josiahfish]

So as an update. I have had success feeding two different way. One is to feed the tetras on one side of my tank with slow sinking food and feed Ram on the other side of the tank with faster sinking food. The second method, which works the best, if to feed blood warms with a turkey Baster. That is the only food the ram really eats out of the water instead of off the ground. A little squeeze in front of him and he chows down!