Neon tetra don't seem to eat

[Martin]

Hi all!  I've noticed since setting up this planted tank, the neon tetra don't seem to eat.  I've had them about a week now and each feeding, the fish won't go to the surface to feed and I end up using my net to fish it all back out about 10 minutes later.  At first, I assumed they were just getting used to their new home, but jeez, they have GOT to be hungry by now.  The only time the seem to intake anything is when the water filter return pushes the food into the middle/lower portion of the water column where I guess they see it.  The problem is, most of the food stays floating and what does make it down there is pushed with such force that it usually ends up in on the substrate or shoots off by the created current.  I don't THINK they are eating, though the food that collects at the bottom is gone the next day (but I can't be certain it's not the shrimp cleaning up).

This never happened to any of my previous tetra before in my non-planted tank.  Any insight or advice?  Thanks in advance for entertaining my bombardment of questions.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Martin

[Irene]

In my experience, neon tetras prefer to feed from the middle of the water, so I bought slowly sinking, tiny foods like Xtreme Nano pellets, Fluval Bug Bites (Tropical Formula for small fish), frozen daphnia, frozen cyclops, etc.

[Martin]

Thanks Irene!  I'll look into that then.

[Kirsten]

The co-op's Easy Fish and Fry food is also good for this in the condiment bottle it comes with. It stays at the top for awhile, then slowly sinks. But I always add a little puff right into the HOB outlet stream to help feed my bamboo shrimp and other shy feeders and it's like a pinata of fish food right in the water column.

Instant baby brine shrimp (sold in the cutest little jars which go a lot longer than you think they will) alslo seem to go immediately to the middle water in a big cloud of yums.

[Maggie]

I soak my pellet and flake food before feeding the rasboras, as they are voracious and seem to take in too much air grabbing from the surface before the food sinks. It immediately sinks after soaking for just a few seconds in about a half cup of dechlorinated, warmed water, and I slowly pour it in as they eat.

[Hobbit]

My tetras would never eat at the surface either, until just recently when I got some from Aqua Huna. I’m not sure if they learn by watching each other, but suddenly most of them are willing to eat from the surface.

I also turn off my filter during feeding time. That way the pellets can sink slowly and the tetras can pick them off before they hit the ground.

[Martin]

Thanks for the tips all!  I will give them a try and see what works.