Feeding Ember Tetras

[howze01]

I have 4 Ember Tetras I got about 2 weeks ago. I actually got 6 but 2 were super tiny and didn’t make it. The ones I have left don’t seem like they’re eating. It looks like they want to but they eat the food then spit it back out. I’ve tried 3 different flakes, xtreme Nano pellets (that I crush even more because they’re too big), frozen daphnia and frozen baby brine shrimp. It’s the same with everything. They suck it in, maybe give it a chomp or 2 then spit it out. Any ideas? Thanks!

[Biotope Biologist]

This is a common behavior amongst tetra and indeed lots of fish. Does it appear they are eating at least part of the food they swallow? With embers you can actually see their digestive tract.

 

Also how is your tank setup? these fish prefer heavily planted tanks and may just need a bit more time to settle in.

[Colu]

Try hikari micro pellets and frozen or live  Cyclops or crushed flake my small male x-ray tetras do this when food is to big

[howze01]

@Biotope Biologist it’s hard to tell if they’re swallowing anything because the food is so small. It’s a little Fluval 8 gallon tank. I think it’s 12”x12” or so. I don’t have live plants in it but there  are a lot of fake ones for them to hide in. Maybe I’ll have to get some real plants.

@Colu I do crush up the flakes until it’s almost dust. The baby brine is also really small. The same with the pellets I crush. I don’t think it’s going to get much smaller really.

They don’t look overly skinny so I’m assuming they’re getting something from the food. I guess I’ll just keep doing what I am and hope they settle in and eat better. I was also thinking putting a few more in may help along with adding some plants. Thank you both for your suggestions.

[Brandy]

Your best bet is probably the frozen baby brine. It is hard to say what is up with such tiny guys, but I have had rummynose that do that, then stop eating completely and die. I suspect my fish had parasite issues,

But first, before assuming that, I would triple check your water parameters and be sure you are on the mark there. 

Then yes, I would add more tetras eventually. For now though, try keeping the room dark when you are feeding, and dim the tank lighting if you need to--just put something like cardboard over part of the tank to cast shade so that they feel extra safe. It may be they need to settle in. I had some fish shipped and they acted like they didn't know what food was at first. The brine is smelly, it helps kick them on.