If the problem is that they need food that sinks, then you may want to try soaking the pellet food in tank water long enough to water log it, so they sink when you put them into the tank, and thus are eaten right away.... or try to find cichlid sinking pellets. What kind of cichlids are these?
With the stats that you listed of nitrate of 40 - 60 with 1 - 2 water changes/wk, if sounds as if there is more waste load than this tank can handle. That may be due to the food, it may be due to growing fish/crowding of the tank, or a combination. Hearing that the filter pads are clogging after only a few days also is an indication that the tank is getting more waste than it can handle, so my first guess would be uneaten food.
If soaking the pellets doesn't work and you're unable to find a sinking pellet they will eat, then try decreasing the amount of food you offer at a time (to about 1/4 - 1/3 of what you normally offer at once) and feed them small amounts multiple times in a day instead of just one large feeding. The only way to avoid the filter pads from clogging so quickly is to decrease the amount of waste that is passing through them.
Dawn
Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334
--- On Fri, 4/1/11, Alyce W <frogg_lady54@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Alyce W <frogg_lady54@yahoo.com>
Subject: [tropical fish club] Questions From A Newbie :-)
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 5:08 PM
Hi Guys! I love reading these posts, I'm learning SO much!
I bought Chiclid Gold Food Pellets for our Chyclids but they won't touch them until hours later when they soak up and fall. I tried crushing them and they went right for it! Is this okay?
How do I keep the double Whisper filter pads from clogging in just a few days? I do 30% water changes once or twice a week, tank is cycled, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 40 to 60, PH 7.6, Temp. a bit low at 76.
Thank you!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
No comments:
Post a Comment