[Richled13]

Hi everybody, I am still having some algae (green water) issues. I have started turning the light off and trying to feed less. My question is, how much food does my firemouth need? He is about 2" long. I usually feed him those Wardley mini cichlid pellets. The problem is that sometimes he doesn't notice the pellets and they eventually sink to the bottom and, presumably, decompose (probably a large part of the problem). So I have taken to feeding him one pellet at a time to make sure that he eats them. How many should I give him?

Also, what kinds of plants can I add to compete with the algae. I add a little bit of salt to the tank (about two tablespoons, its a 29 gallon) and I know that can be difficult on the plants. Are there any that can withstand both salinity and my firemouth?

Also, I was hoping to add an apple snail. Will the firemouth kill the snail?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[FiremouthShogun]

Ya, I figured that was the problem. You can use flakes until he's big enough to regularly consume the mini pellets. Again moderation is the key..only feed what is consumed.

A feeding ring could work, shutting down the filter, feeding 1 pellet at a time all good suggestions.

I'm not that crazy about snails and once the FM figures out that the snail has a soft part it's done. I would feed mine crushed snails from a planted tank. They loved it.

It sounds mean but if you abstain for feeding for periods of time the fish will eat more voraciously when food is provided. Form of conditioning sort of for it to eat when food is provided sort of thing.

 

[Richled13]

Thank you very much. I just have a couple more questions. What is a feeding ring? What about covering the tank? And does anyone have any recommendations on plants? Thanks!