Livefoods' hassle and Tim's dried food (Does it works?)

[gary35111]

Hi guys,

If only I have logged in earlier and read the message on 'Tim's dried food', I would have joined in the order. Been too busy these days.

Btw, My killies (Orange Australe) have been very finicky these days after having been fed live tubifex worms. It was supposed to be a 'Treat", but I guess it sort of backfired. I hated using these worms as some of the "lucky" ones always manage to escape my killies and burrow into my gravel. I have to change my gravel because of this.

I used to feed my killies dried tablets and they took them readily. Now, they dun really give a damn. As for granular food, especially the female, used to gup them all, now they just sort of bite than spit it out for the cherry shrimps. I was afraid that it might be due to the new environment and the stress they got from moving around when I change my tank's gravel and plants. So, I took the risk and feed them livefood again, only this time, not tubifex but bloodworm.

The killies took them! Only that they took not more than 4 larvaes. Maybe it is the size. Too big for my young killies. Nevertheless, they took them. Man, how I hate livefoods! The bloodworms are just as bad! The ones which my killes are too full to eat burrowed themselves into my gravel just like the tubifex! Only that some of them actually turn into pupa, swim up my tank and *pop* become some flying bugger (thought they decomposed during the week). I killed them all! Die! Hate these flying insects!

When I tried feeding my killies prepared commercial food, they are not eating. I have learn much from my past over-feeding mistake and only feed them very minimally every two days. Well, it's been like days and my killies are still not eating. My friends recommended me to try frozen food if I hate livefood so much.

I just bought some frozen bloodworms, Hiraku Bio-pure frozen daphia and mystic shrimps from Clementi 24 hours fish "polyclinic" (well, they call themselves "polyclinic") and tried on my killies and I was so disappointed. The result was the same, bite, chew a little then spit out. Worse, they do not even touch the frozen blood worm. Now, I have to remove all those uneaten food.

Anyone know what is the problem? And have anybody tried 'Tim's dried food', is it really as good as it say on the web-site? Does your killies (especially Orange Australe) gup them all up?

Gary.

[RonWill]

Gary,
All my fishes receive live food daily, mostly daphnia and tubifex. Occasionally, when schedule permits, a treat of gut-loaded adult brine shrimps.

I can understand the issue of them taking to commercial foods but if you introduce the food regularly, the fishes will know it can be eaten.

My ANNs are true-blue finicky eaters and usually ignore non-live feeds but they recently surprised me when they readily ate AquaZ's Golden Pearls and crushed granules from Sera and Aquarium Munster. This had to happen after I placed my order for Tim's food.... <sigh>

For some hobbyists, getting fishes to accept prepared foods meant starving them for a couple of days. Adults can go without food for a week but this rule of thumb doesn't apply to some annual species like Nothos.

Once hungry and eager, they will go for anything that drop into their tanks. Initial feedings are usually 'gulp and spit' but they'll soon realize that if they pass on that, nothing else will come along. So don't worry too much about them being hungry and continue to sparingly feed dry food. [Have some snails around, if you're worried about uneaten food fouling the water]

About burrowing tubifex, it might be that you're feeding too much at one serving or that the worms are dropping down too fast from the feeder. Try stuffing the worm feeder with a coarse sponge so that it takes longer for the tubifex to wriggle through.

If you're not breeding the AUS, then a couple of small corydoras will work great as scavengers. Ramhorn snails are just as effective if you're feeding dry foods.

I think none of the local hobbyists tried Tim's food but we'll know soon enough if all that we've read is true. In all cases, YMMV.

[PohSan]

Hi Gary,

I should be able to receive my first batch of Tim Addis's food by next week so we will know how good the food is. If you are interested, I will be able to spare you some.

Pricing of the food is okay but shipping cost as much as the food itself. For members who want to order the food after the comments of those who had tried them, maybe we will try surface mail which is only half of the air mail.

Regards,
Ong Poh San