Food hog...

[SummerOj]

Im using flakes to feed my ghost shrimp, they sink to the bottom very well. However, Athena keeps lurking around the bottom eating the flakes!! I didnt notice that she was eating them until i saw how fat she was. And i only sprinkled a tiny pinch in there and she mustve ate all of it. Is there anyway to feed the shrimp without Athena hogging all the food? I tried distracting her but somehow she still gets the food. I thought bettas didnt even like flakes >.<

[SummerOj]

Ahh!! Now shes a fatty! She wont stop looking for food! It looks like shes bout to explode >.< Shes definatly getting fasted tomorrow. So much for her getting a blood worm treat

[Erik]

I have this same problem when I try to feed my tetras. My betta grabs all the food before anyone else gets a chance to eat. The only solution I know of is to remove the Betta while you feed the others. I would love to hear if anyone knows a better way

[dramaqueen]

You can get a breeder box and put her in that while you are feeding the other fish or shrimp.

[kelly528]

Feed the shrimp shrimp pellets. They sink to the bottom where they fall between the gravel where the betta can't get them.

[SummerOj]

Well I'll have to look for shrimp pellets whenever i can go to the pet store.
And the flakes fell between the rocks and my betta got to em. I think I'll have to take her out when I fed the shrimp

[SummerOj]

Well I tried crushing up some pellets, thinking the pieces will be be small enough for Athena not to notice. I even took her out when I put them in so the shrimp could eat them. well I put her back in and she still got to the pieces.
I guess from now on I'll have to crush her pellets, so she gets food and the pieces she doesnt get goes to the shrimp.

[vaygirl]

Tango finds the sinking pellets too. Bettas are SMART. Tango watched the cories eat their pellets and learned very quickly that there was food on the floor. Now he hunts for it all day. And he got so fat and sick that I had to find a way to stop him.

I put him in a breeder box when feeding. It's vented on the sides and it floats in the tank so he's in his tank water. No stress for him because I feed him in the box and he looks forward to it. I use Lee's three way breeder. If you take the bottom grate out and the middle divider, it works GREAT. It's pretty big.

[Jupiter]

I agree with the breeder trap. My shrimp, however, have learned when it's feeding time. They'll come up and skim the surface, so I drop a pellet for them. :)

[dramaqueen]

If he can get to the flakes, he'll get to the shrimp pellets.