Scleromystax barbatus juveniles - feeding enough?

[edds]

I have recently got some Scleromystax barbatus. They're currently in quarantine and eating well but they still seem to have pretty flat stomachs. They're not looking unhealthy IMO but I thought I was spoiling them with granular food and chopped bloodworm and was expecting nice round bellies.

But now I'm beginning to wonder if Scleromystax ever get that and I should be happy with how they currently look. The biggest are between 4 and 5cm long, the smallest a little over 2.5cm.

In the photo above the one under the one hovering off the bottom facing right is the most rotund and one of only a few that has a convex belly at all. The rest are all flat, none look concave to me and a worry.

As juveniles should I be feeding more often so they are grazing regularly instead of 2 bigger feeds a day?

[bekateen]

They look great to me. Unless you start losing any, I wouldn't change what you're doing. You can feed them more often if you want, but then you need to stay on top of water changes more.

If you can get live blackworms, which don't drown and will live in the sand, get some and add to the tank. That will allow your fish to "graze" at their leisure.

Good luck,
Eric

[edds]

Thanks Eric. I am doing 50% water changes daily so have been feeding (what I thought was) fairly heavily. Will try feeding smaller amounts more regularly over Christmas and see if that helps. Never seen live black worms for sale over here but will keep an eye out.
Thank you.

[bekateen]

Never seen live black worms for sale over here but will keep an eye out.
Thank you.

Michael Kirkham cultures them. He's in the middle of England, I believe. If you don't know him, check with members of the CSG or look him up on Facebook.

Cheers, Eric

[edds]

I've stepped up the frequency of smaller feeds and, while most fish now have slightly convex bellies, they aren't looking any chunkier than that after feeds. So I guess that's as 'fat' as they look as juveniles.

Have found a few offers of black worms on eBay and similar but their culture looks a bit of a pain. Would white worms be a suitable alternative? Or is the frozen, chopped bloodworm (they don't seem to like whole worms), frozen Cyclops and Astax granules they are currently on probably as good as anything?

[bekateen]

I go with microworms. Easy to culture and even big corys will eat them. Plus, they survive about 48 hours in a tank, so they don't die fast if not eaten immediately.

Cheers,
Eric

Also, frozen cyclops or frozen BBS are excellent for babies.

[edds]

Thanks Eric. Will get a new microworm starter culture ordered today!

Have found a cube of freeze dried tubifex went down well over the space of an hour or so too.

[edds]

These guys have moved out to the main tank now and are loving the bigger area to dog in and chase each other around. I was getting a bit of aggression between the young males and thought they might need a bit more room.

[bekateen]

They look great! Congratulations!

Cheers,
Eric

[edds]

Found a good food for filling the bellies of these little barbatus - freeze dried tubifex seems to be a hit. This seems to be as plump as they're getting though. And whether it will help them grow faster is totally another question!

[bekateen]

It looks great!

Good luck,
Eric

[characinkid]

I’ve always struggled to keep the freeze dried tubifex from going all over the tank. Looks like you have a container to feed it which is a great idea. Did you make it? Something you bought?

[bekateen]

I’ve always struggled to keep the freeze dried tubifex from going all over the tank. Looks like you have a container to feed it which is a great idea. Did you make it? Something you bought?

I see this for sale in the UK: https://englandangling.co.uk/korum-mesh-combi-feeder

From Amazon dot com, there are stainless steel versions: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S46JBHV/?th=1. Different sizes available. Smalls (1.5" diameter) are $14 USD for ten.

And of course there are these old plastic things, which might have holes too small though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPB3FW4S/. Ten of these for $9 USD.

419WlldFPtL._SX522_.jpg (10.07 KiB) Viewed 1354 times

Cheers,
Eric

[edds]

It's a UK coarse fishing bit of gear called a swimfeeder. I went to my local tackle shop and tried a few versions and this closed end one seems to work the best. I just pop the cubes inside and the barbs and catfish can pull bits out as it softens. A lot still goes all over the tank but it means the cats get their fair share too.