# New tetra won't eat flake..? What to do



## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

I just got a dozen of ember/fire tetra from menagerie a few days ago...
They all seem active and healthy...all of them except for one look quite pale tho (stress from shipping?), hopefully they will turn to a more reddish color later..

Bigger problem I have now is...they don't seem to be interested in the flake food at all...I tried to feed them with crushed flake...most of them split it back out after they eat it!!  

What should I do? keep on feeding until they will take the flake? or should I try live food?
One thing that is keeping me away from trying live food is that I don't want to turn them into picky eaters...
Once in a while is fine, but I don't want to have too feed them livefood all the times

Will feeding them copepods / bloodworm...etc make them take flake more readily? or will that just turn them more into pickup eaters?


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Try cyclopeeze mixing it with flakes b4 you put it in .. I find any fish cant refuse cyclopeeze


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

my tetras aren't too fussy. they'll eat flake sooner or later i'm sure. 

also, sometimes it looks like they're "spitting out" the food, but it's more a function of the physics involved in a fish ingesting food - basically, water flow can push the food out of the fish's mouth when they open their mouth for a second time, especially if the flakes are on the (relatively) largish size.


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## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

I have never heard of cyclopeeze (I am a fish noobs), any idea where I can buy them locally? And I assume they are actually frozen cyclops?


I know fish tends to split out food and then suck it in again.....but these guys basically split it out and swim away...even when the flake is as small as dust..


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

Check the aquarium temperature just in case. Too low a temperature and fish go off their feed. Raising the temperature a tad sometimes will increase their appetite. Hyphessobrycon amandae 24 – 28°C


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

When they get hungry they will eat what you give them. It just takes time for them to recognize something as food if ti's new to them.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I get mine from north american fish breeders ... should call first see if they have it in stock first .


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

Riceburner said:


> When they get hungry they will eat what you give them. It just takes time for them to recognize something as food if ti's new to them.


true. they can go quite a long time without food, so you don't have to worry about starving them. they'll catch on, tetras certainly aren't known as fussy eaters, AFAIK


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