Feeding Issue

[Poly Pinni]

I have 4 young polypterus (2 ornatipinnis, 1 weeksii, 1 delhezi) and 9 ctenopoma acutirostre, also young, sharing a tank. It's the first time I've owned any of these fish. I am feeding them mainly on a variety of frozen food. I'm astonished by how much they eat!

The ctenopoma usually grab the lions share of the food so issue one is that I have concerns about the poly's getting enough to eat. Apart from the delhezi, the others are quite shy and don't start looking for the food (usually) until it has been in the tank for 5 - 10 minutes by which time others have eaten it. If I put more in they eat that too.

I'm also worried about the amount the Ctenopoma stuff into their mouths - basically as much as possible and then some. They like big chunks. They stuff them in until they can't close their mouths and STILL grab more. They look like they've swallowed marbles. Surely this can't be good for them? I don't know how to stop them doing this. I am wrong to worry? I cut the food up as small as I can but the smaller it is the more they cram in. Is this normal?

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[jwh]

Don't feed more than the fish can eat in a couple of minutes. To feed the polypterus, you can use a pvc pipe, slide the food down the pipe to deliver the food to the polypterus, place it near their hiding place after you've fed the others. Polypterus are nocturnal so you can also feed then an hour or do after lights out, when the bush fish are sleeping.

 

[Poly Pinni]

Thank you very much for your reply jwh. The pipe is an excellent idea as the Ctenopoma's are very geared to grabbing food that's moving, I think this should work!

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Just put the food in front of the polys

 

[Poly Pinni]

Thank you Deadliestviper7, the polys tend to inhabit a cave which is the same one that the ctenopoma like to squeeze into (they do have choices) but having said that I think there is somewhere that if I slide the food down a pipe, they are likely to find it before the ctenopoma do.

 

[tlindsey]

Ime with Ctenopoma that they are glutinous ambush predators and you may have to feed the Polys after lights out like was stated.

 

[Poly Pinni]

tlindsey, I would be interested to hear more about your experience with ctenopoma. "Glutinous" is a very apt description! I was, for some reason, actually worried about getting them to eat , now I'm worried about whether I should be stopping them! I'm not finding too much information about them passed the basics.

I have noticed that when I switch the light on they seem to be scattered around the tank, often near the surface but make a dive for their caves as soon as the light is on, so I did wonder if the information about them been twilight hunters was correct. During light hours they will be in and out of hiding. They have soon got the hang of begging at the front of the tank as soon as they see me!

 

[tlindsey]

tlindsey, I would be interested to hear more about your experience with ctenopoma. "Glutinous" is a very apt description! I was, for some reason, actually worried about getting them to eat , now I'm worried about whether I should be stopping them! I'm not finding too much information about them passed the basics.

I have noticed that when I switch the light on they seem to be scattered around the tank, often near the surface but make a dive for their caves as soon as the light is on, so I did wonder if the information about them been twilight hunters was correct. During light hours they will be in and out of hiding. They have soon got the hang of begging at the front of the tank as soon as they see me!

Yes everything you have stated was pretty much of what I have experienced with them . I kept them with polypterus also but got frustrated when everything I would drop in the aquarium would be vacuumed up quick by the Ctenopoma 's large mouths eventually gave them back to the lfs. At the time didn't really know alot about polypterus because I would probably still had the Ctenopoma.

 

[magpie]

I agree with the tube / pipe thing to get food to the polys - I need to do that too.

I have a Delhezi and Ropes with a Cteno and my Cteno is also an enormous pig. He will do the same thing - eat until he looks like he will explode - grab a huge chunk of fish or whatever, and sort of hold it in his gaping mouth. He will let it soften up and then spit it out and keep working on it until he can swallow it. I worry about him literally killing himself with food but he does stop eventually and has been fine health-wise.

My Cteno will eat out of tongs or a pipette. So I tend to target him first, let him get full, and when he is doing his "I am processing this food and look like I'm going to burst" thing, then I put some down where the Del and Ropes tend to go. He will still steal some food on occasion after that but if I get him going first it helps.

 

[Poly Pinni]

I agree with the tube / pipe thing to get food to the polys - I need to do that too.

I have a Delhezi and Ropes with a Cteno and my Cteno is also an enormous pig. He will do the same thing - eat until he looks like he will explode - grab a huge chunk of fish or whatever, and sort of hold it in his gaping mouth. He will let it soften up and then spit it out and keep working on it until he can swallow it. I worry about him literally killing himself with food but he does stop eventually and has been fine health-wise.

My Cteno will eat out of tongs or a pipette. So I tend to target him first, let him get full, and when he is doing his "I am processing this food and look like I'm going to burst" thing, then I put some down where the Del and Ropes tend to go. He will still steal some food on occasion after that but if I get him going first it helps.

It's hard not to think they will choke themselves but what can you do? I feel somewhat reassured knowing other people have had the same experiences with them.

I finally sorted out a suitable piece of pipe and tried this last night. I'm sure it will work because if the ctenopoma - affectionately known as the Spotties (or sometimes the Nazgul) - don't see an item moving they tend not to bother with it, much like sighthounds in that respect it seems. Sadly, I failed to take into account that I'm a total idiot at times! Managed to get more food out of the pipe than in it *sigh* I have a funnel somewhere ...