Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey folks, newbie at owning fish, heres the question, I currently feed my silver perch fingerlings ground up bottom feeding fish food as supplied by BYAP, but I notice if the food hits the bottom the fish are no longer interested in it, whilst its floating mid way down there everywhere and going for it, when I go to feed them next there is still food on the bottom of the tank untouched but they go for any new stuff as its falling,

Why, I thought silver perch were bottom feeders, also how long can the food stay on the bottom before it becomes toxic

Thanks

No Simso... Silver Perch feed, as you've observed... in the middle of the water column...

They may clean up a little of the feed off the bottom overnight...

But if you've got feed laying on the bottom... you're feeding too much...

Remove it... and cut back your feed... or throw some Tandanus (catfish) in there to clean up the uneaten feed...

Actually this is more of a question than answer.... since I will be doing something similar in the future...

How about goldfishes and yabbies?? They live quite well with Silvers right?? Both bottom feeders and should
clean up after the Silvers??

Goldfish are good and will help keep a system going between batches of eating fish. If you change over later to Barra or Trout then the goldfish may end up as food. Yabbies will clean up the bottom but do tend to kill each other.

hmm..

my guys dont touch the food on its journey to the bottom of the tank. it just sits on the bottom and they get into it later.. they eat it all but not til it has sat for awhile..

the fish all hide when i look in the tank... maybe cos i'm wearing a chefs hat and holding a fry pan....

i should buy a biscuit cutter the shape of some fish.... and fry tofu up instead,....

i also have observed my silvers feeding at the bottom of the tank, though mine also feed as the food falls. they swim around the food on the bottom making it swirl up and then have a go for it but as they are sinking pelets they dont have a much of a chance to get it on the way down

Cheers
pete

Well as soon as I go near the tank they all start going into a mini little frenzy, they come up from the bottom and mid tank height start swimming around anticipating the food, as I drop it in there, they go bezerk, but when it hits the bottom they pretty much just leave it alone

Depends on what they are used to simso. Fish that are used to being fed in a small tank will react like yours, fish that are used to being in a big pond will not feed while anyone is looking at them. Some will only feed on floating food, some take sinking. I'd say yours are used to floating feed.

As rupe said, silvers will take food off the bottom if they are hungry, which yours are obviously not. Just adjust your feed amounts

Mine are reluctant to eat off the bottom also, which is a bugger because my current food is pretty quick to start sinking. Not instantly , but it doesn't float long either.

I introduced a couple of goldies to clean up the remains, at which they are doing a fabulous job! These goldies are also growing pretty quick also.

Other food I've had in the past floated for much longer, and basically the silvers had to eat from the surface. I found this much more enoyable to watch, and would like to go back to floating food if I can - any idea which brand of floating food would suit my 8 to 15cm silvers, and soon to arrive jade fingerlings?

my silvers also hide when any one trys too look at them
including feeding but they do eat off the bottom
1500lt tank

My FT has a hatch that I lift to feed and when the light hits the water the SP know it is food time and they swim over but only to the edge of the column of light, they seem reluctant to "swim into the light" but they are just delaying the inevitable really .

They will only eat the food as it is falling but lately I have seen one or two bigger ones clean up feed from the bottom so I assume they do this if they are hungry enough.

I have 125 silver perch and 10 golden perch. I'm feeding them smashed up trout pellets, but some of the bigger bits they can't fit into their mouths and they sink to the bottom. However the next day there is never anything on the bottom:

Are the golden perch bottom feeders? They don't come up when I feed - the SP are all at the surface.

I have 15 silver perch, 7 comets ( goldfish ), and 8 koi,all approx same size average 100mm.
I am feeding 4mm floating pellets, the Koi and commets are not shy at all , feeding while I stand looking on.
When I leave for a bit and watch FT from a distance the SP will flash up and get pellets.
I am feeding 1 teaspoon of the 4mm and a pinch of flake and pellet crumble.
I have been feeding at 6pm every night as heard regularity is good.
I am a little concerned that the koi and commets are getting lions share of food and the SP might be missing out.
Checked FT tonight 1 hour after feeding and all food gone.
Can anyone give any tips as this is my first run with this many fish.
I guess my concerns are is 6pm ok time to feed?
Should I be feeding more.?
How long it should take them to eat food?
Should I mix some sinking pellets for SP to get more easily?
Any coments would be greatly appreciated

Ps my FT is about 900mm deep and 1800mm diam if anyone knows how many approx litre that is , Ide love ya.

Skipd - if your water level is at 900 & diameter at 1800, then your water volume should be @ 2290 litres - give or take a few with the corrugated variations.

BTx

my silvers eat the floating trout pellets right from the surface and ignore sinking stuff , always preffvering stuff thats floating

they clean up the stuff on the bottom later in the day if theres any sunk

although they also ate HEAPS all winter and now that the weather has turned and water warmed up, theyve started to hide more and eat less, which I find strange