Green Fire Tetras... Are they eating or not???

[lanoit]

I posted yesterday, asking about a dead green fire tetra in our new tank.

Another question, possibly related... I have no idea how to tell if these green fire tetras are eating. I don't ever see them eat - they'll swim around near the surface and will ignore all the food floating by. By the time the food sinks, it goes right past them. We have two neon tetras that zip around and get all the food, but I've never seen the green fire tetras eat anything. We've had them for 4 days now.

For reference, I just tested the water and I'm zero on ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. My pH is fine. Temperature is fine. It's a 55 gallon tank that I just started 2 weeks ago and all we have is 2 neons and 2 green fires.

Thanks.

 

[OrionGirl]

Do you watch them afterwards? They may be picking food off once it falls, or they may not be eating. You really will just need to watch them as see. You might want to try a variety of foods as well--many fish never really take to flakes, but will go after tabs or frozen foods happily.

 

[N8DOGG]

For reference, I just tested the water and I'm zero on ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. My pH is fine. Temperature is fine. It's a 55 gallon tank that I just started 2 weeks ago and all we have is 2 neons and 2 green fires.

did you cycle your tank? did you just finish the cyle 2 weeks ago or did you add water and fish 2 weeks ago?

 

[lanoit]

Its in the process of cycling right now. When I added the green fire tetras the nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia levels were nonexistant. So we're just 2 weeks into cycling.

 

[N8DOGG]

if they are sensitive fish (I think neons are) then they might not make it through the cycle. Keep testing and do water changes every couple days to keep any stress from the cycle down.

 

[lanoit]

So if they're not eating, is there anything that can be done? Change foods?