Hi all,

So, I have 150 cardinals coming in next week..............

Previously, I have had mixed success with initial feeding as not all fish will eat prepared foods.....esp those not tank bred/raised...

These are imported wild fish, so will try them first on diced live blackworms as this has worked well in the past.............

My question:

What have others used as an initial food for cardinals? I have been told that these are almost all 1" in length, so they should be a decent size, not too tiny.

They will be in their own quarantine tank for several weeks at least, so would like to fatten them up before placing in the display tank, where there will be more competition

Thanks much in advance.

Mine have all eaten fine.
Flake and then I moved to Worms and brine here and there.

Feeding several times a day small amounts will help.
Also, make sure the temps are warm, say 83-84 for a bit, they will stop eating at cooler temps say below 79C etc. At least that's what I've seen.
All of mine are wild.

Tom,

Thanks for the prompt reply....

Got it on mult feedings. I do that now. Am fortunate to work close by so can feed in the morning, lunch, and evening.

Warm temps make sense as they will be more active and their metabolism higher.......should be hungrier.

My display is at 80-82 so should be good there. Quarantine is currently at 79 and am adjusting now, so will be at +82 when they arrive.

Will turn down a bit after the first 7-10 days.

Thanks again.

Also, higher current, like people, more exercise with the same amount of food=> lean and mean.

Fish always eat better with exercise, so good current will help, most tanks have very little flow relative to the natural waters.......and good current in planted tanks = good CO2 and nutrient mixing etc, less detritus etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

All,

I agree with Tom re excercise and his reply, but am just curious.........

When the wild cards go into the flooded jungle during the rainy season, is there good current where they go, esp to breed?

I had always thought that cards inhabited flooded, serene waters, when the jungle floods........

A lot then die in the dry season, but still no current as there are no rains at that time. Does this make sense?

Current forces fish to move and work.
In nature, they have to work to find food.
And nature is a huge place unless you are a desert pupfish or something vs our tanks.........

They need some exercise.........
Larger predators, discus even can benefit from a few hours a day(not all day etc).

The plant beds offer refuge also, since current is highly reduced there.
Giving fish some places to swim against current is nice for them, you do not/should not place them in a tank where they cannot get away from high current though.

Even coral tanks need some patterns of calm, not continuous current.



Regards,
Tom Barr

I have a group of about 50 cards in my planted 240 gal. with discus. I find they are not fussy at all. They eat what the discus eat, which is beef heart, bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, blackworms, glassworms etc. They have never tasted dry processed food. They thrive in there at 84 degrees. IMO, they do better at temps. around 82 to 86, although depending on other factors, one may not want to keep it quite that high.