# What is eating all my fish food?



## c81kennedy (Dec 24, 2010)

This one is kind of weird. I feed my springtail and isopods fishfood every 3 to 5 days. Normaly It takes them at least a day or 2 to eat the tiny bit i do put in. Well one day i spilt a good amount on a peace i charcol in one of my tanks and decided to leave it and the next morning is was completly gone. I never see any springtails or isopods in this tank what else could eat that much food in just one night. I tried this 2 or 3 more times with the same results hes a pic of the pile.
















One person who i will leave unnamed thinks its the frogs but I think thats a crazy idea. Does anyone have any suggestions?


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## tortoisekeeper (Jul 12, 2011)

You forgot to mention that you don't see any isopods in the tank even though you seeded it. Must be those cricket size spring tails eating it LOL


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

You might want to check it out with a flashlight several hours after the lights have gone out.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

What is your real goal in feeding? Are you feeding the bugs to increase their population or are you setting up a frog feeding station. You know, attracting the bugs so the frogs can find them easier. I ask because you say you are feeding the bugs but the food is so out in the open that your frogs will pick them off when they try to eat. If you are simply feeding the bugs, tuck it under some leaf litter for them so they don't die at dinnertime!


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## tortoisekeeper (Jul 12, 2011)

Doug we are trying to figure out what could be eating that much fish food in a short amount of time.


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## c81kennedy (Dec 24, 2010)

Hey doug i was just sprinkling the food on the leaflitter to feed the bugs. I spilt a bit too much on the rock and that when I noticed it was being ate so fast. Last night I did find a tiny long thin slug like thing near the pile maybe thats whats doing it.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I would say slugs or snails.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

tortoisekeeper said:


> Doug we are trying to figure out what could be eating that much fish food in a short amount of time.


Yes, I'm aware of that. JimO has given the perfect answer for that and I was addressing a different possible issue with the stated goal.
We all know dart frogs don't eat fish food. That leaves the bugs. Keep in mind that you can have hundreds, even thousands, of springtails and isopods in a viv that you hardly see as they are down in the substrate. You can also remain unaware of large populations of slugs, snails, and nematode worms. It has to be bugs. As far as which ones, you can check in the middle of the night with a flashlight. Using a red filter over the flashlight may keep them from scattering. Or, put a big bunch of fish food on one spot and in the morning grab a big handful of handful of substrate from under the pile and sift through it.


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## Krenshaw22 (Apr 21, 2011)

Could it be a Roach? I've had one that I'm currently trying to catch eat the fruit for my flies.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

Perhaps a lungfish. It is fish food after all, and they are known to inhabit damp ground when the ponds dry up. Or even a walking catfish.  JK


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

It was a trick an old timer taught me when I had reef tanks - to catch mantis shrimp and bristle worms, which came out at night to terrorize my good stuff. Being an OLD-time reefer yourself, Doug, I'm sure you know much more about that than I do. 



Pumilo said:


> JimO has given the perfect answer for that...


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

JimO said:


> It was a trick an old timer taught me when I had reef tanks - to catch mantis shrimp and bristle worms, which came out at night to terrorize my good stuff. Being an OLD-time reefer yourself, Doug, I'm sure you know much more about that than I do.


Thanks for placing the emphasis on OLD. It's much appreciated.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

I bet it was an animal


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I think he was giving you "props" 

Thanks for placing the emphasis on OLD. It's much appreciated.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Judy S said:


> I think he was giving you "props"
> 
> Thanks for placing the emphasis on OLD. It's much appreciated.


Thanks Judy, but no offense was taken. I know it was a little of each. Jim and I like to have a little fun with each other.


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## c81kennedy (Dec 24, 2010)

Im thinking its the tiny slugs that was the only thing near when i came with the flashlight.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

If they are tiny, you could have a lot of them and that could turn into a plant eating problem. You could try baiting them by placing a piece of iceberg lettuce in your viv at night and remove it first thing in the morning. You may have to continue that for a while and continue to do it now and then to keep them in check.


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## c81kennedy (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up. Ill start with the iceberg lettuce as soon as possible.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

Pumilo said:


> Thanks for placing the emphasis on OLD. It's much appreciated.


I'm happy to be there for you Doug.

With age comes wisdom, and I've always seen you as VERY wise. Or is it wisen?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

JimO said:


> I'm happy to be there for you Doug.
> 
> With age comes wisdom, and I've always seen you as VERY wise. Or is it wisen?


Sounds like a thinly veiled implication that with wisdom come age...


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

In my case it's more like with age comes infirmity. I'm still recovering from knee surgery I had just before Christmas and I just don't heal like I used to.

Judy - I just like to pay Doug compliments whenever I get the opportunity. I'm just not very good at it.



Pumilo said:


> Sounds like a thinly veiled implication that with wisdom come age...


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