Feeding and Nutrition :: How long can a RES live without food

[k9ck024]

Everytime I feed my RES in the tank it gets dirty couple weeks later even though I have a filter. I got tired cleaning the tank so I decided to feed my RES in a plastic container. It eats in the tank but doesn't eat in the container. So far my RES haven't eaten for 2 to 3 days and I wonder how long can a RES live without food before I decide to feed back in the tank.

[Ashley]

I had a similar problem.
Our tank got so dirty because Miss Bowser is a messy eater, so no matter how hard we tried to remove uneaten food from the tank there were still particles that would just rot.
When we first began feeding her in a plastic container she was not impressed.
She would only eat chicken or tuna in there...no pellets.
Eventually she started associating that container with being fed and the eating of pellets got better.
What really helped was going from feeding twice per day to only once.
She now eats incredibly well!

[steve]

What are you feeding them?

[k9ck024]

I had a similar problem.
Our tank got so dirty because Miss Bowser is a messy eater, so no matter how hard we tried to remove uneaten food from the tank there were still particles that would just rot.
When we first began feeding her in a plastic container she was not impressed.
She would only eat chicken or tuna in there...no pellets.
Eventually she started associating that container with being fed and the eating of pellets got better.
What really helped was going from feeding twice per day to only once.
She now eats incredibly well!

How long did you have to wait for your RES to get use to the container?

[k9ck024]

What are you feeding them?

Just pellets

[marisa]

How many pellets do you give at at feeding? If your RES loses interest in eating them and leaves some uneaten after a reasonable amount of time, I'd net the remainder out. Perhaps too many are being given.

It would be good to include other foods (leafy greens, etc.) in the diet in addition to the pellets.