# One Fish Eating Everything



## fishman1010120

I have a 20 gallon tank with 5 fish. 

It has 2 big guys, 2 little guys,(sorry not sure about exact types, have to find out), and an average sized betta. 

One of my big guys are eating all the food that i put in the tank every night.

I dont want to keep adding food because im scared to overfeed the one that is eating everything, but i dont want my other fish to starve!

What Should I Do?


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## holly12

Maybe try feeding after lights out? That way the fish have to use their sense of smell to find the food, so they have a better chance? Either that or put the bully fish in it's own tank, (which I realize is usually more of a pain than it's worth).

How long has the bullying been going on? If it's always been that way, I'm sure your fish are fine, as they would have starved already.

Maybe try sprinkling food where the bully fish is and then sprinkle some where the other fish are? That way the bully will be busy with his own food?


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## fishman1010120

Thanks for the input!

I have had the tank stocked with fish for only two days as this has been my only second time feeding them. I fed them like an hour ago, should I try again tonight in a few hours after lights out or will i risk overfeeding?


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## holly12

Maybe just a little bit of food. (Fish can go a few days with out eating - they don't find food every day in the wild right?) As long as your tank is done cycling. (Over feeding during cycling can screw things up).

Try a small pinch after lights out. (That's how I feed my shrimp, ADF's and Otto cats. If I drop their food in when the lights are on, the guppies eat it).


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## fishman1010120

I cycled for two weeks before I put the fish in. My LFS gave me some dirty gravel and dirty filter pads to help with the bacteria and I brought a water sample to the LFS to be tested and they said everything was fine.

One other thing.
One of my big guys spends a lot of the time hiding behind one of my artificial plants. It looks like he is almost sitting on the gravel while all the other fish are swimming around. Is this normal?


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## holly12

Depends on the type of fish it is..... is there another fish of the same kind in the tank? Does it do the same thing? 

Could be that it's getting used to it's new home and is a bit shy. 

If it's eating and going to the bathroom and not having trouble when it swims (and doesn't have any visible signs of illness), it's probably fine, but keep an eye on him.

Also, for the fish who hogs the food: I've seen tank dividers online... you could divide your tank, although I know that's also not always the desired solution. If it continues and you notice the other fish really aren't getting any food, you could take the bully fish back to the store and exchange him. Hopefully the new fish won't be aggressive.


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## bruceaction

Oh Oh, the joy of the learning process,,,statement oftern found on here says,,success is measured in months,not weeks.. 
If your starting from scratch,,google, reseach,,make notes, for your first fish buy ,;feeder fish'..10 for two dollors,,1, if your fail,,and they die, not a great lose,,2, as you successed,
you will have some nice fish, and will have learnt a lot..because, you cared enough to start small..youwill value , these small beginnings. and grow to greater things


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## bolram

have you identified the fish yet? If not could you post pictures of the fish so they can be identified on here, it may be able to give an explanation to this behaviour (or not)


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## rtbob

If I had a dollar for every time I read "I took my water to the LFS for testing and they said every thing was fine" I would have my new 6' SA/CA setup and running.

If your tank was running for two weeks with no ammonia source like fish, adding pure ammonia or one of the other ways your cycle started when your fish were added.

It is best to purchase a liquid test kit like the API Freshwater Master kit. This way you can monitor the water your self and know the actual levels rather than "it's fine".

Feed very sparingly like once every other day until you know where your at in the tanks cycle. The cycle process starts with ammonia which is converted to nitrItes. Both of these are toxic to fish and need to be kept below 0.5ppm by doing water changes. Rotting food will add to ammonia levels as will your fish waste. The nitrItes are than converted to nitrAtes. NitrAtes are not nearly as toxic and are kept in check by partial water changes. This entire process is complete when your water tests show 0 ammonia, 0 nitrItes and nitrAtes are present.


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