# What size pellet?



## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

For a 12 inch Red Devil in a 75g tank. I'm almost out of medium size pellets. I'm thinking about buying one size up to large pellets.

Someone once told me that when he feeds large pellets that the fish just end up spitting out most of it and that you're better off sticking to medium size pellets.

Is this true?

Should I stick with medium pellets or go one size up to large pellets?

Is there a certain size a fish should be for large size pellets?


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *uncleholmes*,

In my experience you can be in kind of a catch 22 on pellet size. Moreover, when I feed a pellet that is much too small for my cichlids I have to feed a lot of pellets and the cichlids seem to have trouble finding them all in the floating plants or behind a filter (I also have trouble telling if they were all eaten). When you feed them a larger pellet they break it down in their mouth shooting many pieces of it out of their gills. So both ways there seems to be left over food in the tank.

Do you have any tank mates? I prefer to feed the larger pellets because I have a group of cories and a tiger barb who hang out below the larger fish when eating and pick up the pieces shooting out of their gills.

On the other hand, do you have a relatively bare tank? If there are not a lot of surface obstructions I am sure your RD has no problem finding the smaller pellets.

Therefore, it is a tossup slightly depending on your tank set up.

Do the medium pellets seem much too small for him? If the pellets are in a group at the top of the tank how many can he suck in at once?

Thanks,
Matt


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

mlancaster said:


> Hi *uncleholmes*,
> 
> In my experience you can be in kind of a catch 22 on pellet size. Moreover, when I feed a pellet that is much too small for my cichlids I have to feed a lot of pellets and the cichlids seem to have trouble finding them all in the floating plants or behind a filter (I also have trouble telling if they were all eaten). When you feed them a larger pellet they break it down in their mouth shooting many pieces of it out of their gills. So both ways there seems to be left over food in the tank.
> 
> ...


There's no tankmates. There's only one large clay flower pot so the tank is relatively bare. Depending how hungry he is, he'll suck in anywhere from one to five pellets at once.


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *uncleholmes*,

If he is sucking in one to five pellets I would probably stick with that size. Especially with the bare tank and no other bottom feeding fish. If that pellet size has been working for you and your fish, i would stick to it; plus he is not going to be going through "huge" growth spurts anymore.

Thanks,
Matt


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## BigJagLover (Oct 25, 2006)

^^^^^^^^ Agreed^^^^^

My red devils are 7" and they have been on med pellets for a while. I tried to go to a larger pellet but they don't want them. They eat like 25 med. pellets a day, when i tried the large I was lucky if they ate 2 pellets a day. Some brand of pellet and everything.


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