This article may contain some affiliate links to products. The links provide me a small percentage of commission but do not cost you anything extra to use. (See full disclosure statement here
).
Rummy Nose Tetra are an omnivorous fish that eat both meaty protein and plant/vegetable matter. Which means that they will eat whatever food is available to them at the time.
In the home aquarium Rummy Nose Tetra can be fed on flake/granule/pellet foods as their staple diet. In addition you can also feed them some live/dried/frozen small insects, insect eggs and insect larvae. Rummy Nose Tetra will also eat blanched green vegetables.
Keep reading for some easy-care feeding tips and useful information.
Tip: Because Rummy Nose Tetra are a small fish with a small mouth all foods need to be tiny. So you may have to do some crushing, chopping and/or mincing to break the food down enough for them to manage. It’s simple to do and isn’t time consuming. And it’s definitely worth the small effort involved.
What Should I Feed To My Rummy Nose Tetras?
Rummy Nose Tetras are native to the Amazon River in South America. They are also found in the river tributaries coming from the Amazon River. In their native habitat they feed on insects, insect eggs and larvae, plant matter and basically anything else they can find.
When kept in an aquarium they are easy to feed as they are not fussy when it comes to food.
Just like most freshwater aquarium fish, flake foods are a good place to start until you have a little more experience or you’re just ready expand their menu.
Let’s take a look at which foods you can offer to your Rummy Nose Tetras at feeding time
Flake/Granular/Micro-Pellet Foods For Rummy Nose Tetras
Flake, granular and/or micro-pellet foods are the easiest way to provide the basis of your Rummy Nose Tetras’ diet. Good quality foods in these forms contain both protein and vegetable matter and also added nutrients. It’s best to choose ones that have a high protein content if you don’t plan to feed them with another protein source. But, overall, these food types will provide a complete and nutrition filled diet for your Rummy Nose Tetras. They are also the easiest and least messy way to feed your fish.
If you’re new to the fish keeping hobby these types of foods are a great way to start. And even when you become more experienced in the fish keeping hobby they are likely to still form the basic food source for your fish.
Although Rummy Nose Tetras prefer to feed in the mid-section of the tank they will feed anywhere in the water column. So another point in favour of flake, granular and micro-pellet foods is that they are usually slow sinking which gives your fish a chance to feed at all levels of the aquarium.
The Easy Way To Feed Insects To Your Rummy Nose Tetras
Fortunately, feeding your Rummy Nose Tetras a protein packed treat is easy to do. Live, freeze-dried, dried and frozen protein foods for your fish are available at Pet Stores, Aquatic Dealers and Online.
Here’s Some Of The Protein Foods That You Can Offer To Your Rummy Nose Tetras
- Brine Shrimp (newly hatched)
- Daphnia (tiny freshwater crustacean)
- Mosquito Larvae (worm-like baby mosquito)
- Blood Worms (larvae of the midge fly)
- Tubifex Worms (preferably dried ones to reduce risk of infection)
You can also offer Micro Worms and Banana Worms both of which your Rummy Nose Tetras are likely to enjoy.
Feeding can be a bit trial and error to begin with depending on what your fish were used to eating before you bought them. But you’ll soon get to know what their favourites are.
Tip: If you go for dried insects/worms it helps to rehydrate them before adding them to the tank. Soak them in a little tank water for about 20 minutes or so before feeding them to your fish. When rehydrated they will be easier for your fish to eat. They sink into the aquarium water more quickly too.
Both Fluval and Hikari, for example, do a range of protein rich/insect rich foods. These are dried but easy to break down to feed to your fish. I’ve been feeding Fluval Bug Bites Tropical Formula For Small Fish (Amazon link), along with other foods, in all of my aquariums. The fish love it. I crunch some of it down as I add it to the tank so that even my smallest fish get their fair share.
If you’re interested in making your own live culture of Micro Worms and/or Banana Worms you will find the YouTube video link below helpful. In the video Cory from Aquarium Co-Op shows you how easy it is to make live cultures and keep them going indefinitely.
Feeding Vegetables To Your Rummy Nose Tetras
Even though Rummy Nose Tetra love their protein foods they also enjoy eating vegetables. And giving them a vegetable treat is easy to do. Vegetables, particularly of the green variety, are good for your fish’s digestive system.
Some of the green vegetables you can offer to your Rummy Nose Tetras include:
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Shelled Peas
- Courgette (Zucchini)
- Kale
- Broccoli
There are lots of other green vegetables that you can offer to your Rummy Nose Tetras. So it’s worth experimenting a little to see which ones they prefer. Why not try Spinach, Savoy Cabbage or even Brussel Sprouts?
It’s worth bearing in mind that fish don’t always eat what you offer them the first time round. So it’s worth trying again just to see what happens.
It’s surprising what you find your fish take a fancy to. And if your Rummy Nose Tetras don’t like a particular thing you might find that their tankmates do.
Tip: You need to soften the vegetables before offering them to your fish. You can soften them by either steaming, simmering or microwaving them. Then leave the veggies to go cold before adding them to the tank.
Remove any uneaten vegetables from the tank once your fish have finished feeding to avoid contaminating the water with decaying vegetable matter.
How Much/How Often Should I Feed My Rummy Nose Tetras?
You should feed your Rummy Nose Tetras twice a day. The best way to feed them is to split the daily food between two smaller meals rather than one larger one. It’s better for their digestive system and also reduces the risk of overfeeding. Only feed them as much as they can eat in about 2-3 minutes without any leftovers. You don’t want any leftover food polluting the tank.
Tip: If you feed your Rummy Nose Tetras a treat of vegetables or ‘insects’ it counts as part of the daily feed not as an extra meal. So you need to take this in to account when judging how much you need to feed them that day.
Do Rummy Nose Tetras Eat Algae?
In their native environment Rummy Nose Tetras do eat some algae as part of their diet. In the aquarium they will eat a small amount of algae alongside the other foods you offer them. But you do need to bear in mind that Rummy Nose Tetras are not considered as algae eaters in the aquarium hobby. The amount of algae they will eat is minimal which means they won’t solve an algae problem in your tank.
Although this doesn’t mean that they won’t nibble on the algae in your tank. It just means that they won’t make a huge impact on the algae growth.
However, Rummy Nose Tetras will happily nibble on Algae Wafers. Choose Algae Wafers that contain Spirulina. Spirulina helps to prevent bloating and other digestive problems. And although your Rummy Nose Tetras are unlikely to eat the whole thing in one go (depending on how many fish you’re feeding) they do enjoy it as a treat. And if your Rummy Nose Tetras live in a community tank their tankmates will be more than happy to help them to finish off the algae wafer. Just remember to remove the remains of the wafer once everyone has finished feeding.
Do Rummy Nose Tetras Eat Aquarium Plants?
Rummy Nose Tetras are generally not destructive when it comes to aquarium plants. They do eat plant matter in their native habitat but when they’re kept in an aquarium, and are fed a varied diet, they don’t usually feel the need to eat the plants. So a well fed Rummy Nose Tetra is unlikely to destroy the plants in your fish tank.
A planted tank is beneficial for Rummy Nose Tetras because it creates a more natural environment. Plants also provide places for their fry (babies) to hide in. And, as an added bonus, live plants help to keep the tank water clean because they use nutrients in the water as food for growth.
Tip: Although Rummy Nose Tetras don’t usually destroy aquarium plants if you do find they’re nibbling too much on them try swapping the softer, juicier plants for coarser ones. Your fish will be less inclined to eat these.
What Do Rummy Nose Tetra Fry (Babies) Eat?
Just like their parents Rummy Nose Tetra fry need plenty of protein in their diet. But it’s important to provide them with a variety of foods to promote optimal growth and good health. All foods for baby Rummy Nose need to be extremely tiny so that they can manage to eat them.
Here’s Some Of The Foods That Your Rummy Nose Tetra Fry Will Enjoy:
- Baby Brine Shrimp (protein food)
- Daphnia (protein food)
- Micro Worms (protein food)
- Vinegar Eels (protein food)
- Micro Powdered Fry Foods (a pre-powdered complete food such as Hikari First Bites)
- Liquid Fry Foods (a complete food such as Interpet Liquifry No 2)
- Powdered Down Flake Foods (a complete food)
The foods on the list above may be available at your local Pet Store or Aquatic Dealer. Or you can order them Online.
Rummy Nose Tetra fry will also nibble on the vegetables that you offer to the adult fish.
Whatever combination of foods you choose to feed to your fry make sure the food is small enough for these tiny fish to eat. Despite their tiny size, they have a big appetite. Just be careful not to overfeed your tank.