Dumb question- How do fish find their food?

[RedFish]

When I feed the fishies flakes, in their planted tank, it is rare for them to actually come up and pick at the flakes.
So how do they get enough to eat?  Do they find it where it falls and eat it there?  or off the gravel?
They seem to be thriving....

[manytanks]

Well, I suppose it depends on what fish you have, but our collection of angels, rummynoses and siamese algae eaters is usually ready & waiting with their noses pressed against the glass at feeding time. The pleco has no problem at all in smelling the algae discs as soon as they're dropped into the tank. And none of them seem to have any difficulty their food (flake or bloodworms) as soon as they're dropped into the tank.

[RedFish]

Sorry Manytanks, I guess I wasn't clear.  What I am trying to say is I don't see my fish eat.  Occasionally they come up when I put the food in.  But more often, I put the flakes in, the fish don't come up.  After a while the flakes slowly float down down into the tank.
So most of the time I don't see the fish eat.  So,.... are they finding the food and eating it later?  Or are they only eating the two or so times a week that I actually see them eat?
I am talking about my endlers and rasboras.

[slickshooter]

Personally I wouldnt worry about not seeing them eat.If they get hungry enough they will.Do you see uneaten food on the bottom of the tank? Or white fuzzy balls which would be rotten uneaten food?
If not I wouldnt worry.Fish can go long periods without eating.Also if your fish are growing.....they must be eating something!
If you have algae in your tank they could be grazing that and "saving"
the flakes for later.
One other thing sometimes fish are partial to a specific food so if you change to another brand they dont eat it.......once again though they will !

[RedFish]

All right that makes sense.   No uneaten food, nothing rotting, fish are growing.  Thank you!