how much to feed?

[pacheco]

I have a 120g tank with 2 clown one 2" one 1", one tang 3" one blond naso 5" and 5 damsels I have been feeding them about 2-3 cubes of frozen brine ( reg and formual 1&2) once a day. they always seem to be hungry all the time. I don't want to over feed but I don't want to starve them. I also hang alge strips which the naso just tears into it.

 

[quarryshark]

Well they are probably acting like they are starving because the slowly are. Brine has little to no nutrition. Also 2-3 cubes a day is way too much and will degrade your water quality in time. I feed my stock (see below) a cube every other day mixed with dry food.
Try some mysis shrimp and some high quality foods like San Fransisco brand Marine Crusine. Also your tangs are herbivores and need a mix of meaty food and some greens like nori (seaweed).

 

[TCTFish]

Five minutes worth of food per day spread over a few feedings throughout the day should be fine. Algae stripes not included in that five minutes. If you have a reef tank with good rock growth then you can cut the amount of food down some to about three minutes per day. The animals will graze on the rocks. Doesn't hurt too much to sprinkle some extra food directed at the tang once in awhile. They're hyperactive fish and need extra nutrition to keep up with such a high metabolism.

FYI, that full feeling we get when we've had enough to eat...fish don't get. they have no clue when their bellies are full so they keep on eating for the most part. That's why it is important to be disciplined in feeding your fish. Not only can you overstuff them, but the water becomes fowl quicker. Better to underfeed than overfeed.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

I do believe that you are feeding to much and to much of the wrong thing at that. Vary the diet. 1 cube brine shimp one day, pellets the next, forzen formula 2 the following etc. That is what I do. I don't think that I would be too happy if my wife served me chex mix everyday.

 

[lando]

I agree. Feeding too much and move to something other then brine shrimp. Make sure you thaw the cubes outside of the tank and rinse them with RO/DI water. The juice is filled with PO4 and NO3 and can, over time, degrade water quality. It is also important to soak your food in a suppliment. I like Vita-Chem for vitamins and Selcon for amino/fatty acids. As quarryshark suggested, go ahead and hang some nori or seaweed salad in the tank during the day so they can grazeon it.

 

[Morticus]

Do you keep the Nori clipped in the tank all day long or take it out after X amount of time?

 

[ktolba]

i have noticed my fish do a lot better with a variety of foods. I feed them 5 minutes of food every other day. But mix up lance fish, squid, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, blood worms, formula 1, spirulina, and angel formula (contains sponges). Then daily I throw in some seaweed for the grazers. the variety helps their appetite and gives them a good mix of nutrients. And fish will eat however much you give them so check your clock for either 3 minutes daily, of 5 minutes every other day. Your fish will do better with daily feeds, mine are more predatory so do fine with every other day.