Underfeeding

[EELectric]

Ok so I feed every other day with a third of a cube of formula one. My fish devour it(especially my wrasse) within seconds and I mean seconds(probably 10-15 seconds).

I know many of you feed every other day but I feel like they aren't getting enough food. The main reason I started feeding every other day was to lower my nitrates along with more frequent water changes (once a week).

Is this healthy for my fish?

TIA

[Hara]

hmm, you have 5 fish listed in your profile, I would think they need alot more than a third of a cube. I would probably feed a whole cube every other day.

[roka64]

I think the rule of thumb is, anything left after 3-4mins is too much (i think that is the range). So you might want to up the feeding like Hara suggests.

[tecwzrd]

Read this post on feeding requirements of SW fish.

I agree for the fish in your list 1-2 cubes of frozen is about right every other day depending on size. I feed every other day but on the days I do feed I will feed smaller portions 3-4 times throughout the day. IME this creates much less waste then one or two large feedings every other day.

Idealistically you want them to consume all the food within 1-3 minutes to keep waste to a minimum and little left over for your clean up crew to consume.

How many inches of fish total do you have in your 55 now? I have the name number of fish as you do which total 15” currently and do 12-15 gal pwc weekly on my 55 to keep no3 <=5 ppm.

[EELectric]

I agree for the fish in your list 1-2 cubes of frozen is about right every other day depending on size. I feed every other day but on the days I do feed I will feed smaller portions 3-4 times throughout the day. IME this creates much less waste then one or two large feedings every other day.

Idealistically you want them to consume all the food within 1-3 minutes to keep waste to a minimum and little left over for your clean up crew to consume.

How many inches of fish total do you have in your 55 now? I have the name number of fish as you do which total 15” currently and do 12-15 gal pwc weekly on my 55 to keep no3 <=5 ppm.

My fish are a little bit less than 15" and I do about a ten gallon PWC weekly. Right now I'm thinking about trying 3/4 of a cube once I get back from vacation. Then I'll time it and depending on how much they eat I'll adjust the feeding.

I will continue to feed them every other day. How does this sound to you guys? By the way, thanks a lot for the posts all ready!

The reason I first posted this question is I have been feeding my fish this much for over a year and no one has starved. But I have added many fish since my LFS first recommened 1/2 a cube. For once the LFS was right!

TIA

[tecwzrd]

Originally Posted by EELectric

The reason I first posted this question is I have been feeding my fish this much for over a year and no one has starved.

While not impossible to starve a fish to death it is pretty hard if regularly feeding at all. Most fish actually do well health wise with slightly less food then they would get in the wild. Also an emaciated fish from it’s sucked in belly is a telling sign your fish are not getting enough to eat. While the ½ cube every other day was enough to sustain them it probably did inhibit their growth slightly.

¾ of a cube sounds good but if they are still devouring in less then 30 seconds I’d increase it slightly.

[divemasterjim]

I have 6 fish and feed them once or twice a week, I havent had any problems

[melosu58]

I will continue to feed them every other day. How does this sound to you guys? By the way, thanks a lot for the posts all ready!

I agree with Mrs Hara 1 cube every other day. Good Luck.