Feeding rest day

[Ricky 1]

I would like to know how many on here have a rest day from feeding your fish
weekly, monthly or never..........

 

[shellyx]

When I had my betta i use too not feed on a Sunday, but I never skip a feed with my elephant nose.

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[BBradbury]

No Feed Day

I would like to know how many on here have a rest day from feeding your fish
weekly, monthly or never..........

Hello Ric...

If you don't feed much in the first place, your fish will get used to foraging for leftovers and keep the tank clean. You really don't need a day that the fish aren't fed. But, if you're a little lavish on feeding, then a "no feeding" day every once in a while will encourage the fish to look into all the little cracks and such for a leftover and keep their place a bit cleaner.

B

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Quick answer.
Often.
Sometimes they get fed twice a day (depends on tank)
Sometimes a tank will go 3 days without food (really for bigger fish only)

Normally one feed a day. Although I have a tank which needs no food?

 

[dalto]

I generally feed fry 2-3x daily.

Adults get fed once per day.

I usually skip one day per week but it isn't always the same day. I also feed a different amount every day.

 

[Ricky 1]

So is it down to quantity, but how do you equate quantity? The rule of thumb is as much to eat in 3 to 5 minutes, do you get a "feel" for the right amount through experience?

 

[CCXGT]

So is it down to quantity, but how do you equate quantity? The rule of thumb is as much to eat in 3 to 5 minutes, do you get a "feel" for the right amount through experience?

I think that 'feed for 3-5min' thing is FAR too much.

I generally feed until the a pellet touches the bottom, or when I can see the fish not going after the food as aggressively.


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[dalto]

Personally, I think it is experience. I think the key is to understand what the fish is supposed to look like. For most species there are pics of wild fish in their natural habitat. I use those pics as a guide. If my fish are fatter than that then I am feeding too much, bellies more hollowed than that then the need more food. Eventually you figure it out.

How old they are also matters. I am much more willing to overfeed juvenile fish a little while I would rather have full size adults on the healthy but hungry side.

I have found that there are no universal feeding amounts. I have some fish that all the food is gone in less than a minute and others that need 30 minutes to get it all. It just depends on the fish and their feeding behavior.

For me, the bigger challenge is finding the right balance of food that ensure that everyone gets fed. It is too easy to get only half the tank fed sometimes. Feed flake or floating pellets and the upper level fish can get it all before the bottom dwellers. Feed sinking pellets and some top level feeders won't get to eat unless you get the timing just right.

 

[crazy4fids]

Personally, I think it is experience. I think the key is to understand what the fish is supposed to look like. For most species there are pics of wild fish in their natural habitat. I use those pics as a guide. If my fish are fatter than that then I am feeding too much, bellies more hollowed than that then the need more food. Eventually you figure it out.

How old they are also matters. I am much more willing to overfeed juvenile fish a little while I would rather have full size adults on the healthy but hungry side.

I have found that there are no universal feeding amounts. I have some fish that all the food is gone in less than a minute and others that need 30 minutes to get it all. It just depends on the fish and their feeding behavior.

For me, the bigger challenge is finding the right balance of food that ensure that everyone gets fed. It is too easy to get only half the tank fed sometimes. Feed flake or floating pellets and the upper level fish can get it all before the bottom dwellers. Feed sinking pellets and some top level feeders won't get to eat unless you get the timing just right.

This is the dilemma that I struggle with. With a large (90 gallon) community, I often worry about the bottom feeder and the more shy fish (glass catfish) getting enough food. I do feed a large variety of food (flake, micro pellets, sinking wafers, algae wafers, shrimp pellets and frozen blood worms, brine shrimp and shelled frozen peas) as well as feeding after the light go off. I must be doing something right as nobody had died.

 

[trennamw]

I never skip a day. I have this scoop leftover from a "betta treat wheel", it's very tiny. I arbitrarily decided to try two scoops twice a day. Plus one algae water a day for the Otos and snails. Watching the fish and the tank bottom helped confirm the amount.

I credit the ghost shrimp, dwarf loaches, and Malaysian trumpet snails with keeping things really clean too.


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[Ricky 1]

I feed my Otto's with algae wafers, problem is my Angels go and feed on it and finish up with a huge belly, not good, is there a way round this........??

 

[CCXGT]

I feed my Otto's with algae wafers, problem is my Angels go and feed on it and finish up with a huge belly, not good, is there a way round this........??

I have a similar problem trying to feed a BN in an African tank.

What I do is feed the Africans with their pellets first then, using tweezers, I grab some algae wafers and stick them into the Plec's lil hideout.

It's tough to know whether they're actually eating or not, I haven't physically seen the BN eat one wafer, they must be going somewhere though.


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[Britty]

I do a no feed day religiously every Monday for all my fish.

 

[Delapool]

Every time I've tried a no feed day, the fish take it out on the plants. We have uneasy truce....

 

[Ricky 1]

I have a similar problem trying to feed a BN in an African tank.

What I do is feed the Africans with their pellets first then, using tweezers, I grab some algae wafers and stick them into the Plec's lil hideout.

It's tough to know whether they're actually eating or not, I haven't physically seen the BN eat one wafer, they must be going somewhere though.


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Good idea, I have a coconut hide, so will try that......thanks

 

[jim532]

I feed every other day. If I'm going out of town for a couple days they get extra feedings the week prior. They also get an extra feeding if we have guests over and they are checking out the tanks.



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[Catfish Lover]

I skip on water day change through the week.

 

[Ricky 1]

I skip on water day change through the week.

I thought about doing that but I clean the substrate well with my Python and think the ground dwellers may want a snack..........lol

 

[Rivers2k]

I skip a day once a week not always the same day. I also feed a wide variety of food from flake to frozen depending on what i feel like that day so amount is also varied.

Agreed that 3-5 min is way to long my fish are done eating in 1-2 min and all my fish are fat reference the belly in my avatar.

 

[Ricky 1]

LOL, yes R2, your avatar looks well fed, I worry that 3 to 5 is on most fish food details.....