How often to feed?

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Mrs.h2012

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How often should I be feeding my two platies? I've been doing once a day but even after feeding it seems their still looking around for food. Or should I just increase how much I'm giving them by a tiny bit?
 
How often should I be feeding my two platies? I've been doing once a day but even after feeding it seems their still looking around for food. Or should I just increase how much I'm giving them by a tiny bit?


Well, I feed my fish at least twice a day. Sometimes, a third time but a small amount. That's because they look at me, and I have a problem saying no. :ROFLMAO:
 
I'm also doing a fish in cycle, and
I've been cleaning out the tank doing PWC's daily of about 20-30%. I was planning on doing a fishless cycle then my mom took my son out one
Day and came back with two platies (that was last Thursday) so since then it's been a fish in cycle. I just don't want to over feed to avoid ammonia spikes, I've ordered the API master test kit just waiting on it to get here and should be here anytime now, since I don't have anything to test with yet. I know platies are messy fish so I've been trying not to add to the waste load.
 
I would stick to 1 a day at least to your cycled, then you cold up to twice if you wanted to. Fish will eat, eat, eat, eat, - then die, they just can't stop, for me when I started it was the hardest thing to not over feed. I do a feed in the morning and a feed at around 6.00, then before I go to bed I drop a few algae wafers in for my Clown Pleco or a piece of courgette.
 
I have been doing twice a day since yesterday but I've been doing probably closer to 40% PWC's since I knew I was feeding more to hopefully help not cause an ammonia spike. I'll go back to doing once a day but maybe feed just a tiny bit more so I don't feel so bad for them :)
 
It's so hard not to, wait till they start begging - yep, it does not take long for them to learn this trick - my Bolivian Ram is a master manipulater, he sends me on massive guilt trips every night.
 
I think my platies may have already mastered this, every time I walk by the tank the swim up to the front and go up and down the sides and start swimming around the top looking for food lol. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever need bottom feeder fish, half the time my platies are going mouth down in the gravel nosing around for stuff lol. Every time I do PWC's and I'm vacuuming the gravel there's never as much junk as I think there should be coming up the siphon.
 
I feed once a day with peas on Sundays. Fish will always act hungry; they'll eat until they get sick so giving them what they want isn't necessarily helping them lol Hungry fish are healthy fish (I read that somewhere lol).
 
Like librarygirl said they always act hungry. lol.

I feed once a day with a fasting day once every week or two. I feed as much as my fish will eat in 1-2 minutes. I alternate between flake food, tubifex worms and fresh veggies as a "treat".

Peas are a favorite but I've had success with broccoli and even a bit with carrot too. Peas are the most common because I just grab a few out when I prepare supper, shell them and break them into bits. My platys love em, everyone does actually. lol.

Fish are opportunistic feeders so I wouldn't worry about them going hungry, they can easily go for 2 days without food. I always catch mine nibbling at algae on my drift wood and I KNOW they are well fed. lol.
 
Interesting, never thought of giving fish 'people food'! I may try that sometime!
 
While cycling I'd opt to feed them every other day. Keeping the water pristine during cycling is paramount to full bellies. They aren't going to starve, as mentioned it's normal for them to peck around constantly.

Feeding is fun, though, so if you enjoy that experience just divvy up one feeding into several tiny ones.
 
And I can imagine that doing broccoli/carrots/peas could only be healthy for them since they are for us right?
 
And I can imagine that doing broccoli/carrots/peas could only be healthy for them since they are for us right?

in moderation of course. I usually do once or twice a week in small bits. A lot of fish are omnivores and a rounded diet is always great, just helps ensure that they getting lots of nutrition that they may not get from a standard flake food.
 
Makes perfect sense. I definitely wont start that until after my cycle completes.
 
Once a day should be fine, overfeeding is bad anyways. They will always look hungry and will be looking for food.!
 
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