Feeding fish

[piperky1]

Should I feed a fish as much as it will eat? Or should I restrict and only feed so much regardless. Just got my first clown today and he has already eaten 4 small formula one pellets.

 

[chiclidlover81]

they need to eat about as much as will fit in their eye (very little)

 

[piperky1]

How often?

 

[chiclidlover81]

i feed twice a day every other day

 

[mr_X]

You are going to run into algae issues to say the least if you feed that much. I feed my fish a couple times a week and they do just fine. Everything you put in your tank must be removed by you. Just because the food is eaten, does not mean it's gone.

 

[chiclidlover81]

You are going to run into algae issues to say the least if you feed that much. I feed my fish a couple times a week and they do just fine. Everything you put in your tank must be removed by you. Just because the food is eaten, does not mean it's gone.

yeah for his one clown i agree but i was telling him what i feed my tank but definitely agree with you

 

[mr_X]

I didn't mean what you feed, I meant what the OP proposed (feed until the fish won't eat any more).

 

[piperky1]

I knew not to feed everyday but was curious as to how much to give them. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Serafin]

If you only feed your fish once every 2 days, it is not the way most fish eat in the wild, which is what we should try to duplicate. In my experience, feeding twice per day, only what is consumed in about 2 minutes has been the best, and try to mix up from day to day. Day 1 live food, day 2 marine granules etc etc.

 

[mr_X]

That's not correct. fish do fine and are quite healthy with feedings 2 x a week. They pick off the rock the rest of the time. No fish eat full meals 2 times a day in the wild. As a matter of fact, a lot of the fish that are wild are caught quite thin.

 

[Chromediggity]

I'm going to have to side with Mr. X on this one. I was feeding 3 times a day (relatively small amounts) and couldn't get my nitrates down. I started feeding every other day (didn't have the heart to switch to twice a week right off) about a month ago and my nitrates dropped but aren't where I want them to be. Fish look just as colorful and healthy. I am now pulling back to every 3 days with confidence and hope to keep seeing those nitrates go down.

We can't imitate the ocean perfectly. Just not gonna happen for obvious so I consider this just a way to keep fish healthy. Probably not a way to imitate a naturally habitat. Only one way to do that.

 

[JumperAlex]

When switching to an every other day or every third day feeding schedule, is it okay to keep giving a small square of seaweed on a clip daily? Or should that go to every third day as well?

 

[Chromediggity]

I was wondering about that too because I have a flame angel and I have been using a seaweed clip every other day with no problems. He grazes on the rock on the off days so no problem so far.

 

[piperky1]

Mr X, do you recommend feeding an amount only as large as their eye twice a week?

 

[JumperAlex]

I have a Kole tang and a fox face that live and NEED the seaweed to help keep them healthy is the reason I ask.

 

[mr_X]

I have been feeding a red sea sailfin tang, a foxface, a powder blue tang, and an algae blennie twice a week for over 2 years and they look fat and healthy. Nothing between that time. The important thing here is to make sure you are removing the nutrients you are adding. If you have a powerful skimmer and do regular water changes you are safe feeding them more, but if not, it's worse to overfeed than underfeed.

 

[chiclidlover81]

yeah i feed twice a day but i do 30% water changes twice a week i have no skimmer though

 

[chiclidlover81]

sorry op didnt mean to steer ya wrong and thanks mr x for the tips

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I feed my tank twice a day. I feed a fresh home made frozen seafood mix in the morning and NLS Pellets in the evening. My skimmer is very effective at removing waste and debris from the water column. My water is crystal clear, my fish fat, and I don't have an algae problem. I change 10% of the water once a month and I don't have a crowded tank.