feeding those little buggers - how much is too much?

[Milad]

ok, when I first started my tank, I was feeding pellets automatically 4 times a day and every day I was feeding some mysis or brine shirmp. also put some nori in every day.

I removed some GFO and started getting all kinds of algea everywhere.
I also had an oil slick at the top of the tank (which turned out it was because of my overflow wasnt tweaked right)
and my ntirates were 20

anyways, because of the above three things, i turned back my feeding to twice a day, 12 hours apart. three times a week i do nori, and twice a week i do mysis.

my fish seemed to be ALOT happier when they were getting fed several times a day. now they fight all the time, they chase each other around. I even saw my mimic chase the yellow which ive never seen any aggression from that mimic tang ever.

So my question is, all these things I read about not feeding to much, is there a science behind it? It seems its better to feed small amount many times a day than just feeing twice a day. it seems to me there must be a balance between stuffing that fish so hes happy and not feeding your tank.

im leaning to putting my feeders on 4-5 times a day timer and small amounts.


o btw since I lowered the feeding, ive also introduced bio pellets which seem to have destroyed the nitrates and phosphates because they are now 0.

[Skimmerking]

i feed 2 times per day sometimes once

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Personally I feed once a day, when spawning maybe twice.

At the store once every 2 days, to keep them active, and hungry when someone asks to see them eat.

Ken - BWA

[DiverDude]

You have to remember that in the wild, fish will eat whenever they can. Sometimes thats a couple of times a day, sometimes not for several days. herbivores nibble relentlessly.

I think being fed a reasonable amount of food, once a day, guaranteed, makes most fish plenty happy.

I suspect that your fish are cranky because they were used to getting more but will settle down when they adjust.

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Also, remember to vary the diet, and supplements.

[sphelps]

I've always feed once a day and not a whole lot, basically as much as they'll eat in about 30 secs or so and no food hitting bottom or being taking out by the overflow.

[daniella3d]

Ha gee that's bad! I rescued a yellow tang that was as skinny as they get because the store did that exact same thing and kept them hungry so that they would eat when people would want so see them eat. That poor fish was so skinny that it took a month to fatten it up to decency.

This is BAD practice!

At the store once every 2 days, to keep them active, and hungry when someone asks to see them eat.

Ken - BWA

[Rbacchiega]

Ha gee that's bad! I rescued a yellow tang that was as skinny as they get because the store did that exact same thing and kept them hungry so that they would eat when people would want so see them eat. That poor fish was so skinny that it took a month to fatten it up to decency.

This is BAD practice!

not really. If his fish were still active and eating, it's not a bad practice at all...there's a difference between feeding lightly and starvation...feeding every second day wouldn't make a tang super skinny. I don't feed the tank at all on Sundays...and my fish are fine

[daniella3d]

that's what the lfs where I got the yellow tang was doing, feeding every second day so the fish would be hungry. sooner or later that means trouble for a tang wich need to graze all day in order to be well fed.

If you have tangs in your aquarium and you have liverock, and you feed every 2 days, your tangs may still be able to scrape some algae off the rocks but usualy in stores there is no liverock and a fish cannot find anything to eat. You cannot compare skipping one day per way to feeding every 2 days..that means the fish is receiving half of what you give yours, maybe less.


not really. If his fish were still active and eating, it's not a bad practice at all...there's a difference between feeding lightly and starvation...feeding every second day wouldn't make a tang super skinny. I don't feed the tank at all on Sundays...and my fish are fine

[reefwars]

Glad to hear your nitrates went diwn like I told you on the other thread it's only a matter of time if you keep up with it so good job:)

what your seeing now is your fishes true behavior .... Aggression, territory/dominance , protection/defense. Like someone said in the wild one day they could have eaten ten times while then have nothing for a week:) now you have fish that are acting like they should after all survival of the fittest.


I don't think Ken means he starved fish so they eat for customers he's merely saying like all of us he feeds lightly and when someone asks to see it eats then it is happy too :) I think you do fine ken and have been there for feeding time and know they all eat the best they can :)

milad I too have Just cut back on feeding now it's flake once a day and frozen every 3 plus nori daily as tanga need a constant supply if greens. Most tangs i've seen are skinny but they take time to fatten up and most lfs dint keep them that long so you can't blame an lfs for that, tangs sell fast usually before they get fat and usully as juvies:):)


Again good job milad and FYI watch there bellies you'll know if they are starving:):)

[sphelps]

Ha gee that's bad! I rescued a yellow tang that was as skinny as they get because the store did that exact same thing and kept them hungry so that they would eat when people would want so see them eat. That poor fish was so skinny that it took a month to fatten it up to decency.

This is BAD practice!
I'm sure if Ken noticed his fish were skinny he would increase feeding, most of the time every two days is fine, I've done this many times while watching over other tanks. Also a skinny fish doesn't always mean they are underfed and if it does it could have come in that way and it can take time to for it to become healthy again.

Technically speaking it's bad practice to purchase fish in bad health so who is really bad?

[Rbacchiega]

I guess it would also depend on how much food they are getting every second day. And just because there is no live rock in a display does not mean there cannot be things for the tangs to pick off of. I guess this is one of those agree to disagree situations. But I have heard nothing but good things about BWA so I would assume everyone can't be wrong

[daniella3d]

If you think that's fine, then why don't you do the same and feed your own fishes just every other day then??

Sorry I don't buy that, especialy for tangs who need to feed many times per day on nori. The tang I got did have plenty of time to get to the skin and bone condition and took nearly a month with nori all day long and many feeding per day to get back to health! It did not starve like that in one day, but the LFS had them long enough it seem.

the fish when I got it, absolutely no fat what so ever...just skin and bone. It was a rescue to buy it:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/_MG_7484.jpg?t=1288978780

then after a month with good constant food..now a very different fish!:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/_MG_8021.jpg?t=1288978855

that's sad to see a fish so skinny and I see them very often at LFS. You see them get in a nice batch of yellow tangs and after a few weeks they all look very skinny. :( And yes they do keep them that long often.





I don't think Ken means he starved fish so they eat for customers he's merely saying like all of us he feeds lightly and when someone asks to see it eats then it is happy too :) I think you do fine ken and have been there for feeding time and know they all eat the best they can :)

[sphelps]

Maybe before jumping to the conclusion that all LFS are the same perhaps you could ask people that have visited the LFS in question how healthy the fish within the store look.

[reefwars]

If you think that's fine, then why don't you do the same and feed your own fishes just every other day then??

Sorry I don't buy that, especialy for tangs who need to feed many times per day on nori. The tang I got did have plenty of time to get to the skin and bone condition and took nearly a month with nori all day long and many feeding per day to get back to health! It did not starve like that in one day, but the LFS had them long enough it seem.

the fish when I got it, absolutely no fat what so ever...just skin and bone. It was a rescue to buy it:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/_MG_7484.jpg?t=1288978780

then after a month with good constant food..now a very different fish!:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/_MG_8021.jpg?t=1288978855

that's sad to see a fish so skinny and I see them very often at LFS. You see them get in a nice batch of yellow tangs and after a few weeks they all look very skinny. :( And yes they do keep them that long often.

Well if the lfs ou bought your tang fom is underfeeding or starving and you see a tang that you think needs " rescuing" then you've just placed a second order of tangs to be shipped in , rescuing fish from a lfs only drives them to get in more because you've created a demand Instead bring it to their attention butnever rescue fish , I'm sorry but it only makes problems worse. Personally I'd never buy a stressed starved tang it's asking for trouble and you got lucky as alotnof people don't who buy them in that state:)

Tangs don't get really anything fro
most of our rocks , they don't munch on the long stuff and don't get enough of the small stuff, they need a green diet like nori cnstantly to keep their energy hi as grazer they also do better with some red seaweed in between but can't rely on red alone they need green. Most tanga who eat nori all day quickly get fat it's just most aren't in lfs long enough and I one is there for a long time it's likely unhealthy and shouldn't be purchased. It's all part of selecting a healthy specimen and if you don't do this you have a ticking timebomb that will eat you alive:):) cheers

[daniella3d]

Yes many lfs underfeed around here either so that the fish will eat in front of people or they will cut the cost of food or they will not have as much trouble keeping their system free of nitrates whatever.

The tang is very very healthy, it was just starving.

I rescued him because that fish had a great personality. Not something I would do again but I am still against the practice of feeding less just so that the fish will eat in front of people.

That's for me, your mileage may vary.

Well if the lfs ou bought your tang fom is underfeeding or starving and you see a tang that you think needs " rescuing" then you've just placed a second order of tangs to be shipped in , rescuing fish from a lfs only drives them to get in more because you've created a demand Instead bring it to their attention butnever rescue fish , I'm sorry but it only makes problems worse. Personally I'd never buy a stressed starved tang it's asking for trouble and you got lucky as alotnof people don't who buy them in that state:)

[Doug]

Yes many lfs underfeed around here either so that the fish will eat in front of people or they will cut the cost of food or they will not have as much trouble keeping their system free of nitrates whatever.

The tang is very very healthy, it was just starving.

I rescued him because that fish had a great personality. Not something I would do again but I am still against the practice of feeding less just so that the fish will eat in front of people.

That's for me, your mileage may vary.


I,m with you on the feeding. Not lfs related but just on the topic of feeding our fish. I have always fed several times per day and always will. I doubt they eat once every second day in the wild. Esp. as you say, fish such as tangs and other grazers. I may not be the best sps coral keeper, but my fish have been something to behold. :D

I say, if you're going to keep fish that require more food then make sure the filtration process can handle it.

If not, then keep fish that can find much of their food in our tanks.

IMO, of course. :LOL:

[banditpowdercoat]

Once a day,sometimes 2 days for me