Am I Over/under Feeding?

[Marto666]

Hi all

How much should I be feeding 35 fish (average size of a Penguin Tetra)?

At the moment I feed them twice a day about ½ tablespoon at a time. I hear so many conflicting answers such as "as much as they can eat in 3 minutes" that don’t really help.

Thanks

 

[Gytas]

i think that a half of a tablespoon a day will be good..... the water quality will be better if you feed less


is it only flakes you feed them?

 

[soybean]

+1 the above. I stick with one feed a day, 6 days a week. The more you feed as per instructions on the food, the quicker you go out to buy more

 

[Marto666]

Thanks guys

I feed them the granular type food that floats for a bit then drops to the bottom.

That will make the food last twice as long now!

 

[L_Plates]

I feed once a day a mix of flake/tetra crisps and pellets for the bottom feeders.

One thing that does annoy me is the cloudy water afterwards. Any advice on what i could do to stop that ?

LP

 

[Athena]

Half a tablespoon? That seems an awful lot to me LOL. You don't mean teaspoon or dessertspoon do you? At that rate you must be buying tubs of food every week

I would also feed small amounts at a time (i.e. don't put it all in at once), watch to make sure that they have eaten all of the first pinch before you add another pinch, especially with the granules as they tend to sink and can remain uneaten for a while and get trapped in substrate where it rots, pushing your ammonia levels up.

If you can buy flake, that is better as it floats for longer and more likely to be eaten.

Regards, Athena

 

[Athena]

I feed once a day a mix of flake/tetra crisps and pellets for the bottom feeders.

One thing that does annoy me is the cloudy water afterwards. Any advice on what i could do to stop that ?

LP

Are you adding it all in one go? If so, as recommended in my previous post to the OP, switch to adding just tiny pinches of food at a time, wait until that is eaten, then feed another small pinch. Adding too much food in one go will just pollute your water and eventually push your stats up as it gets trapped in plants/substrate and rots.

Also, make sure you are using a good quality flake food which will reduce this problem, too.

Feeding shouldn't cloud your water - so if you're getting cloudy water at feeding time then you know you're putting too much in. Better to feed little and often rather than one large amount in one go.

Regards, Athena

 

[L_Plates]

The flake and tetra crisps go in together and then the pellets.

I will reduce the flake and tetra amount and see how i go.

Cheers Athena.

LP

 

[Marto666]

Half a tablespoon? That seems an awful lot to me LOL. You don't mean teaspoon or dessertspoon do you? At that rate you must be buying tubs of food every week

I would also feed small amounts at a time (i.e. don't put it all in at once), watch to make sure that they have eaten all of the first pinch before you add another pinch, especially with the granules as they tend to sink and can remain uneaten for a while and get trapped in substrate where it rots, pushing your ammonia levels up.

If you can buy flake, that is better as it floats for longer and more likely to be eaten.

Regards, Athena

I do mean approx half a leveled tablespoon. I have 40 odd fish so even that has dissapperaed easy in under 2 mins.

Ive not tried flake but will defo get some next time around.

Thanks