Feeding

[mireme]

I bought my fish and the shop said to feed them only once a day in the morning.
On the side of the tub it says up to 3 times a day.
Im feeding them flaked food.
How many times should i feed them?

thanks

 

[waterdrop]

I personally go for stretches of feeding them once a day, lightly in the morning, and then randomly skip a day or even 2 days every now and then. Some fishkeepers feed every other day or every third day, but generally the most common problem among beginners seems to be overfeeding. Feeding once a day is not bad if its light (all over with in 2 to 3 minutes.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Schmill]

The only people that will ever advise feeding 3 times a day every day are fish food manuafacturers.... go figure
I do the same as waterdrop

 

[mireme]

Ok, thanks very much.

They seem to be doing ok on once a day.

 

[waterdrop]

Ok, thanks very much.

They seem to be doing ok on once a day.

Mireme, Its important to begin to get the idea that they are cold-blooded and very different from us. In nature they spend the great majority of their time searching for tiny bits of food which they find on a very random basis usually, with the occasional surprise feast no doubt.

Schmill and I are describing the attempt to re-create this scarcity and a bit of the intermittent nature of the natural habitat, but its been pointed out before (by OM47) that we don't necessarily -want- to recreate a situation where the fish are getting *less* than would be optimal for their comfort, health and growth. In the end, we all probably guess at the right compromise.

I do think that once you find the right amount of lightness to the feeding, you will notice and apprecieate the energy and eagerness of the fish behaviour, it is quite apparent in my experience. Also, overfeeding, of course, carries the other problem of unneccesarily polluting your tank and working against the weekly effort you are making when you gravel-clean.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drobbyb]

Waterdrop hit the proverbial nail on the head. It should also be said that a variety of different foods are better than the same food everyday. I have 5 different kinds of food for my fish, and I feel all of them once a week on different days. I currently have 3 kinds of flake, a pellet and frozen bloodworms. This varied nutricious diet keeps my fish in breeding condition year round.