Feeding

[Arcticfox1977]

I just want to know how often to feed my fish.
At the moment I have tropical fish flakes, shrimp brine, algae flakes and pellets. How should I feed this over a week?

 

[Akasha72]

I feed my lot twice a day -morning and evening. Just give them enough to be eaten in less than a minute and if there's any left over food then your feeding too much

 

[Arcticfox1977]

Should I alternate the different types of food??

 

[Akasha72]

you don't have to no, although they'll love a treat once a week - perhaps a frozen block of some bloodworms or artemia ..there's loads of different types of frozen stuff on the market

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Depends on what fish species you have, their activity level as well their current situation (i.e. breeding, spawning, under recovery, etc.)

As for me, i usually feed every other day or every 3 days.

 

[fluttermoth]

It depends on what fish you have.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

My stock is in my SIG.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

Smaller fish need to eat smaller amounts and more often than larger fish but as long as they are healthy, adult, fish, small ones, can easily go days without food. In general, the larger the fish, the longer it can go without food.

 

[Byron]

I'm in the camp that feeds no more than once a day, or less, depending.  Fry need more frequent feedings to develop properly, but once that stage is past, feedings can be less often.  I do prepared foods once a day, missing the water change day and usually one other day.  On the water change day, fish should not be fed prior to a disturbance so I do the change at the beginning of their day, and a couple hours afterwards they are given their weekly treat of frozen foods (daphnia and bloodworms).  So that means one feeding a day, missing one day, in every 7.  But many feed alternate days regularly and there is often nothing wrong in that.
 
With respect to the types, I do alternate the prepared foods.  Currently I am feeding two flake foods and one micro pellet (for upper fish) and three sinking foods for substrate feeders.  I alternate daily, so the same food is not offered two days running.  I do notice a clear preference among fish, but having said that, I suspect if I stayed with only one food, all of them would in time eat it...or starve.
 
The nutritional value of prepared foods is quite good these days, though some are said to be better than others.  I only use New Life Spectrum and Omega One.  One of the three is vegetarian-based; Omega One Veggie Flakes and their Veggie Rounds (sinking).  I do think it is important to get the vegetable matter in the fish, even those that are not primarily vegetarian.
 
Back to the frequency, it is important not to overfeed fish.  A hungry fish is a healthy fish.  This applies to the number of feedings as well as the quantity at each.
 
Byron.

 

[Akasha72]

I agree with food preferences... my lot are seriously fussy. For ages I fed King British flake and cory pellets - that was until I discovered my huge phosphate problem and started looking for food that only contained it in small amounts or none at all. After the King British I swapped to New Era flake and cichlid pellets and their algae wafers too for the cories and ancistrus to fight over. The cories and ancistrus still fight over new era pellets or wafers but the cichlids started to spit out their 'special' pellets and the tetra's started to refuse to flake and so I gave up on that too! It's also now proving difficult to buy in my area as one lfs refuses to stock it cos it's too expensive and the other only stocks it randomly - for the same reason. New Era demand a £500 minimum order and so for a small independent that is unaffordable. I'm currently using Tetra Prima which all the cichlids like and the tetra's too ... even my SAE's seem to like it.
 
When it comes to frozen - they won't touch Daphnia or tropical mix. I currently alternate between bloodworms, artemia and mysis. The only 3 I can guarentee they will all eat. 
 
I'm certainly seeing a lot of differences between feeding routines here. I'm not in a agreement that a hungry fish is a healthy fish - in my tank a hungry fish means a fish that tries to eat it's tank mates

 

[Byron]

I'm not in a agreement that a hungry fish is a healthy fish - in my tank a hungry fish means a fish that tries to eat it's tank mates
 

 
I guess it depends upon how one defines the terms.  Fish will eat when food is available by instinct.  In the wild this generally poses no problems, as the fish have to "hunt" for their prey, and they rarely consume sufficient to cause health issues.  In the aquarium, they are free to eat and eat, and they will if allowed.  So in the aquarium, fish should always appear to be hungry.  I don't mean they are starving, but they should be hungry for food.
 
If most of us fed our fish only on alternate days, they would likely be in good health.  As far as nutrition is concerned, once a week feeding would (or should) not be an issue either, provided sufficient food is available.  Again, we are talking healthy mature fish to begin with.
 
I recall some years back reading from a fish nutritionist that just one average flake provides all the nutrition a small (like a tetra) healthy fish requires in a whole day.  When I feed, they are getting at least one but more likely several flakes.
 
Overfeeding cause issues to a fish's physiology.  It isn't much different than for us really.  But we know when to stop--hopefully.  The fish doesn't.  And the energy used to digest all that excess food is depriving the fish's system of much needed energy elsewhere.
 
Byron.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I have bought frozen bloodworms. I've read it can cause constipation if fed too often. How often do you say to feed the fish? Also do I dropped a cube straight into the tank frozen?

 

[Akasha72]

Hi, my lot have bloodworms just once a week. I have a small plastic pot (similar to a yogurt pot) which I put a bit of tank water in and then drop the frozen block in there until it's defrosted

 

[Byron]

I agree with Akasha on both points.  Worms are very high in fat and protein, so once or at most twice a week is it.  I feed bloodworms once a week, a couple hours after the water changes, as their treat for putting up with my crashing around in their space.

 
And I also defrost them.  I use a pipette I made from a stiff piece of tubing and a length of pliable air line tube.  This way I can squirt the thawed bloodworms down at the substrate so the corys and loaches are sure to get some.  Works well with thawed frozen daphnia too.
 
Byron.

 

[Akasha72]

I forgot to say I add the bloodworms with a turkey baster - for the same reason Byron has mentioned - just so all the fish get a chance to have some otherwise the faster/greedier fish would eat the lot leaving the cories and slower fish without.
 
I also have to feed one fish seperately as she's too shy to come out for food and without me finding her in the plants and putting food right in front of her she'd starve