How Do You Know If You Have Over Fed Your Fish?

[manish79]

Hello,

Can anyone help please? Im not quite sure how much to feed my 3 guppies in my tank. I have recently setup my fluval edge 23L tank and have been feeding the fish twice daily according to the instructions on the flakes packet. But ive noticed that theres alot of flakes floating around now. How do you know how much to add? I did the 2 minute feed thing but its not like all the fish eat the flakes immediately and then you can add bit more to see how much is enough.

Please can somebody tell me how to do this? Is over feeding bad?

Thanks

 

[bluesword23516]

Overfeeding can lead to fat fish which shorten their life span. Also any uneaten food breaks down and causes ammonia.
I feed my guppies flakes once or twice a day.  Make sure you crush the flakes and not just throw them in, they have small mouths. It also helps to give them a signal. I don't like to use the lid opening or the lights.  What I personally do is gently tap the tank three times in the center, wait for them to come to the top and then open the lid.   It will take them about a week to fully understand the sign, but it really helps my fish stay more calm when people or myself want to view the tank. 

 

[Gruntle]

Your fish's stomach is about the same size as its eyeball. Leftover food is also usually a fair indicator that you're overfeeding, as is a rise in nitrates.

 

[manish79]

Brilliant, thanks alot people. I really like the tapping idea to get their attention and then feed them. Will give it a try from now on.

Thank you