When To Feed Fish When Changing Water

[elaineylane]

I feed my fish an hr to 2 hrs b4 I change the water. How long do I wait b4 I feed them again? It's a tropical tank. I do 1/4 of the water and add Quick start to my bucket as I refill, 1/2 the amount per each 2 buckets. I add Stress Coat after that to the waterfalls stream from my filter for better distribution. Seems to be working. And I don't clean the back wall except a little every couple of months so my Bristlenose & Pleco have plenty of real nice algae. I add a couple of those pellets twice a week.

 

[Livewire88]

I tend to feed my fish once per day, 6 days per week, sometimes 5 days per week. 
 
Its a good ideal to give them a fast day 

 

[attibones]

I fast my fish the day before a water change, so they will go ahead and poop before I do the vacuuming. Otherwise, they all seem to eliminate as soon as I'm done cleaning, which means even more of a mess. I don't normally feed on the day of a water change either simply because two days of fasting is fine for them. Really, though, if you want to feed them the day of a water change, I'd argue that any time would be fine. Fish aren't usually so stressed after a water change that they won't eat. If you are changing more than fifty percent of the water (enough to have to remove them), then it may be different. It's all personal choice though.

 

[snazy]

I feed mine after the water change, just to teach them water change is a good thing and reduce stress as they get busy eating.
And normally when I stop the filters and put the siphon in, they already get excited and start looking for food

 

[elaineylane]

Thx for your help 

. I had heard about the fasting but wasn't sure the source was reliable. Much appreciated advice from you guys. 

 

[Sebul]

Good points. I've wondered this myself. I always worry when I don't feed mmy fish, but I guess it is normal to give them a break every now and then? This is probably why my family has had bad luck keeping fish. Hope things will change with this batch though as they are my first on my own!

 

[Blondielovesfish]

What I do is I feed my fish the "messy" food (peas, bloodworms etc.) the day of my waterchange and then I fast them the next day since they always have a good feed the day before.
It's a personal preference really though.