Feeding you fish. I personally agree with what this article puts out.

[Gigaah]

https://www.livingreefs.com/feeding-basic-concepts-moderate-advance-t499.html

I very much agree with the driving point of this article being basicly most everyone is feeding their fish in a very unnatural manor. I know its a long read. but here is the sum of it.

We don't feed our fish enough
When we do feed its all at once
Its estimated a fish the size of a damsel eats 2g of food in a 12hr day.
Fish kept in aquariums are basicly going thru cycles of starvation and heavy feeding.


Seeing this. wich obviously isn't much new news. Its it much wonder that the fish kept in aquariums are often not see at the size they aquire in the wild?

For the last few months I've been breaking up my feedings over the course of the day. Basicly when I remember I toss some food in to distribute the feeding over the days time.

Just curious what other have to say about it or oppinions on the matter.

 

[Bifferwine]

I think this holds true for new tanks, but in established tanks, the fish do have a constant supply of food. Look at Yote's tank, for example. He only feeds his fish about once a month, but they are not starving. That's because there is plenty of food on the rocks, sand and glass for everyone. I feed my fish about twice a week, but whenever I watch the tank, I see the fish constantly grazing and picking at the rock. And my fish are all fat.

I think people that have new tanks do need to feed a lot and feed more often, but as your tank matures you can step back a bit.

 

[mikewurtz]

The information out there on feeding is incredibly vast. I have no idea if what or when I'm feeding my fish is appropriate. All I know is that in 6 months or so, I haven't had a single animal die on me.

 

[kwsm]

I generally feed a smaller amount multiple times a day. But I'd say for me that has less to do with a more "natural" feeding method and more to do with keeping them off my corals! >_>


Obviously reefers want to create the best possible environment for their fish and try to mimic their natural habitat as much as possible, but there has to be somewhat of a separation between them. Ideally, we want our fish to have a steady supply of food without mucking up our water quality. As Biff pointed out, they find food from places other than our hands.

 

[cthegame]

I used to feed once every 2-3 days but i have recently been feeding only once every 5 days sometimes 7. Like biff stated, there is plenty of food on the rocks, sand, etc. I prefer to make my fish look for their own food then have food be given to them often, in the wild no one is feeding them. I do feed them still, just much less and the fish seem to be doing just fine...

 

[OhNoNemo]

I didn't read the article(its too early),but i think it depends alot on the types of fish being kept also.I feed my 2 triggers,and angel morning and night,everyday.So,thats 2 times a day ,everyday.I also agree with the fact that in the ocean noone is feeding them,but for as much as we like to think they are,our tanks are nowhere near what the ocean is.

 

[wontonflip]

+1 Biff -- If your tank is established, part of that means that there's already enough live food in there to sustain the fish. My tank is still new (only 4 months old), and definitely does not have enough live food in there to sustain the fish without me adding food. But obviously, Yote and Biff's tanks are doing well with less outside feedings. Their system is self sustaining already, as is a lot of others here. The less frozen food you have to put in the tank, the healthier your system cuz you don't have to worry about the uneaten food mucking up your tank.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

+2 Biff. I only feed my fish 2x per week and I cut down the amount I feed them by 50%. I have lots of isopods, copepods, amphipods and mysis shrimp breed in my fuge and DT. My six line wrasse is a fat pig and rarely eats the food I put in the tank. I never add any nori or algae supplements for the algae blenny and he's got a beer gut like me. In the earlier stages of my tank I did feed every day. I also think it depends on how many fish you have in your tank and what those fish eat. Good article, but I don't think it's the fish feeding bible and take what you can out of it that's best for your tank.

 

[yote]

Like Biff kinda said,a lot of the way you need to feed depends a lot on your tank.
I only "feed" my fish once a month IF that.I have gone as long as 2 months without feeding them.Their all fat and healthy.But I've also got a lightly stocked tank.
There are 2 Blue Chromis,1 Atlantic Blue Tang,2 Bartlett's Anthia's,a Starry Blenny,and a Mandrine in a 125.
You cant look in the tank after lights out and NOT see all kinds of pods both on the rock and in the water column.
But you also cant expect a new tank to produce that kind of life.New tanks have to mature before they can produce the natural zooplanktons that a lot of the fish depend on for food.So those tanks have to be fed.
Also,there is nothing natural about our tanks.No matter how hard we try,we'll never be able to recreate nature.Theres no such critter as the tides in a tank.Theres nothing natural about our lights.Even the currents in our tank.

 

[reeffreak]

I agree somewhat with that article.I have anthias and I feed three times a day.

 

[Gigaah]

good points people make. Thats why I asked to get other information. I don't know with my bioload and 4 dragonnets I'd ever have enough pod population to be able to feed that infrequently with a 55 gallon. I have about 35" of fish in my 55gallon. I guess it all depends on your tank size, bioload, and how mature the tank is. I even have a gigantic pod pile and some extrodinarily porous DIY garf rock in my display.

I think I might work on getting some live mysis for my tank to see if it I get them to breed in the display.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

good points people make. Thats why I asked to get other information. I don't know with my bioload and 4 dragonnets I'd ever have enough pod population to be able to feed that infrequently with a 55 gallon. I have about 35" of fish in my 55gallon. I guess it all depends on your tank size, bioload, and how mature the tank is. I even have a gigantic pod pile and some extrodinarily porous DIY garf rock in my display.

I think I might work on getting some live mysis for my tank to see if it I get them to breed in the display.

Reef nutrition sells live mysis. That's what I bought to originally start my breeding mysis population. If you have a fuge or sump put them in there and they'll start breeding quickly. I've never added them to my DT, but I've got thousands in there. They got sucked up in my return pump. When I shine a light on the tank at night all I see are quickly moving glowing eyes all over the place.