feeding question for the experts

[prios]

i need a proper schedule for feeding. i've been feeding the following in different portions and at different times but i could use a guideline to keep things in order...

frozen brineshrimp
frozen bloodworm
frozen tropical fish food(life line carnivore minced)
tetra flake
sinking algae tablets

it's a 75 gallon with...
6 lemon tetras
6 pristella tetras
6 neon tetras
4 albino cherry barbs
6 cherry barbs
6 leopard danios
6 mollies
1 rtbs
2 kuhlie loaches
1 bristlenose
2 adf
4 ottos
2 dwarf gourami

whenever i feed it seems like there's a LOT of food going in and it turns the tank messy instantly. i've been feeding just flake one day then the next i add the flake and 1 each of the cubes and pellets. am i feeding proper or not?

 

[freddyk]

There is no right and wrong. The fact that that you go through the trouble of providing a good variety of food is great. As far as schedules go you don't need anything concrete and everyone has their own methods.

On the days you feed the fresh stuff you can skip the flake, so flake every other day and fresh every other day is a good plan and basically what you've been doing. Since most of your fish are omnivores it's a good idea to feed the fresh meats less often by including some veggies or spirulina flake into the diet as well, or slim these feedings down to a couple times per week.

Just remember that fish don't need as much food as they'll eat, especially with the condensed nutrition of flakes and, most especially, pellets. If you feed until the fish is stuffed you can safely skip a day until the next meal. As the fish are fed more times per day the meal size should coincide. Many daily feeders give their fish a fasting day to clear their systems and I agree with the theory.

If you find the fresh food is causing problems with cleanliness then you may want to decrease how much they get, or consider improving filtration. The messiest foods I leave until just before a water change. If a whole block of food is really proving to be too much for the fish try half a block, or try feeding the whole block in two or three servings, that way the fish get more of it before it messes the tank.