Feeding questions...

[Rocky998]

How often should peacock gudgeons and lambchop rasboras be fed? And how long does frozen food and flakes last in the freezer and when unfrozen how long will it last?

 

[Essjay]

I feed my fish once a day, and I don't feed them at all on Sundays.

Frozen food lasts a while as long as it's never been allowed to thaw out. As with human food, freezing then thawing then refreezing is not good. Once it's been thawed out I would use it within a few hours, or maybe next day if it's kept in the fridge as soon as it's thawed out. Thaw it in a bit of tank water in a small container (note, single portion yogurt pots are ideal for this). The frozen cubes hold a lot more than you'd think. Start off by cutting one into 4 pieces, thawing one and putting the other three back in the freezer. I bought a sharp knife just for this. Once you've fed a quarter cube a few times you'll get to know if that's enough or too much.

Flake food should be kept in an air tight container in a cool dry dark place. Perhaps put portions in two ziplock bags, one inside the other, in the freezer if the tub of flakes will last for months.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

My 'Lambchop' (or Copper) Rasboras get fed a little twice a day, with a fasting day once a week.
Unlike other fish in my tank, these don't appear to go browsing substrate or leaves for food/infusoria and, in the wild, these are micropredators, eating mainly insects and small worms and crustacea. Mine seem to be particularly fond of the Bug Bite flakes.

 

[Rocky998]

Thanks! So I shouldnt freeze the flakes then?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Thanks! So I shouldnt freeze the flakes then?

Why would you?

 

[Rocky998]

Why would you?

I thought maybe it would keep them fresh ... Even though they've been sitting on a shelf for god knows how long

 

[Essjay]

Colin_T always recommends freezing flake food in small batches if the tub is enough to last for years as it does start to go stale after a while and lose it's food value. Small tubs don't need freezing, just storing in an air tight container to stop moisture getting in.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

When I buy bulk food I keep a little bit handy and freeze the rest. With small jars I don't bother.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

My freezer is full enough with frozen fishfoods, without me having to stuff flake in there as well!

 

[Rocky998]

Colin_T always recommends freezing flake food in small batches if the tub is enough to last for years as it does start to go stale after a while and lose it's food value. Small tubs don't need freezing, just storing in an air tight container to stop moisture getting in.

Oh ok! Great. Thank you

 

[AbbeysDad]

Thanks! So I shouldnt freeze the flakes then?

Why would you?

Whenever possible I buy flake fish food in large containers, then create what I call a Special Blend of flakes from different manufacturers. I package these in recycled 5-7oz fish food containers and put them in the freezer. Like putting anything in a freezer, it extends the nutritional storage life. I refill smaller containers as necessary for convenience to keep by the tanks.

As to feeding frequency/amounts (see Are you overfeeding your fish), Charles Clapsaddle of Goliad Farms in South Texas points out in fish feeding tips that there are gorgers and grazers, and most of our aquarium fish are grazers. This suggests that the best approach is to feed smaller amounts several times a day. I don't know if withholding food (fasting) has any benefit - if it really did, we'd all be fasting one day a week

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I suppose that some of us, over time, try every sort of food available, before deciding on just the one that appears to meet the neds of our fish. At that point, it does make a sense to buy it in bulk and freeze it as and when necessary.
Currently, I'm at that explorative stage once more.