Feeding schedule

[sharkweek178]

It's the age old question for fish keepers. How often do you feed your fish?

I'm trying to find that balance between having enough fasting days with a varied diet. I was doing a weekly schedule. Same feedings and fasting days every week. But I like to do water changes on fasting days and I was finding that I didn't like the lack of flexibility. So now I'm going back to a three day cycle. Feedings once a day on days one and two and then fasting on the third day. But I can give myself a little slack if I need to because of my schedule.
The only hard and fast rules I really have are only feed once per day and at least two fasting days a week. To me, overfeeding is more of a concern than underfeeding.

 

[GaryE]

I am a bit more random. The adult fish, unless being conditioned for breeding, get one or two days off per week. The fry and young juveniles get twice a day until they get through the critical period. I've had a lot of young fish recently, and I just dialed back the amount of brine shrimp I'm hatching as of earlier today. One advantage I have is my live food set up. You can drop Daphnia in and have them feed all day, or even for a couple of days. If I overfeed mosquito larvae, I become food, and that shows me!
I got bitten in there last night. Just once. Overfeeding.

 

[gwand]

I feed my adult fish every other day, one time. I feed my juveniles every day. I do not feed my fry. All of my fry come from platys and mollies. If they make it to juvenile status, I start to feed them. At any one time I had between 10 and 20 juveniles. Luckily, I have a terrific, privately owned fish store that takes my access. Now tomorrow I’m going away for a week. So I have been feeding my adult fish every day leading up to this long absence.

 

[jaylach]

Once a day, 5 days a week.

 

[sharkweek178]

I am a bit more random. The adult fish, unless being conditioned for breeding, get one or two days off per week. The fry and young juveniles get twice a day until they get through the critical period. I've had a lot of young fish recently, and I just dialed back the amount of brine shrimp I'm hatching as of earlier today. One advantage I have is my live food set up. You can drop Daphnia in and have them feed all day, or even for a couple of days. If I overfeed mosquito larvae, I become food, and that shows me!
I got bitten in there last night. Just once. Overfeeding.

I have to keep reminding myself that the schedule doesn't have to be that strict. I'm nearly out of brine shrimp eggs and trying to figure out what to do on bbs days until I can get some more. And then a calm inner voice says, "just feed them something else".

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. Excellent question. I think about how much and how often fish eat in nature. Once a week maybe, maybe a bit more. Why should the feeding be any different because they live in a cube of water instead of a pond or lake or wherever? I feed a good brand of flakes and not much else and feed a pinch every other day or even two. The fish stay slender and more active because they're looking around the tank for something to eat.

10

 

[Sparx]

This is a subject that’s always made me wonder if I’m doing the right thing. When I first started fish keeping I read online that fish need to be fed small amounts 2-3 times a day. So I used to do twice daily. Then the guys at my LFS told me 2-3 times a week so I go for a compromise, once a day, with a fasting day thrown into the mix. Today is water change day, so I’ll do a fasting day as well.
Looking back to my first tank I lost guppies every so often that became very bloated before they died. I wonder if that was a result of over feeding.. luckily (touch wood) I haven’t lost any in quite a while now.