Feedings

[Melfice]

Hello all:

I would like to get an idea on how many times a day do people feed their fish. Right now, I feed my fish everyday (minus Fridays....one day to rest etc). The fish do seem happy, but maybe I'm not feeding them enough. Most LFS tell me two or three times a day etc. Always...Any feedback will be helpful.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Melfice

I feed my fish several times a day but each feeding is small. Young fry get fed even more often to help them grow strong and healthy.

IMHO, the number of feedings is less important than the amount fed. Fish have small stomach and if you feed them more than they can eat in a few minutes it will go to waste and spoil. It will then provide food to potential harmful bacteria in the water.

Of course, all my fish are small ones, and there are large fish who have different eating habits.

 

[Melfice]

Hi Melfice

I feed my fish several times a day but each feeding is small. Young fry get fed even more often to help them grow strong and healthy.

IMHO, the number of feedings is less important than the amount fed. Fish have small stomach and if you feed them more than they can eat in a few minutes it will go to waste and spoil. It will then provide food to potential harmful bacteria in the water.

Of course, all my fish are small ones, and there are large fish who have different eating habits.

Thanks for the feedback I think I'm going to try smaller feedings more than once a day.

 

[Turq]

I feed all my fish twice a day. Im sure if I fed the angels more they would continue to eat until they burst. They can be quite piggish. My JD is a pig too. Out of all my fish he has to be the messiest.

 

[yhbae]

I feed 6 times per week on adult fishes (i.e. skip one day during a week). For fry tanks, they get twice a day...

In a natural environment, it isn't uncommon for them to get fed no more than once a week..

 

[Da_Oz]

Ok this is my post on a differnt topic

First thing, a hungry fish is a healthy fish.

Gouramis are protien eaters, so they can eat once a day. Pl*cos are veggy eaters so need to eat more often. Synodontis Ocellifer Catfish eat a mix of both. It is not how much my fish should be feed it is how much would my fish eat if they could. In most cases a fish tummy is the same size as it's eyeball.

Fish can be feed 3 cups of food a day and still strave to death, you can eat just crackers for the rest of your life and never be hungry but will not live.

So best thing to do is find out what each of your fish eat in the wild and do your very best to give it to them, in alot of cases this is not going to happen but as a fish keeper it is your job to do it the best you can.


Predator fish in the wild may only eat once a week sometimes even once every other week. But they eat a fish that barley fits in them and takes that long to go threw the digestive system. But a carp (goldfish) eats all day and night if it is awake it is eating.

 

[Angry_Platy]

I feed all my fish flake food once a day with a rest day once a week (I call it "Fish Hate Day" as it is the day they hate me the most)....both tanks get algae tablets every second day (for the catfishes and other fish) and the 30gal and 75gal get cucumber or zucchini every 2nd day (on the days they don't get the algae tablet)...Once a week...the day after the rest day all the fish get frozen bloodworms...that is the day they love me most

I learnt the hard way that it is better to underfeed than overfeed. I thought I was being nice by feeding them. Turned out I was killing them....3 fishie deaths later from dropsy