how much do i feed my fish

[philbo]

Anyone got any suggestions as to how much and how often I should feed my fish?
They seem starving all the time.Don't want to overfeed as I am scared of nitrite levels increasing.
Currently giving them 1 frozen cube of red mosquito larvae per day.
Is this enough or too much?

Any advice is very much appreciated, cheers

40 gallon tank (planted)

5 neon tetras
5 pygmy puffers
2 convicts (breeding pair)
2 neon gouramis
1 pleco
1 bristlenose catfish
1 polka dot loach
1 fan tailed guppy
5 ghost shrimps

 

[silent_one]

usually what they can eat in about five minutes is a good amount, I feed my fish once a day

 

[rvm]

I wouldn't feed bloodworm every day, or exclusively. Feed a quality flake food as the main food with bloodworm as a supplement every few days. You'll probably need to feed some algae wafers for those plecs as well; unless you've got loads of algea in the tank anyway.
Also worth dropping in some courgette, shelled peas, or cucumber every now and then. Dunno about the fish in your tank, but I know mine go mad for it (Including my Sajicas which are closely related to convicts).
I tend to feed my fish once a day, and then enough for about 2 minutes of eating. But experiment and see how your fish get on with it.

 

[philbo]

cheers for the replies guys , will try it out

thanks again

 

[philbo]

can't really feed my puffers flakes though , they eat meat only don't they?

 

[tstenback]

you might want to get a mod to move this to the oddball forum where most of the puffer experts hang.

 

[~FairyAngelFish~]

I always feed any kind of fish I have twice a day. With their own food of course. That's the reason I'm afraid of getting more than one fish because of the issues with one getting food and the other not, ya know?

 

[Fishstix]

I feed my fish once in the morning and once at night. Mostly flakes and then freeze-dried Bloodworms a few times a week. Algae wafers for the Otos 3x a week.

 

[!guppy!]

lol i feed mine morning when i get up, lunch and dinner, mayb even late night, plus they have cucumber in tank.... looks like ill ave fat fish compared 2 u lot then!

 

[WheelmanCA19]

I feed flakes twice a day and bloodworms usually every day but at least everyother day. (I have some fish who don't eat flakes)

 

[philbo]

you might want to get a mod to move this to the oddball forum where most of the puffer experts hang.

tstenback thanks for the constructive comment NOT!!

Everyone else thanks for the advice Its very interesting to see the variations in everyones feeding habits.

Thanks again except for not very helpfull and definitely not funny tstenback

 

[tstenback]

you might want to get a mod to move this to the oddball forum where most of the puffer experts hang.

tstenback thanks for the constructive comment NOT!!

Everyone else thanks for the advice Its very interesting to see the variations in everyones feeding habits.

Thanks again except for not very helpfull and definitely not funny tstenback

My response was not meant to be funny or rude. I was merely pointing out that if you wanted advise on what to feed puffers that most of our puffer experts post in the oddballs institute forum on this site. I have been posting here for quite a while and have answered many appeals for help but this is the first time i have been slammed for trying to be helpful. It is not not my style to say anything sarcastic or misleading in my posts and that is especially true in the beginner forum where everybody should get appropriate answers to their questions.
No one had explained anything about how to feed your puffers only how they feed their fish. So i pointed you to an area where you might get more appropriate information. However if you feel that i did not give helpful advice then i am sorry but there is certainly no need to slam me.

 

[skipper]

I think the advice above is all pretty spot on. I feed my fish once a day - all they can eat in a few minutes and try to vary the diet with live foods. Generally, feeding little amounts regularly is better than sticking in a whole load of food that will ultimately just add to the decaying matter in the tank. I guess we should remember that fish are cold-blooded and don't require the volume of food/ energy that us humans need!

As for Tstenback - he's helped me out often on this forum and I find he really know's his stuff. Maybe take on board his comments about other areas of the forum where you can get more 'expert' advice about certain types of fish (like puffers)... Your call though...

S

 

[jvis0606]

I'd like to know more about feeding fish cucumber.... I have been using flakes and freeze dried blood worms.

 

[tstenback]

If you want to feed cucumber to your fish just peel a piece of cucumber and boil (blanch) it for 3-5 mins to soften it up and then put a section of it into the tank. Some people let it float, some weight it down and some use a veggie clip to hold it. Whatever works for you. I find that my livebearers, ottos and plecs really like this. My tetras and danios dont want anything to do with it and the angels will poke at it from time to time. HTH