How much do you feed your fish?

[wtusa17]

So I’ve been thinking about how much and when to feed my fish. I’ve never fasted my fish but I’ve been thinking about it. I recently fed some freeze dried shrimp and one of my rummy nose tetras got a little bloated. I know it was not over feeding and it was the freeze dried food but it’s been on my mind about fasting. Do you fast your fish for one day a week? Should I start to do this? Should I just feed them frozen foods once on the days where I “fast” instead of flakes twice a day?

 

[Byron]

Mature fish do not need more than one feeding each day, and one or two fast days each week is not a problem. Twice a day feedings is over feeding, and that also means double the organics load accumulating every day in the tank. Fry are different, they need more frequent feedings so they can develop properly.

Freeze dried foods are always causes of intestinal problems in fish--unless the food is first thoroughly soaked in water. Fed dry, it expands in the fish's stomach causing internal problems that do harm the fish long-term if not short-term. I stopped using FD foods years ago, there are safer and much more healthy foods anyway.

My schedule now is water changes on Sunday, with "treats" about two hours later (you need to give the fish time to settle to avoid other problems) being frozen daphnia and frozen bloodworms. Monday is a fast because they have eaten well the day before. Tuesday and Wednesday are prepared foods (flake, bugbites, pellet, sinking foods for substrate fish, whatever) fed once each day, in the early part of the "day" which means the period of tank lighting being on). Thursday is another fast day. Friday and Saturday, same as Tuesday/Wednesday.

 

[wtusa17]

Mature fish do not need more than one feeding each day, and one or two fast days each week is not a problem. Twice a day feedings is over feeding, and that also means double the organics load accumulating every day in the tank. Fry are different, they need more frequent feedings so they can develop properly.

Freeze dried foods are always causes of intestinal problems in fish--unless the food is first thoroughly soaked in water. Fed dry, it expands in the fish's stomach causing internal problems that do harm the fish long-term if not short-term. I stopped using FD foods years ago, there are safer and much more healthy foods anyway.

My schedule now is water changes on Sunday, with "treats" about two hours later (you need to give the fish time to settle to avoid other problems) being frozen daphnia and frozen bloodworms. Monday is a fast because they have eaten well the day before. Tuesday and Wednesday are prepared foods (flake, bugbites, pellet, sinking foods for substrate fish, whatever) fed once each day, in the early part of the "day" which means the period of tank lighting being on). Thursday is another fast day. Friday and Saturday, same as Tuesday/Wednesday.

Ok so I should fast on Monday let’s say if I feed frozen on Sunday? After the bloat I started treating freeze dried food like frozen and I let it soak and fall apart first

 

[Byron]

Ok so I should fast on Monday let’s say if I feed frozen on Sunday? After the bloat I started treating freeze dried food like frozen and I let it soak and fall apart first

I like to spread things out because it is better for the fish. What I mean by this is, that feeding the same food two days in a row is not as beneficial as feeding different foods two days in a row. In other words, I never repeat the food fed on day 1 as the food fed on day 2. And the fast days are better spaced apart. I only fast on Monday because the fish eat very well on Sunday; most fish love frozen foods (thawed obviously, absolutely never put frozen food in the tank) so they will eat a full meal and then some, so to speak. It is also important that they can burn some of this off before being fed again. Having the next day as a fast makes sense, rather than stuffing them with prepared dry foods. Fish will usually eat as long as food is present, it is their nature, so we have to spread this out in their best interests. Rarely would they have such an abundance of food always available in their habitat, and they have to hunt for it rather than have it handed to them on a plate, so to speak.

 

[wtusa17]

I like to spread things out because it is better for the fish. What I mean by this is, that feeding the same food two days in a row is not as beneficial as feeding different foods two days in a row. In other words, I never repeat the food fed on day 1 as the food fed on day 2. And the fast days are better spaced apart. I only fast on Monday because the fish eat very well on Sunday; most fish love frozen foods (thawed obviously, absolutely never put frozen food in the tank) so they will eat a full meal and then some, so to speak. It is also important that they can burn some of this off before being fed again. Having the next day as a fast makes sense, rather than stuffing them with prepared dry foods. Fish will usually eat as long as food is present, it is their nature, so we have to spread this out in their best interests. Rarely would they have such an abundance of food always available in their habitat, and they have to hunt for it rather than have it handed to them on a plate, so to speak.

I understand. So fasting is very beneficial after feeding frozen

 

[Colin_T]

I never fasted my fish and they were fine.

Adult fish that are not breeding should be fed once a day or even every second day.

Baby fish, young fish, and adult fish that are breeding or being prepared for breeding should be fed 3-5 times a day. You should also do partial water changes and gravel clean the substrate every couple of days when feeding more to keep the water clean.

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All fish should be fed a varied diet including dry flake or pellet foods, freeze dried foods, live and frozen (but defrosted) foods.

I used to feed dry food in the morning before work and then dry and frozen or dry and live foods in the afternoon, evening when I got home.

 

[wtusa17]

I never fasted my fish and they were fine.

Adult fish that are not breeding should be fed once a day or even every second day.

Baby fish, young fish, and adult fish that are breeding or being prepared for breeding should be fed 3-5 times a day. You should also do partial water changes and gravel clean the substrate every couple of days when feeding more to keep the water clean.

----------------------
All fish should be fed a varied diet including dry flake or pellet foods, freeze dried foods, live and frozen (but defrosted) foods.

I used to feed dry food in the morning before work and then dry and frozen or dry and live foods in the afternoon, evening when I got home.

Ok. I’ll be sure to vary their diet

 

[Byron]

Feeding every second day is fasting every other day (alternate days).

 

[JuiceBox52]

I feed once a day with one (or two sometimes I forget to feed the fish.... bad fish keeper I know) fast days each week

 

[Retired Viking]

I feed my tetras twice a day but slowly in small amounts so they eat most if not all of it, my cory once a day with wafer or pellets. My fry 3 times a day.

 

[utahfish]

I feed once every other day. Sometimes i skip and go every other other day. Ive left for a week come back home and they were fine, hungry but fine. If i fed them everytime they were hungry id feed them about 15 times a day every other day is fine. Only time they need more is like has been mentioned when breeding or fry.

 

[wtusa17]

I feed once every other day. Sometimes i skip and go every other other day. Ive left for a week come back home and they were fine, hungry but fine. If i fed them everytime they were hungry id feed them about 15 times a day every other day is fine. Only time they need more is like has been mentioned when breeding or fry.

Yea I feed fry 3+ times a day

 

[Flopper]

I am controlling my ammonia levels cause it rose up. I have cherry barbs, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, black neon tetras, and Kuhli loaches, will they be fine without me feeding them. I came to this thread because I was wondering if I should feed them. Will it cause more ammonia?

 

[wtusa17]

I am controlling my ammonia levels cause it rose up. I have cherry barbs, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, black neon tetras, and Kuhli loaches, will they be fine without me feeding them. I came to this thread because I was wondering if I should feed them. Will it cause more ammonia?

Is your tank cycled?

 

[Flopper]

Is your tank cycled?

Yes it is, I just did a water change though