Ryan.O.

Hey guys,
* * * * * * *I hve 2 small Angels and I really like them, they are probably my favourite fish in the tank.* But they always seem to be hungry. When I put my hand near the top of the tank they always swim over there like they expect food. They seem to hang near the feeding hole. I know I am feeding all my fish enough, especially the Angels: they always eat the most. Is there something wrong with them or are they just pigs.

Also 1 of my Angels is striped but somestimes the biggest stripe fades away and sometimes you can see it really well. When the colour goes away does it mean it is stressed?

sasha

Most people would agree that it is better to leave your fish "STILL HUNGRY" rather than feeding them until they are bloated, As you can do a lot of harm to the fish if you feed them because they LOOK hungry! i know its very hard not to feed them when they come up to the glass and look at you lol,
What i do is feed them for a minute or so then stop, if they are still hungry they will be swimming round like mad trying to find more food but i leave them till the next feed, everyone has their own way of feeding their fish,you will find your own technique and balance of feeding your fish,
Probably after the first flush of "OH THEY LOOK HUNGRY ILL GIVE THEM A BIT MORE" try to resist this temptation but when you are new this can be quite difficult sometimes lol lol

Isabella

The stripes on angelfish do fade away and come back on - I see this on my angels all the time. It's not stress, so don't worry I see the fading away and coming back on of the stripes usually during lighting conditions changes; i.e., when I turn their tank lights on or off. Don't quite know why this happens, but it's kind of interesting to see the stripes fade away

Believe me, it's that "they're pigs" lol No matter how much I feed my angels, they're literally ALWAYS hungry! So it's not that you don't feed enough, they're just like that - especially if the angels are still growing. Just make sure that you've fed them enough (say, 3 times a day - no more then they can eat in a few minutes), and after that don't worry if they're still asking for food. My adult angels don't want to eat as much as the young ones do. Once they've grown, their appetites will decrease somewhat.

Ryan.O.

OK cool, i feed them 3x a day and they are still only small.So they jst really like their food. thats pretty funny.

Butterfly

Yes they learn us pretty quick, "Oh poor babies their starved!!".So now we feed them again. My husband laughs at our fish when I walk through the room where all our tanks are. He says they all rise to the surface as I pass the tanks.
I think this is some instinct left over from their wild forefathers and mothers. In the wild nobody feeds them on any schedule and some days are pretty scarce food wise. So fish are always cruising looking for a bite of food. When it's available in abundance they gorge, when its not they go hungry. So in our tanks controled system they get plenty to eat but they still take every advantage of whatever food they can get. Thats why after you've fed them plenty(their stomach is the size of one eye) its time to stop, even if they beg If you over feed them their body can't use it and it just produces more waste.
So I guess what I'm saying is be strong and don't give in to all that cute begging for extra food too often and your angels, your tank and you will be in good shape.
Carol

Isabella

I love your explanation Carol - thanks, I've learned something new

As for the little beggars ... I don't get tempted to overfeed anymore. Instead, it makes me laugh when they go crazy asking for food merely 5 minutes after they just ate! So ... I'll just walk up to the tank and put my fingers in the water, so that they'll nip at them - that's all, lol. I mean ... you've gotta do something else than overfeed, right?

Ryan.O.

Yea thats what I do, I just put my finger in the water and they nip at it.

Isabella

Jim

I've been reading where Angels are similar to their cousins: Oscars. They definitely recognize the hand that feeds, so to speak, and will rush to the front of the tank when you walk into a room. Don't let them fool you, they're not hungry, just gluttons for attention! Mine are little drama queens and always come to see me when I get near the tank!!!

Isabella

Of course they are! Always! LOL