dacota34

I have a 97ltr tank and in that tank i have 17 mixed tetra fish.
How much do i feed them i have been feeding them every day giving them about three flakes of food crushed up.
I have been to many pet shops and they have ALL TOLD ME DIFFERENT amounts to feed them.
So come on guys and galls help me how much do i give them?

atmmachine816

What they can consume in about 4 minutes is what I do and I have no problems. That means everything including on the bottom. What you are feeding is probably enough. You can feed once a day or twice a day with smaller feedings though.

dacota34

Its all very complicated if you ask one person you can get a different story why dont we all read from the same book?

dacota34

hi

armadillo

Hi Dakota. I agree with ATM, so you're getting some kind of a consensus at least. If your fish work like most other pet fish species I know, then indeed. Slowly feeding them for about 5 minutes should be enough. Slowly so you can observe that they get to the food before the filter does, or other fish. They also get more accostumed to you if you feed them slowly. More pleasant interaction time for them.

Luniyn

3 flakes sounds like very little food for 17 tetras. I only have 5 and they eat more then that in less then 2 minutes. The reason you get a lot of different answers is because different fish have different needs. I've found tetras to be the more go getters of the fish in that when they see food they rush to the top to eat their fill and shove all others out of the way. So they have usually consumed enough food in about 2 minutes. Now with 17 fish, the bigger fish will probably be pushing their way through and the smaller ones might be left behind a bit. So adding food for a few more minutes (like the 4 ATM suggested) might be in order so that everyone gets what they want. The best way is to watch them. They usually will have a few that will actually feel full and back off a bit. Once you start to see this in enough of the fish, you can stop feeding them because the others are just eating because its there. Find the right mix for you, and also if you haven't already, look into another food for every now and then. I use freeze dried blood worms as a treat once or twice a week. They love them and it helps vary their diet and give them a varied source of vitamins.

Gargoyle

Feeding is complicated and you will have to monitor your fish and feed them what they need... It's really a trial and error game. ATM and Luniyn have basically summed up what we all do.

Personally I feed 2 times a day.. In the morning I feed flakes and I purposefully overfeed just a bit so I know the shrimp will get some food as well.. Their next feeding is normally 8 to 9 hours later in the day when I feed them either a controlled amount of flakes or freeze dried blood worms. I normally feed the worms 5 to 7 times a week.

I know that most people feed them as treats but my fish simply love the things and for some reason since I started with the blood worms my tanks are cleaner. I haven't seen any ill effects from doing this as of yet. But this works for me.. What works for you and others may be different.

tan.b

yep i do the same...feed enough to last 3-4 minutes. takes some trial and error at first, but doesnt take long to get it right. when i feed live food this is instead of the flakes.

dacota34

Thanks guys will get some worm in morning and give them a treat.

armadillo

If they're anything like my mollies, they'll devour the stuff. + their cubic shape makes them more of a challenge to eat.

Hazcop

I do the same thing as Gargoyle and Tan. Flake in the morning before work when the sun is comming up, and bloodworms and krill in the evening before bed. I also throw in a few algee waffers for the pleco 2-3 times a week.

dacota34

Once again many thanks, I only have different types of tetra in my tank.