Christine.

how much/how often should i be feeding my 4 gouramis?

sirdarksol

Most people feed their fish twice a day, only enough for them to eat in a minute or so. A weekly day of fasting (many do this on Sunday, as it's easier to remember at the start of a new week) is also a good idea.

Christine.

thank you
why the day of fasting?

sirdarksol

A couple of reasons.
First of all, wild animals are rarely guaranteed a day of food, and their digestive systems reflect this. A day of fasting helps keep them regular. Some fish (especially carnivores) can get constipated if they eat every day.
Second, fish are cold-blooded. Because their bodies aren't wasting energy trying to keep warm, they spend less calories in a day (for their size) than a mammal would. The day of fasting helps keep things balanced out. Because of this second reason, you can go on vacation for several days and come back and your fish will be as healthy as ever.
The only fish who need to eat constantly are algae grazers, because their chosen food has a lower concentration of calories. However, because they eat algae, they usually can find food somewhere in the tank.

Christine.

wow thats really good to know, thank you!

Tavel

if you're curious, cold blooded animals require about 1/10th as many calories as warm blooded animals of similar size. big difference