Hi guys.. feeding the tank.

I know I've been dying this to long to be inquiring but... here goes.

I have a 75
community with loaches shrimps snails etc....
I usually feed once in the day some flakes or a cube of brine shrimp and a couple pellets. Again either beef heart cube or some wafers at night.

Lately there seems to be a battle going on during feeding making me feel like I've Been under feeding them.
I've been using more pellets lately adding some more opportunity for getting a bite.
Yet again they seem overzealous.

 

I have a school of harlequins in a planted tank that I don't feed at all. Usually you don't have to worry about underfeeding

Don't get fooled by their eagerness, fish are opportunistic hunters they will always be hungry. That's a good thing, it doesn't mean you are starving them.

For harlequins look for slightly round bellies, that's a sign of normal healthy fish. For loaches and other fish you'll have to research what healthy looks like

 

I have a school of harlequins in a planted tank that I don't feed at all. Usually you don't have to worry about underfeeding

Don't get fooled by their eagerness, fish are opportunistic hunters they will always be hungry. That's a good thing, it doesn't mean you are starving them.

For harlequins look for slightly round bellies, that's a sign of normal healthy fish. For loaches and other fish you'll have to research what healthy looks like

Well everyone/thing looks healthy.
Idk guess I'm being played by my fish :/

 

Well everyone/thing looks healthy.
Idk guess I'm being played by my fish :/

You're not the only one. My loach, rasbora, shrimp & snail tank inhabitants tell me they're wildly undernourished every day. Even after *all* the brine shrimp have been consumed!

 

Fish didn't evolve to not eat. Enough food is not a concept they understand.

 

Lol my angelfish go nuts anytime you look at them, even from afar , they are like “omg food I’m starving!!” And I’m like , I just fed you guys 2 minutes ago!! I agree, it’s their nature to eat and eat and eat. If they had the chance , my angels would eat until they explode.

 

You want to feed enough per feeding that they can consume in 30 seconds to a minute, then feed that twice a day for adult fish. There are exceptions to the rule juveniles get fed more often, fish with digestion issues fed less food more often so they never get full, but are never hungry.
Older fish eat less and don't need as much you'll see this when they lose interest after a couple bites of food, then you'd reduce feeding amounts.

By 30 seconds to a minute by 30 seconds they should be looking for the missed bits around and wrapping that up and falling out of "feeding mode" by 1 minute.

Many ways to do it but this hasn't failed me as a good rule to keep the fish fed to where they can maintain body mass, aren't too hungry or so full they don't want to eat and have digestion issues. A few smaller feedings per day to keep them in energy.

If starting with young fish that need to grow, you do have to increase feedings either in amount of food or frequency of feedings to avoid underfeeding and food aggression.

 

I only have to walk into my lounge and its all eyes on me with those pleading puppy dog eyes...."oh mum....we are so hungry....you forgot to feed us this morning"

Having fed them 5 minutes beforehand.

On fish fasting days I can feel the 62 pairs of eyes all throwing daggers at me from my two aquariums.......especially when I am eating breakfast.

Cheeky little blighters.....

 

Ha ha good to hear I'm not the only the fish seem to influence.

The vampire shrimp was bullying a piggy pleco and vice versa.
I'm thinking this seems crazy !?
Ha ha

Thank you for the help.