How much should I really be feeding my tropicals?

I have read in several places that you feed your fish very small amounts several times a day, but I have also read and heard from a very knowledgeable local pet store employee that you are only supposed to feed several times a week.  Does anyone know the truth? ???

 

I feed the bottom feeders first just a couple of pellets and then feed the others just a pinch for each tank(that way they leave the bottom feeders alone). I feed the bottom feeders at night and the rest 2x a day. I know lots of people who feed 1x a day and some who fast their fish 1 day a week. All depends on what kind of fish you have and your preferences.
If I have fry I usually feed them 3x a day.
The main objective is not to feed more than your fish are going to eat at each feeding. Hope that helps
Carol

 

Thanks 4 all your help! Fasting 1ce a week supposedly "helps the fish's digestive system and prevents constipation."  I read that in a book ;D

 

Glad to help ;D There is a thread right now on another forum I go to that asks your question and the answers are as different as the people answering them and they all have great tanks. So I guess what ever works. Just don't over feed That's hard to do as I'm such a softy
Carol

 

I guess if my fish are as big as basketballs and sitting on huge piles of uneaten food I can assume I'm overfeeding?
;D ;D ;D
*chuckles*

 

Or if your water turns green ;D
Carol

 

Azul isn't eating ANYTHING but a few small pieces of pea right now but Noel (the little glutton) will eat all the bloodworms I give him as often as I give them to him and come to the glass to give me that "I'm still hungry" look so I've been feeding him 3x a day. He eats EVERYTHING he gets and acouple BioGold pellets besides as his color kind of dimmed while we were having the nitrite problem. Maybe he will slow down when he gets out of his baby stage, I think he is quite youg. They said about 4 mos.

 

I think a lot of it depends on whether your fish are still growing or not, and what type of fish you have. I feed some of my fish once a day, and others twice a day (don't ask me why). My multies are so tiny, and some of them are still growing, so I feed them twice a day. I feed my angels twice a day I guess because I always have since I got them. My oscars/jack dempsey get fed once a day, and sometimes I skip a day because they are such pigs and can fowl the water very quickly. My 20 gal. community tank gets fed once a day. They are all adult fish.

I don't think there's a golden rule on how much to feed, except generally you don't feed more than they will eat in 2 minutes at each feeding. And for the most part, give your fishies a varied diet if you can, and don't just feed them the same flakes everyday. If flakes are all you can feed them, then get different kinds of flakes like spirulina flakes. Even the carnivore fish can be fed a veggie flake once a week to keep their digestive systems cleaned out.

 

I feed every other day

 

I feed my fish 2x a day because my two sailfin mollies eat so much!

 

can u suggest any supplements? I know I want freeze-dried not live becasue of the disease risk.
how about krill, bloodworms, brine shrimp?


oh I have 4 zebra danios and 2 platys.

 

They will go crazy for freeze-dried blood worms and frozen blood worms, frozed brine shrimp also. The krill tends to be a little big.
Carol

 

I feed them flakes usually.  And I feed them frozen brine shrimp about 1 a week.

 

Most of my smaller fish also love the tubifex worm squares. Don't buy the Wardley brand though. Try the HikarI or Omega One brands. You push the square against the glass, and they should eventually come up to it and start eating. They can be quite messy though, so only feed 1 at a time. Put one near the bottom for your corys. Mine go apey.

 

I feed all my fish flakes in the morning and then feed them frozen brine shrimp,bloodworms, and emerald entree 3-4 times a week in the evening.

 

ooooo gourmet! ;D

whats wrong with the wardley gunnie?

 

LOL!!!!!!!! :

 

Wardley is cheaper brand, I use it but there are better more expensive foods on the market. Its ok but apparently compared to other brands such as Omega One its not that great. Omega One uses fresh fish not fish meal. Gunnie will fill you in on the other details

 

I'm hooked on Omega One foods also, but I do use some other brands. As far as the tubifex worms-wardleys are like card board but Omega Ones not
Carol

 

I can't find omega one food anywhere i've been.the only place I haven't tried is petco. :-\

 

Emma,
I bought the Wardley brand when I first got into the hobby and my fish were not interested. As I learned more, I decided to try them again, but bought the HikarI brand. My fish went nuts for it. I didn't even need to stick the cube to the glass, just dropped it into the water, and they went after it. Since getting turned on to the Omaga One brand fish foods, I of course had to try their tubifex worms also and my fish just love them. I think the Wardley brand sits on the shelf at the store too long, and it might have something to do with how they process it, but my fish were'nt attracted to it at all. I have also found tubifex worms available in a loose form which you could add a pinch when you feed with flakes and just allow the fish to eat from the top of the water line. I have ordered other things from this website and had great service:




Dano,
Where are you located? I would be more than happy to contact them for you! Just post or send me a pm with your local fish store name and address. They don't usually sell to chain stores though, but I have seen Omega One at my local PetSmart. They generally cater to the little guys.

 

I can only get Omaga One online, and my parents will not buy anything online