Feeding Frenzy good?

gmiller1122

gmiller1122

AC Members
Jul 6, 2005
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For the first few weeks, my fish ate peacefully. They were hungry, but a bit shy.

I have added a few zebra danios and now the whole tank is absolutely crazy at feeding time, racing to the surface, etc.

This is entertaining (and a bit disturbing), but does it mean I'm not feeding them enough? Are they more territorial now with their new tankmates?

Thanks for any insights.

G
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30g Hex
2 Longfin Black Tetra
3 Serpae Tetra
2 Zebra Danio
 
Quite normal, and nothing to worry about. Just don't be tempted to feed them more because of this; lots of aquarium fish will consume food with reckless abandon even when overstuffed.
 
in my community tank i have thesame reaction ...they act like its the first meal they have had since captivity ...lol i think the other fish race to the top because danios live at the top and its naturaul instict for the fish to want food as well...if it really bothers you try other things besides flakes ...i use a small pinch of flakes and a small pinch of granuals and the danios will get flakes while the granuals sink ...i still have the frenzy look but atleast i can see all of them eating and then the bottom feeders even manage to get a few down to them ...
 
Quite normal. I used to overfeed my fish, and now feed them every two days. I only feed them what they can eat, slowly (watching them eat up every bit) in two minutes. I have been doing this for four months and they all have never looked healthier. I think that most overfeed because we like to see them eat and don't want to think they are hungry. Truth is, most fish are always LOOK hungry. When you feed with this method though, you need to make sure all the fish are getting some food. If I go away for a week I don't feed them at all.
Overfeeding just leads to big problems, so be sure not to do it. Even if they are begging for it. You will have a heathier tank if you don't.
 
You may be doing this already, but I spread the food out over the surface of the tank do they don't bump into each other as much. Same for the bottom feeders to decrease quarrels over the same piece.
 
Thanks, everyone. Yes, I spread the food around on top and it seems every fish gets their fair share.

I've heard similar things from my LFS and from a book I bought: fish do worse when you overfeed them, no excess flakes should sink to the bottom, each fish only needs a few flakes in each feeding, and when going away for a few days, it's better not to feed them at all than to use the 'vacation' feeders.

Good to know this is normal. We're really enjoying our tank and appreciate everyone's insights.

G
 
They are exactly right!

I’ll just offer a little more detail:
If fish are overfeed, they can get bloated, and they poo more which leads to ammonia. Flakes hitting the bottom and rotting also leads to ammonia. All this ammonia is not good for anyone, as I’m sure you know it leads to nitrites and nitrates.

“Vacation” feeders may contain plaster of Paris which can be deadly to fish. Recently last week someone lost a few fish to one. Kind of sad to see, but there are other things you can use such as “auto feeders”. Theses are electronic feeders that dispense fish food, nothing else. When I’m on vacation I use the Eheim Air Feeder as seen here: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22595;category_id=1761;pcid1=2911;pcid2=
 
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