I could use some feeding guidelines

R

richardL

AC Members
Oct 21, 2005
22
0
0
Hi

I know this info has got to be here somewhere, but I'm just looking for how much and how often to feed my fish. The aquarium manual says 'enough for the fish to eat in 5 minutes, 2-3 times a day', but I'd like a second (or third, etc.) opinion.

Right now I have 7 (adorable) neon tetras in a 12 gallon tank, but plan to add a few platys soon so the question extends to them... thanks!
 
In my tanks with mature fish, I feed frozen food once every other or every third day, enough that it takes them about 4-5 minutes to clean it up. Veggies are fed about the same frequency, but tend to stay in the tank until gone (1-2 days typically). In tanks with juvenile fish, I tend to feed more frequently--twice a day, but much smaller amounts, with everything cleaned up within 2 minutes.

2-3 times a day will likely result in serious overfeeding. You are much more likely to feed too much than too little, so err on the side of caution and feed sparingly.
 
In my tank of guppies sometimes i feed only once every other day and they seem to do fine. Even the fry. But recentlly i've had an explosion of fry and there are maybe 50+ swimming around in the hornwort so i've been feeding a bit more
 
I try to feed my fish 3-4 times a day in very small incriments, 2 or 3 flakes per fish. This way they are not way too bloated at one time, and get a sufficient amount of food. Also, for optimal health you can try feeding your fish a variety of different foods, even if different brands of flakes, some brands may have different nutrients the other brands are lacking to help you fish grow and survive in a healthy manner.
 
Mine get fed at least once weekly. Some of them get fed 2-3 times weekly (I'm not kidding)

In reality overfeeding is one of the biggest problems most of us have. Everyone does it old and new alike. When I am talking to new fish keepers I usually tell them to get the minimum amount of food they think the fish can live on. Take that amount divide it by 3 and feed that once every other day. This usually puts them in the right ball park if they are disciplined enough to do it.
The only tanks I feed heavily are my snail and shrimp tanks. I do this to promote breeding with the snails and cherry shrimp, otherwise light feeding is the key.
Dave
 
I feed my platies twice daily-- once right before I go to school, and again at dinner time. They get a teensy pinch of food, and I stay and watch them eat every time. If they finish everything off really quickly, or if there are stragglers that get to the food too late, I'll give them another tiny bit. But I never feed more than two pinches at a meal! Some days they seem hungrier than others, but I hardly think they're starving. I've also noticed that when they start jonesing for a snack, they start picking at the algae on the plants, which is just fine by me. ^_^

As for what they're fed, I give them a typical flake staple, which is at times supplemented with the freezedried bloodworms I feed the betta. They get the worms maybe once a week or so, in the place of a pinch of flakes.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the answers and range of replies- I guess it's kind of a matter of getting a feel for it like with other pets (or plants for that matter), kind of learning the behaviors the fish exhibit when they are getting hungry (are there any?). For now the consensus seems to be about a pinch of food once a day maybe skipping a day here and there so I'll be trying that for awhile.
 
richardL said:
Thanks for all the answers and range of replies- I guess it's kind of a matter of getting a feel for it like with other pets (or plants for that matter), kind of learning the behaviors the fish exhibit when they are getting hungry (are there any?). For now the consensus seems to be about a pinch of food once a day maybe skipping a day here and there so I'll be trying that for awhile.
Click to expand...
Now this is a guy who can read varying opinions about something and use them to make a wise decision. I wish everyone was like that.

Kudos,
Roan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom