Feeding frequency, neon tetras

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platypus60

AC Members
Nov 6, 2005
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Hi All,

I have a planted tank with neon tetras and a few small snails. I feed once a day, except that I occasionally housesit some distance away. On weekends when I was gone I felt OK feeding them Fri. AM and then not again until I got home Sun. PM. Just recently I read that small tetras have such a short gut that they should be fed more than once a day. Is this true at all? I have no reason to trust the source of the information, but it caused me to worry. I don't want to underfeed, but with price of gas I'd like to know how long it is acceptable for the fish to miss feeding. It's a 11/2 hr. round trip home to do it on the weekends that I housesit.

Thanks!
Diane
 
Your fish will be fine and actually will benefit from a weekly fasting period on weekends.
 
I agree with slappy, it is much easier to overfeed than underfeed, I usually skip a day of feeding now and then on purpose
 
Thanks, Slappy and Holly. I believed the schedule was fine for most fish, because I have often heard a weekly fast endorsed. I just got worried when I read that neons might need more frequency than other fish.
 
It may not even be fasting! Most fish will eat plants and algea if theres no other food.

My friend had a 1G tank with 3 neon's in it, and he didn't feed them for 3 weeks, and they're all still living today (in a bigger tank). There was a java fern in the tank.
 
Fish can go for many weeks without eating, but I don't ever plan on waitin to find out what that final day would be!! I do know that I won't worry about my fish the next time I go on vacation for a week though :D
 
Holly9937 said:
Fish can go for many weeks without eating
Click to expand...

It's funny how many people quick are to point out that it is inhumane to keep large fish in a small tank...yet the same people feel it is O.K. to starve their fish. Humans can go a week without eating...the question is does this keep them healthy? You go a week without eating and see how you feel. Then consider the humanity of not feeding your fish for extended periods of time.
 
I'm not recommending that people don't feed their fish for weeks at a time on a regular basis!! If you would finish my quote I also say I don't plan to find out how long they can go without eating either. The original poster was concerned about the fact that their fish would be fed Fri. morning and not again till Sunday night, which is fine, if not good for the fish since a great majority of fish keepers way overfeed their fish b/c it is so easy to do.

I also said I would not worry about the fish if I were gone for a week b/c the alternative is an auto. feeder and most of them are junk. I would rather them be a little hungry than dead when I get home because an auto. feeder went crazy and dumped my tank full of food :D
 
No one here has advised anyone not to feed their fish for a week. A weekend without being fed will not harm the fish what-so-ever.
 
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