Frequency of feeding? (ropefish specifically)

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horseflesh

Registered Member
Apr 1, 2005
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I've got a pair of 8" ropefish who are eating frozen food. I was wondering how often I ought to feed them? I have a good feel for that with all my other fish, but the ropefish are kind of an odd shape, plus they eat meaty foods which are kind of rich. Any suggestions?

(BTW they are in my tank at work, which does go over the weekends with no feedings.)
 
they'll be fine with one feeding every two or three days. So don't worry about over the weekend. I'll sometimes leave my fish for up to a week if I go on a trip, and they're fine. Fish can survive weeks without food, especially the predators like ropefish.
 
I feed my 10" ropefish (Houdini) once every other day, 2 good sized mealworms per feeding. I love watching him come out and zero in on the food. I turn the tank lights off, and after about an hour of them being off, drop in the mealies, and watch him go to work. Now if I could only keep him from swimming up into my filter.... :help:
 
plah831 said:
they'll be fine with one feeding every two or three days. So don't worry about over the weekend. I'll sometimes leave my fish for up to a week if I go on a trip, and they're fine. Fish can survive weeks without food, especially the predators like ropefish.
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while i dont have a ropefish, i do feel it is wrong to not feed fish daily, while they may only eat a few times a week in the wild, they typically dont live as long as they would in captivity. keeping fish on a steady diet, increases their health, activity, immune system, and lowers stress levels, as well as aggression.

while it is understandable to not feed fish when you are away, if you are away often, please consider an automatic feeder.

however horsefish you are in some what of a dilemma as they require frozen foods. i think not feeding over the weekends is ok, as long as you resume feedings on monday
 
hc8719 said:
keeping fish on a steady diet, increases their health, activity, immune system, and lowers stress levels, as well as aggression.
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I have to disagree with you hc8719. In my poly aquarium, I typically feed once a day, but usually I'm out of the house all weekend so I don't feed them on those days. Sometimes I don't feed them a day or two during the week, and guess what, your description of fish kept on a 'steady diet' is a perfect description of my fish which are fed on a varied schedule.

I have 2 albino senegalus, 1 ornate, 1 delhezi, and 1 ropefish. I feed them floating cichlid pellets (gets them swimming around the top of the aquarium, very interesting to watch), broken up spirulina wafers, freeze dried tubifex worms, frozen blood worms (mainly as a small treat for the oscars), etc...
 
Not all fish have the same metabolism. Smaller, active fish such as guppies actually do better with multiple feedings daily(in very small portions) Lethargic preditors should not be fed daily(kind of like feeding a boa constrictor a daily rat) They need time to process thier food before putting more into thier tum tums. I dont know anything at all about ropefish, but I will would bet they will be OK without weekend feedings.
 
SoCalSunset said:
I have to disagree with you hc8719. In my poly aquarium, I typically feed once a day, but usually I'm out of the house all weekend so I don't feed them on those days. Sometimes I don't feed them a day or two during the week, and guess what, your description of fish kept on a 'steady diet' is a perfect description of my fish which are fed on a varied schedule.
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of course a fish can live on a wacky feeding schedule, duh

im just saying its better to keep them fed daily

even a human can live a month without eating, its not healthy at all, but you can live through it
 
dorkfish said:
Not true. A day without food once a week is actually somewhat benificial, as it "flushes out the system".
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do fish really need their systems flushed? i feed mine 3 times a day, 7 days a week, with no problems, i think sometimes your being too cautious
 
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