The title says it all, how often do u feed your fish, and another question, in the morning before I leave for work, I feed them, but I switch the light off, I then switch it on at 2, Should I not switch on the light at all when feeding?
How often do u feed?
- Thread starter lostris
- Start date
It depends on what kind of fish you have. Most community fish can go for a week without food if you need to go on a vacation. They do appreciate food at least once a day or two smaller feedings, one in the morning and one at night. I get the impression that you dont have plants that need light so the light isnt really that important except for veiwing fish. And im not sure about how light sensitive fish are so I would leave it on when you feed them. Or even better is to get a timer and have the photoperiod when you are home the most so the light is on and you can look at them whenver you like and not have to worry about the light being on when you feed them.
I feed my fish every day but I purposely skip a day once or twice a week and I STILL have a snail problem. Over feeding does nothing but bad things. Its pretty tough to under feed them if you are paying attention at all.
The light doesn't have too much to do with the feeding. Unless the tank is in a room without windows, ambient daytime light will usually be enough to allow them to see food. That being said, I generally feed my fish when I get home from work when the lights are on. Feeding time is a good time to observe your fish and check them out (who's eating, who's not, is anyone swimming strangely, etc.).
Tom
The light doesn't have too much to do with the feeding. Unless the tank is in a room without windows, ambient daytime light will usually be enough to allow them to see food. That being said, I generally feed my fish when I get home from work when the lights are on. Feeding time is a good time to observe your fish and check them out (who's eating, who's not, is anyone swimming strangely, etc.).
Tom
My fish are fed once per day...and lights are (roughly) on from the time I wake until the time I go to sleep. 
Fish are built for lots of small meals. In the wild they will usually eat 3-6 small amounts a day.
While fish are built for a lot of small meals, keep in mind that most of those meals are comprised of picking things off of plants, nibbling at the substrate, etc...
I feed my fish once every couple days, and since my fish are day-swimmers I feed them with the tank light on because I have plants, and, well, my light is on when I'm home
The rest of the time, they graze happily on algae and plant roots and such.
I feed my fish once every couple days, and since my fish are day-swimmers I feed them with the tank light on because I have plants, and, well, my light is on when I'm home
The rest of the time, they graze happily on algae and plant roots and such.
Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
during the week I normally come home from work by 5, turn the lights on..... let them get adjusted, feed them by 8, lights out by 12. I have low light plants I guess in the 10 gallon because they're doing just great with this routine. On Saturdays, I switch the light on at noon, feed still at 8 then lights out again by midnight. Sundays, I switch the light on at noon but skip the feeding for the day. Everyone seems to get along real well with this routine.
I actually stopped feeding mine. I was feeding them two very light feedings a day, but then I noticed how fat they were starting to look and how much waste they are producing. Then I realized that they've been getting plenty of food from the plants and gravel. They're constantly picking at stuff.....probably algae, and maybe some snail eggs that didn't get rinsed. Whatever the case, they are fat! I think in a day or two I will start feeding them lightly once a day, since I've been doing daily gravel vacs.