Overfeeding???

[IceH2O]

I've read alot of posts that mention overfeeding is a mistake..

I don't see why?

I'm not sure you could overfeed a fish tank if its taken care of properly.

My fish are always looking for food..I feed them twice a day..I've read where some of you skip days..Why have your fish pecking around for food when there is none..If they were full they wouldn't be looking...I like to let whatever hits the ground lay there..Need some for the BDs besides shrimp pellets and a variety floating pellet.They eventually sink so they end up as lunch for the BDs...While the trops get to pick flake off the bottom for lunch..

Don't get me wrong..I don't leave a carpet of food on the ground..but I put in more than they can consume in 5 minutes..


If you reguarly do water changes and gravel sweeps I doubt there would be time for bad bacteria to grow..or even algae....but it would also benefit the plants,right?

 

[RockabillyChick]

many animals, fish included, would eat until they burst. they dont have a "I'm full, that's enough for now" switch. over feeding also can lead to a dirty tank, because the more fish eat, the more they poop, plus any uneaten food sits and rots.

ALSO, it can lead to a lot of digestive and health problems for the fish, like impaction, constipation, and other digestive upsets.

 

[IceH2O]

many animals, fish included, would eat until they burst. they dont have a "I'm full, that's enough for now" switch.

Lol..tell that to the Bass when I'm on the lake fishing!!

Don't worry..I do Catch and Release..unless tragically they're to hurt,then they become bait..from water they came to water they shall return.

 

[TetraBotia]

many animals, fish included, would eat until they burst. they dont have a "I'm full, that's enough for now" switch.

With the majority of tropical fish, I disagree. They will eat what they want/need, and stop.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I agree...most fish will stop eating when they are full/satisfied. A few predatorial fishes, however, can go a little overboard if allowed to do so. This is usually the case when live feeders are given to them. I believe it's the movement of the feeders triggering their feeding frenzy. I've never seen any fish eat commercial fish foods in the same manner.
I don't reccommend leaving uneaten food lying around in the tank for 'later', either.

 

[fishisme]

over feeding is just a waist. why over feed when its going to waist?

 

[TetraBotia]

over feeding is just a waist. why over feed when its going to waist?

That is just too funny... I wonder if the double entendré was intentional. And I wonder if I properly spelled double entendré...

 

[IceH2O]

It doesn't go to waist(waste)...The bottom feeders clean up what the top ansd middle feeders miss..

The bottom feeders come out after the feeding frenzy and clean up the leftovers..

I have decided to cut back just a little after watching to see how long the excess sits..Its always a good idea to chart what gets eaten..Like my tubifex worms..same prob as most,ends up floating..well I decided to cut the cube in half and see how much gets eaten,some of the danios hit it and the GF usually disperses some,most times it just ends up on the filter tube.

As the pellets soften the danios,GF,loaches and eels eat them.But its def more than whats consumed in 5 minutes..If I stood by the 3-5 minute rule my BFs would starve.

I also throw in a few alage wafers and extra shrimp pellets after lights out for the nocturnal BFs to make sure they're taken care of.