Do I have to feed daily?

[Eye H8 Empty V]

So I’m still in the planning stage of my DT but have my QT up with 1 fish. Please forgive my ignorance in asking what some might perceive as a stupid question, but do I have to feed daily? The reason why I ask is because my QT is at my shop which is pretty close to my house. But I’m not usually there on the weekends. I just ordered an eheim auto feeder that should be in next week along with Hikari Marine A pellet food. Can fish go for a weekend without food and not become malnourished or is daily feeding a must?

Any gentle advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Style185]

They'll be fine for the weekend while you await your auto feeder I feed multiple times daily. If you had more than 1 fish I'd still say you'd still be fine but some fish tend to be more aggressive anyhow happy reefing!

 

[pcon]

Depends very much on what fish you have. Eels regularly go days or weeks between feedings. Hardy fish like clowns, damsels, larger aggressive fish, can typically be fed every other day and skip a few days or a week here and there. Many other more interesting fish require daily or more frequent feedings. Some Butterfly fish, the difficult angels & wrasses, Garden Eels, Obligate-corallivores, most Anthias, and other families absolutely require multiple feedings a day. Most fish are somewhere between these extremes

Feeding schedule and techniques are a major limiting factor when considering stocking.

 

[Eye H8 Empty V]

Depends very much on what fish you have. Eels regularly go days or weeks between feedings. Hardy fish like clowns, damsels, larger aggressive fish, can typically be fed every other day and skip a few days or a week here and there. Many other more interesting fish require daily or more frequent feedings. Some Butterfly fish, the difficult angels & wrasses, Garden Eels, Obligate-corallivores, most Anthias, and other families absolutely require multiple feedings a day. Most fish are somewhere between these extremes

Feeding schedule and techniques are a major limiting factor when considering stocking.

The one guy I’ve got is an Eibli Angel. So what do you think? Thanks!

 

[Murica]

I feed every day but they can easily go a week without food. Not a good practice to do again and again, but I've never had any issues when I went away on vacation. If you know you're not going to feed any time soon, try boosting their diet before hand for a day or two. Should be fine.

In your case, I would give them a little extra on Friday, and they should be fine over the weekend as long as you don't forget to feed during the week.

 

[pcon]

IMHO, Eibli are very hardy for a dwarf angel, coupled with their natural grazing they are likely fine to go every weekend without additional food. Though I think it important to note the distinction here between what is best practice, and what can I get away with. YRMV

That being said if you can get the Eibli on pellets an autofeeder is never a bad idea. (for fish health, perhaps not algae growth/nutrient levels)

 

[Jesterrace]

Any fish IMHO can be fine going a couple of days without food (barring maybe a Dragonet), as long as you don't make a habit of it the fish should be fine. Dwarf Angels generally prefer algae grazing to start so Seaweed/Nori is what I would go with.

 

[pcon]

Any fish IMHO can be fine going a couple of days without food (barring maybe a Dragonet), as long as you don't make a habit of it the fish should be fine.

The core question of this post is: Is it okay to skip feeding for two days every week? Not: Can fish go one weekend without feeding?

These two questions have very different answers. As you point out, and as should be apparent due to real world logistics: any fish we keep in our tanks can go a few days without food, on rare occasions, provided they are in good health.

As for Regularly skipping feeding, days or weekends: If you stick with the commonly kept hardy fish, you absolutely can get away with feeding once a day, and skipping weekends. It is important to recognize this limitation when selecting fish. Dragonets really are only an introduction to difficult fish. There are a ton of fish species which are much more difficult to keep fed. A better example of a fish which will need multiple feedings a day are the difficult Anthias e.g. Evansi, Ventralis or Butterflies like the Copperband or Lavartus. Regularly skipping weekends, can kill such fish. Where as Dragonets tend to be a pod population problem, which is a tangential consideration. If you have a dragonet in a tank with inadequate pod production then multiple daily feedings are essential.

I will add anecdotally the longer I have been in the hobby the more I feed. I started feeding every other or every third day, and while this was fine for the fish I had at the time, my interests and preferences have evolved. I am up to feeding frozen 3-5 times a day every day, with 2x auto-feeder, however I keep Paracentropyge dwarf angels, and want to keep some of the more difficult Anthias.

 

[Eye H8 Empty V]

Thanks for the responses everyone. How do you get a fish to eat pellet food? Just keep trying? I’ve got my auto feeder setup with Hikari Marine A Pellets and tried for the first time yesterday. I soaked them RODI for 10min and he looked at them but wants stokes. I just dropped a Red Sea Sailfin I’m there with him. I’m going to start curing my live rock(Real Reef Rock 2.0) next week.

Thanks!

 

[Coralreefer1]

You don’t need to feed everyday. Fish are foragers and will pick tiny morsels off of live rock. One thing that I would suggest and am a firm believer in this is, that you feed your Centropyge Angel one of the two Angelfish foods that are designed for them on the market. San Francisco Bay and Ocean Nutrition, both carry it that supports and mimics the necessary nutritional requirements needed by Angels for health and vigor. They contain sponge which is crucial to their health, for one.

 

[pcon]

@Eye H8 Empty V Getting Fish to eat pellets is an artform. Many individuals and species, simply don't take to pellets. Dwarf angels as a group tend not to take pellets, however eiblis are one of the most agreeable dwarf angels.

I like to mix the pellets in with the frozen food to train reluctant fish that they are food. Hand feeding can also be effective, crushing a few pellets between your fingers to allow the sent to attract the fish before dropping a few in its face tends to also work. Sometimes flake foods instead of pellets can be effective. Persistence and trying a few different foods can pay off, sometimes it may take a few weeks or a new variety of foods.

@Coralreefer1 just so you know there are more than just the SFB and Ocean Nutrition, who have quality sponge foods for angelfish. I am quite partial to Hikari Mega Marine Angel, and others swear by brightwell angelixir.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello

Everything has already been mentioned. Good feeding on Friday and your fine.

I would research a bit more on the feeding choices. Pellet and flake are ok, but finding a good frozen like LRS is a good go to.

Also, no ignorance or stupid questions here. Ask away

 

[Dsnakes]

I see you have your feeder now, which is good. Hopefully he will take to them.

I felt some of these answers to your original question were overlooking that this was in regards to a QT and not an established display.

A mature tank full of established rock work definitely betters your odds as it gives the fish foraging places for algae and pods.