How much to feed fish daily

[Atrumblood]

Greetings all,

I have been trying not to overfeed my tank as I have been struggling to keep algae away. My 30-gallon tank houses 2 black n white saddle-back clownfish, 1 sailfin blenny, and 1 yellowtail damsel. I recently started to thaw the frozen foods and refreeze them into smaller cubes of about 1cm^3 to assist in portion control.

My fish get fed once a day with 1 of these 1cm cubes of frozen food.

Is this too little? Too much? Just right?

 

[vetteguy53081]

With a pinky nail portion, feed what they can clean up in 2-3 minutes
I spoon feed for this reason
Easier to add food than to remove it

 

[Atrumblood]

With a pinky nail portion, feed what they can clean up in 2-3 minutes
I spoon feed for this reason
Easier to add food than to remove it

So, my fish will easily eat 2 of those cubes I made in that time. If the way you feed is what is recommended, then I guess I am underfeeding. Would you agree?

 

[vetteguy53081]

So, my fish will easily eat 2 of those cubes I made in that time. If the way you feed is what is recommended, then I guess I am underfeeding. Would you agree?

Just right on portions

 

[bReefedBaker]

Greetings all,

I have been trying not to overfeed my tank as I have been struggling to keep algae away. My 30-gallon tank houses 2 black n white saddle-back clownfish, 1 sailfin blenny, and 1 yellowtail damsel. I recently started to thaw the frozen foods and refreeze them into smaller cubes of about 1cm^3 to assist in portion control.

My fish get fed once a day with 1 of these 1cm cubes of frozen food.

Is this too little? Too much? Just right?

My Livestock:
2 - Clowns
1 - YWG
1 - Pygmy Angelfish
1 - Mandarin (doesn’t touch any food)

I feed one cube daily.

 

[Idech]

What are your nitrate levels ?

I like to feed twice per day (you can make 2 portions out of this little cube). I have 6 mostly small/medium fish and they eat 3 Hikari frozen cubes every 3-4 days (so about 1 per day for 6 fish). I also feed algae nori every other day. That’s important if you have herbivores.

My nitrates are 18 ppm but the tank is new, I’m learning and still making mistakes. But I’m happy with how it is.

 

[Seamore2001]

A few thoughts.
Echoing @vetteguy53081, feeding small portions at a time is better than dumping the entire portion in at once. I use a pair of large tweezers to feed my fish, making a cube last several "tweezes" as I dip it in. This strategy may not work for those who have shy eaters that won't compete for food vs more aggressive feeders, but your two clowns, damsel and blenny should have no problem getting enough food. This strategy allows you to feed them what they need without having too much go to waste.

You said that you feed just once per day - that can work, especially if you have a productive refugium and live rock, but most marine fish prefer eating smaller portions several times per day (just like us). It's hard to do this for some people, given their schedules, but if you're able to do so, your fish will appreciate it.

My feeding strategy is to take a shot-glass and drop a couple of cubes in it. Several times throughout the day I walk past the tanks and drop some food in.

To your question about whether the portion you are feeding is enough (or too much), eyeballing it, it looks about right, but you'll need to keep an eye on your fish to see whether it fits their needs. If you start to see their stomachs becoming concave, you need to up your feeding. If they are bulging, especially a few hours after you've fed them, you're overfeeding.

Hope this helps - YMMV, but these strategies work for me.

 

[PatW]

Fish are poikilotherms (there are a very few exceptions). Poikilotherms have the temperature of their environment. Since they don’t have to spend calories thermoregulating, they have very low energy demands compared to homeotherms (like mammals and birds). Homeotherms require around ten times the energy of a similar sized poikilotherm. So fish really do not have to eat much. They WILL eat far more then what they need to survive but they don’t need that much. One cube for your fish is more than enough. I would suggest getting a variety of frozen foods, pellets and flakes and vary their diet from day to day unless what you are feeding is already a mix.

 

[Jekyl]

8 fish in a 90g. One cube a day for years now. Everything healthy, no deaths.

 

[Atrumblood]

Fish are poikilotherms (there are a very few exceptions). Poikilotherms have the temperature of their environment. Since they don’t have to spend calories thermoregulating, they have very low energy demands compared to homeotherms (like mammals and birds). Homeotherms require around ten times the energy of a similar sized poikilotherm. So fish really do not have to eat much. They WILL eat far more then what they need to survive but they don’t need that much. One cube for your fish is more than enough. I would suggest getting a variety of frozen foods, pellets and flakes and vary their diet from day to day unless what you are feeding is already a mix.

Thanks for your reply. This makes me feel a bit better about my feeding schedule. I try to vary their diet as much as I can. The current menu consists of a mix of brine shrimp, large and small mysis. I occasionally feed pellets and veggie blends as well.

 

[Atrumblood]

A few thoughts.
Echoing @vetteguy53081, feeding small portions at a time is better than dumping the entire portion in at once. I use a pair of large tweezers to feed my fish, making a cube last several "tweezes" as I dip it in. This strategy may not work for those who have shy eaters that won't compete for food vs more aggressive feeders, but your two clowns, damsel and blenny should have no problem getting enough food. This strategy allows you to feed them what they need without having too much go to waste.

You said that you feed just once per day - that can work, especially if you have a productive refugium and live rock, but most marine fish prefer eating smaller portions several times per day (just like us). It's hard to do this for some people, given their schedules, but if you're able to do so, your fish will appreciate it.

My feeding strategy is to take a shot-glass and drop a couple of cubes in it. Several times throughout the day I walk past the tanks and drop some food in.

To your question about whether the portion you are feeding is enough (or too much), eyeballing it, it looks about right, but you'll need to keep an eye on your fish to see whether it fits their needs. If you start to see their stomachs becoming concave, you need to up your feeding. If they are bulging, especially a few hours after you've fed them, you're overfeeding.

Hope this helps - YMMV, but these strategies work for me.

Thanks for your reply, it is helpful to hear how others feed their tanks.

 

[Atrumblood]

What are your nitrate levels ?

I like to feed twice per day (you can make 2 portions out of this little cube). I have 6 mostly small/medium fish and they eat 3 Hikari frozen cubes every 3-4 days (so about 1 per day for 6 fish). I also feed algae nori every other day. That’s important if you have herbivores.

My nitrates are 18 ppm but the tank is new, I’m learning and still making mistakes. But I’m happy with how it is.

I typically see about 5-10 ppm on nitrates. Sometimes lower depending on how much algae I am currently fighting back.

 

[vetteguy53081]

A few thoughts.
Echoing @vetteguy53081, feeding small portions at a time is better than dumping the entire portion in at once. I use a pair of large tweezers to feed my fish, making a cube last several "tweezes" as I dip it in. This strategy may not work for those who have shy eaters that won't compete for food vs more aggressive feeders, but your two clowns, damsel and blenny should have no problem getting enough food. This strategy allows you to feed them what they need without having too much go to waste.

You said that you feed just once per day - that can work, especially if you have a productive refugium and live rock, but most marine fish prefer eating smaller portions several times per day (just like us). It's hard to do this for some people, given their schedules, but if you're able to do so, your fish will appreciate it.

My feeding strategy is to take a shot-glass and drop a couple of cubes in it. Several times throughout the day I walk past the tanks and drop some food in.

To your question about whether the portion you are feeding is enough (or too much), eyeballing it, it looks about right, but you'll need to keep an eye on your fish to see whether it fits their needs. If you start to see their stomachs becoming concave, you need to up your feeding. If they are bulging, especially a few hours after you've fed them, you're overfeeding.

Hope this helps - YMMV, but these strategies work for me.

I have 29 fish and feed one manual meal and three small via auto feeder

 

[Atrumblood]

I have 29 fish and feed one manual meal and three small via auto feeder

I have never used an auto feeder for anything other than dry pelleted food. Is this an option for frozen foods? Does your auto feeder turn off your pumps to prevent uneaten food from getting filtered out before your fish can get to it?

 

[jmichaelh7]

For 11 fish I feed 4 cubes, and 2 separate times of big pinches of flakes.

I also have a refugium 24/7 and skimmer 24/7

 

[Atrumblood]

For 11 fish I feed 4 cubes, and 2 separate times of big pinches of flakes.

I also have a refugium 24/7 and skimmer 24/7

Holy carp batman. That seems like a lot!

 

[Koh23]

For 4 fish (2 ocelaris, 1 small hepatus, 1 fasciatus),1 lysmata, 2 crabs, milion of snails......

3-5 time a day, one meal is frozen cubes, 2 pieces (copepods,clams,oyster), one meal is cube of diy home food, one meal is dry flakes, pellets, whatever i take from shelf......

So, yes, i dump a lot of food, but po4 is undetectable, no3 is around 2....

One water change monthly, app 10%, skimmer, uv lamp, chaeto in sump, i throw red sea salt bucket (7kg) full of chaeto monthly (thats app 75% of chaeto), beside i have to clean glass daily, no algae, no problems......

So... If your filtration can handle it, dont be afraid of feeding

 

[vtecintegra]

I wish people would stop telling others to restrict feeding based on nitrate and phosphate. That's like the sewer company restricting how often you can go to the refrigerator, because you are using the toilet too much. If NO3 and PO4 are high, fix the filtration.

I broadcast feed a minimum twice a day. Enough food goes in where the fish eat until completely full. Feed time last 30 minutes before the return comes back on. Randomly there is a third feeding. I cringe when someone says they only feed once a day, or minuscule amounts. Out on the reef there is food going by all day. Not once a day for two minutes.

BTW, thawing and refreezing food isn't a good idea. It ruptures cells and reduces nutritional value. I keep a razor blade with my frozen, and cut the cube if I need a smaller portion.

 

[Atrumblood]

I wish people would stop telling others to restrict feeding based on nitrate and phosphate. That's like the sewer company restricting how often you can go to the refrigerator, because you are using the toilet too much. If NO3 and PO4 are high, fix the filtration.

I broadcast feed a minimum twice a day. Enough food goes in where the fish eat until completely full. Feed time last 30 minutes before the return comes back on. Randomly there is a third feeding. I cringe when someone says they only feed once a day, or minuscule amounts. Out on the reef there is food going by all day. Not once a day for two minutes.

BTW, thawing and refreezing food isn't a good idea. It ruptures cells and reduces nutritional value. I keep a razor blade with my frozen, and cut the cube if I need a smaller portion.

Thank you for your input on my questions.

I would like to see a study done on thawing and refreezing food and its effects on nutrient values. To me, that seems like an old wives' tale. The nutrition doesn't magically disappear based on changes to physical states and I am not heating the food. I keep it just above freezing so that it can be manipulated. Not saying you are lying, but my years as a scientist have turned me into a super skeptic.

 

[vtecintegra]

I get your skepticism. It's funny because I said to myself, someone will question that statement. Freezing causes a rupturing of cells and a loss of quality. The slower the freeze the worse it is (home freezer). The food industry has moved to flash freezing which produces smaller ice crystals in the cell walls, reducing rupturing, and maintaining moisture and nutritional content. Not an old wives' tale. No where across any food manufacture or in the FDA Food Code will you find a thaw refreeze cycle permitted after the initial freeze on the finished product. There's no study on something like a cube of mysis that's been frozen, thawed, frozen, and thawed again that I'm aware of. It's just not best practice. My insight comes from 30 1/2 years of QA work and regulatory inspection across just about type of food manufacturer. It's really a basic food manufacturing concept.

Quick quote from a health and nutrition site:
For example, freezing and thawing meat more than one time might cause color and odor changes, moisture loss, and increased oxidation of its fat and protein.

Oxidation is a process in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another. When this occurs in meats, it can lead to a significant deterioration in quality.