Overfeeding with copepods

[TheMetalReefs]

I have a 10 gal with only 1 royal gramma. Tank has copepods. I give my gramma 2 light feedings a day. He seems to munch on copepods all day though. Question is, is it possible to overfeed on food if hes already eating copepods? should i reduce feedings to 1x per day? Thanks!

 

[ekandler]

You can’t overfeed copepods. Your tank is rather small but in larger aquariums once you see the system they will reproduce naturally. I have a 100 gallon system and dose copepods maybe every 6 months.

with all that said, not sure why you’re feeding a royal gramma copepods. They eat just about anything, so why go through the trouble of dealing with pods? Just feed him frozen, or pellets that are even easier.

 

[TheMetalReefs]

I feed him mysis, frozen brine and flakes. the copepods are more for biodiversity rather than a food source. i was more worried about me over feeding with the food i add to the tank rather than it over eating pods. maybe i worded the question wrong lol.

 

[Spare time]

I wouldn't worry. Just make sure to avoid leftovers

 

[ekandler]

Oh, gotcha. That makes more sense. Rule of thumb is a fish’s stomach is the size of its eye, so keep that in mind when feeding and considering portion sizes and frequency.

fish prefer to eat smaller meals throughout the day but that can be hard. I use an auto pellet feeder that goes off 4 times a day and feed frozen every other day and nori when I’m not lazy ha

For a single fish you’ll want to feed really light, over feeding will just result in uneaten food and increased nitrate/phosphate in the water that you’ll have to extract to keep corals happy.

 

[Tired]

As long as there isn't a bunch of uneaten food lying around, you aren't overfeeding. Little fish have high metabolisms, they're meant to eat frequently. Twice a day is ideal.

 

[TheMetalReefs]

Oh, gotcha. That makes more sense. Rule of thumb is a fish’s stomach is the size of its eye, so keep that in mind when feeding and considering portion sizes and frequency.

fish prefer to eat smaller meals throughout the day but that can be hard. I use an auto pellet feeder that goes off 4 times a day and feed frozen every other day and nori when I’m not lazy ha

For a single fish you’ll want to feed really light, over feeding will just result in uneaten food and increased nitrate/phosphate in the water that you’ll have to extract to keep corals happy.

awesome. maybe ill dial back a bit on how much i feed, i think im a but heavy handed. thanks!

 

[pezcadoazul]

Oh, gotcha. That makes more sense. Rule of thumb is a fish’s stomach is the size of its eye, so keep that in mind when feeding and considering portion sizes and frequency.

fish prefer to eat smaller meals throughout the day but that can be hard. I use an auto pellet feeder that goes off 4 times a day and feed frozen every other day and nori when I’m not lazy ha

For a single fish you’ll want to feed really light, over feeding will just result in uneaten food and increased nitrate/phosphate in the water that you’ll have to extract to keep corals happy.

What fish do you have and which pellets do you feed? My chromis and ocellaris clowns will not touch pellet foods but just watch them fall to the substrate where shrimp eat them. I have tried nearly every pellet food on the market and it is always the same.

 

[ekandler]

What fish do you have and which pellets do you feed? My chromis and ocellaris clowns will not touch pellet foods but just watch them fall to the substrate where shrimp eat them. I have tried nearly every pellet food on the market and it is always the same.

I feed a 50/50ish mix of 2mm PE pellets and Hakari marine A pellets. The marine A doesn’t say the size, but they’re about double the size of the 2mm PE pellets. I just mix them 50/50ish by eye and then shake up the container so they’re more evenly distributed in the container.

I don’t have chromis, but I have tangs, clownfish, damsels, and wrasses, all of which eat my pellets. I’ve even seen my mandarin goby eat the pellets.

 

[kevgib67]

What fish do you have and which pellets do you feed? My chromis and ocellaris clowns will not touch pellet foods but just watch them fall to the substrate where shrimp eat them. I have tried nearly every pellet food on the market and it is always the same.

My clowns and 4 other fish go crazy for TDO ChromaBoost pellets, small.