Recommendations to reduce feeding seem like a bad idea

[Thales]

I often see people recommending reduced feedings for fighting a whole host of reef tank issues, but this seems like bad advice to me unless there is blatant overfeeding going on (or if the tank has no animals in it). You can’t not feed babies because you want to use fewer diapers. Animals need to eat and I fear recommending reduced feedings winds up making hungry animals. It also doesn’t seem to help ime - has anyone seen success in reducing cyano or algae by reducing feedings and nothing else?

#pleasediscuss

 

[User1]

I like it.

In fact the gem you threw in there about not feeding babies because you want fewer diapers made me giggle Thanks!

 

[Jon Fishman]

Some problems you can absolutely fix by reducing feeding, others by increasing feeding. No one size fits all method here

 

[Hemmdog]

I totally agree. When I hear how little some people feed it amazes me their fish are still alive. So sad. 4 fish can easily eat a cube of hakari mysis 2x a day regardless of what size fish they are IME. I feed 4-7 cubes a day depending on how rapidly the fish eat the mysis, I only have 8 fish.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Would be on a case by case basis, but I digress. Ive not seen by reduction of carbon input, such as food, a reduction of pest algaes or bacteria has been accomplished personally.

 

[chefjpaul]

Never understood this logic either. I'd never not feed or underfeed livestock.

While Diving around the globe, Ive seen many healthy reefs with algae, cyano (mainly in grassier patch reefs) etc.
Also see, what I try employ; urchins, things that eat these things / suff and export methods that would not interfere feedings.
I utilize macro, but each their own.

 

[Thales]

Some problems you can absolutely fix by reducing feeding, others by increasing feeding. No one size fits all method here

Great. Like what and how do you know? Thanks!

 

[Thales]

Would be on a case by case basis, but I digress. Ive not seen by reduction of carbon input, such as food, a reduction of pest algaes or bacteria has been accomplished personally.

Oops! Edited because I totally misread your post!

 

[S2G]

I think this stems from old dogma like fish stop growing in small tanks etc etc. Some people are pro reef less fish as well. Honestly I never got the whole pro frozen food in the reefing community as well. I understand some fish are finicky but most of these frozen foods drive levels up like crazy ime.

 

[EmdeReef]

I overfeed, never occurred to me to feed less though.

I’ve seen a good share of “ULNS” tanks with bad cyano and dinos. My worst cyano/dino GHA outbreak was while running my tank fallow and forgetting to add some food for long periods - I don’t believe it would’ve had much impact either way tbh. I think the direct correlation between N and P and cyano/dino is weak at best..

 

[Flippers4pups]

Oops! Edited because I totally misread your post!

There are a great deal of factors involved, as you know Richard. Inorganic and organic carbon availability, with that said one can have a "nutrient" rich environment and not have any nuisance algaes. You've demonstrated this first hand.

 

[Feet4Fish]

If you feel you need to cut down on feedings than you probably would be happier with a coral Only tank. Many of the fish we keep in our tanks spend most of their day foraging for food. Now they live in a glass boxes and sometime get fed once a day. It is on us to balance a system that all animals thrive. All this assumes you are not drastically over feeding in the first place.

 

[KrisReef]

I often see people recommending reduced feedings for fighting a whole host of reef tank issues, but this seems like bad advice to me unless there is blatant overfeeding going on (or if the tank has no animals in it). You can’t not feed babies because you want to use fewer diapers. Animals need to eat and I fear recommending reduced feedings winds up making hungry animals. It also doesn’t seem to help ime - has anyone seen success in reducing cyano or algae by reducing feedings and nothing else?

#pleasediscuss

I’ve successfully reduced high nutrient levels by cutting back on feeding (in combination with other export methods).
I’ve never seen a wild fish eating frozen mysis in the wild either, so there is a few other issues besides “over” or “under” feeding levels perhaps?

I suspect that many fish keepers “over “ feed routinely as compared with wild food levels, thinking only about calories and not prey item diversity. Prey items I would guess are under in many of our captive fishes diets.

Cyano reduction was achieved using chemical weapons, water changes(with cyano-exports) and reduction of food portion methods in concert.

Wild fish pick all day(or night) and are often observed swimming but not eating or feeding on large mouthfuls of food unless the swimmers/observers are carrying food to feed and attract the fish.

I was attacked once by a trigger fish that was habituated by previous swimmers that carried food out to the reef for the fish. Almost lost a nipple in the incident.

 

[rushbattle]

If you feel you need to cut down on feedings than you probably would be happier with a coral Only tank. Many of the fish we keep in our tanks spend most of their day foraging for food. Now they live in a glass boxes and sometime get fed once a day. It is on us to balance a system that all animals thrive. All this assumes you are not drastically over feeding in the first place.

My coral only tank gets fed 4 times a day. If I go any less the corals start to fade and die. I suggest that a coral only tank is not a good fit for people that don’t like to feed.

Edit: I wish I could easily quantify how much it gets fed per unit biomass; without a good idea of coral biomass my feeding rates are not easily compared to other tanks.

 

[Thales]

I’ve successfully reduced high nutrient levels by cutting back on feeding (in combination with other export methods).

That combination of other methods part always makes me fell that it the other methods that actually did the work. Ah, the joy of complex systems.

I was attacked once by a trigger fish that was habituated by previous swimmers that carried food out to the reef for the fish. Almost lost a nipple in the incident.

Yikes!

 

[Thales]

Here is a medium size feed on my DT.

 

[Montiman]

I generally agree with the OP I feed my main display 5 times daily. I will however disagree concerning Nanos I am not a big nano guy but I do take care of 3 nanos in my office.

I have really struggled to control nutrients with normal nutrient removal methods. It is hard to fit large refugiums and skimmers just don’t work as well at this scale. Even carbon dosing doesn’t seem to work. Likely because the skimmers aren’t as good. I also do weekly water changes and have still had problems. If I reduce feeding to twice per week then everything does better. I would still prefer to put a big sump on the tank with a real filter but this isn’t the reality for many nano tanks.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Here is a medium size feed on my DT.

@Thales, Do you ever experience any bacterial blooms with feeding that much, knowing you run a high nutrient system?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I agree it's not one size fits all

I think it's all about finding that balance of being an adequate amount for your livestock and finding where your export is also adequate.

 

[User1]

Here is a medium size feed on my DT.

That was interesting. Not a lot of fish? Food type seems that there is a lot of smaller particle sized food - intended for corals I assume? This is a reason why I do not use filter socks or other media to have clear water.

I dive in Monterey a lot and most days the water always has particles or whatever in it that is visible which has to be food for something. Some days it is worse than others due to the dolphins chasing their food towards the beach We just have to swim out further but even then on a day with 80 feet visibility the water still has the look or feel to your video.

Neat.