Who feeds 2x/month or less?

[dnjan]

Sometimes, when I can't remember the last week I fed, I feel guilty and feed a bit. But usually not.

The lawnmower blennie has plenty (of hair algae) to eat anyway, but the two damsels and especially the sixline must be getting enough meat from the tank itself. Nobody is skinny. (definitely amphipods and/or mysis visible when lights go out)

How many others with established tanks rarely feed?

 

[ronj]

i have never heard of anyone feeding that tiny amount...i feed 2 small meals a day most of the time...it almost seems mean not to

 

[Krish]

I feed my fish every evening about 5 o'clock. They are always ready and eager. I stand there and feed them little by little until I think that they've had enough. Only so much food a fish could find in a tank like mine so I feed them daily religiously.

 

[ronj]

yeah, there really can't be anything for them, unless they eat algae, like the blenny you have...i don't know what meaty food they would be finding...i don't think damsels eat amphipods... i could be wrong........i worry about my fish missing one day..i know they can, but i don't think it is healthy for them... they get no vitamins or amino's...now that i add these, i would be afraid not to....jmo

 

[dnjan]

The sixline (most meat-dependent) is definitely not skinny. And his colour is fine.

The damsels must eat some type of 'pods. Their colour is good as well.

Perhaps people buy into too much of the fish-food companys' hype ...

Note, there are just four fish in a 6-year-old hundred gallon tank.

 

[spongebob lover]

ohh boy, that's a long time for not feeding a fish, but hey if they look alright...

I feed mine every day, my ocellaris, damsel and six line get a little piece of frozen formula (red kind), a couple times per week they get cyclo peeze and mysis shrimp when i'm feeding my corals.

 

[Skimmy]

dear god man, feed those fish some food!!! lol:shock:

 

[bpiermat]

I feed my Grouper once a week...he is very healthy -- but not fat

 

[joshinjosh]

yea, i feed my clown probably around twice a month and my lawnmower blenny even less, they seem to be finding other sources of food in the tank

 

[morgan]

well when u think about it what are these wild caught fish doing in the wild searching for food all day everyday maybe not so much the grouper but a 6 line wrasse would be cruisn a reef eating all day there must be alot of pods at night and i do see small brine and mysis shrimp at night but none of my fish hunt at night except my falco hawk
maybe u should invest in a auto feeder
and where is your hair algea cumming from in a 100gallon with 4 fish i have a 50 with like 7 fish and havent seen hair algea for a couple months

 

[Krish]

The only thing I would say Don about fish in the wild hunting all the time for food or grazing, is there is a constant supply of food in the ocean (which is replenished non stop) and the ocean is huge, but in a small closed system, it is not as easy to come by. Now I'm not saying what is in a tank is not enough for a few small fish because the tank could easily provide enough food for it's inhabitants, but in some other tanks like mine, there is nothing in there to provide my fish with food had I stopped feeding them...Just a thought

 

[4251cpd]

The only thing I would say Morgan about fish in the wild hunting all the time for food or grazing, is there is a constant supply of food in the ocean (which is repleished non stop) and the ocean is huge, but in a small closed system, it is not as easy to come by. Now I'm not saying what is in a tank is not enough for a few small fish because the tank could easily provide enough food for it's inhabitants, but in some other tanks like mine, there is nothing in there to provide my fish with food had I stopped feeding them...Just a thought

Yeah, what he said...I feed twice (very small) daily.

 

[shallowreef]

I have to feed often because i have a grouper who is a bad fish when he gets hungry. So i feed him once a day. I also feed my trigger once a day. I'm trying to get him to eat out of my hand. As for the tangs... if there is no food in the tank then they pick off of the rocks. If i put seaweed in then they will eat all of that and continue to pick on the rocks. I never feed my mandarin because he eats all the bugs on the LR. BTW he is getting plump! I love it!

 

[Krish]

Yeah, what he said...I feed twice (very small) daily.

Thanks I meant Don (Dnjan) not Morgan and accidentally put the wrong name(LOL)...I'll edit it

 

[shallowreef]

Yeah, you better birthday boy!

 

[Krish]

LOL...I guess I got mixed up looking at the name of the last post before mine

 

[dnjan]

and where is your hair algea cumming from in a 100gallon with 4 fish i have a 50 with like 7 fish and havent seen hair algea for a couple months

In the tank's younger days, I overfed. The tank has a sandbed, and it accumulated nutrients. One of the damsels got into a digging mood a while back, and a lot of nuisance algae was the side effect of the sandbed disturbance.

I watch the sixline carefully, and if I see him thinning out I will increase feeding. But for now he looks fine and healthy.

I am not saying that everybody should quit feeding - what I am saying is that in my experience, when a tank becomes well-established, a lightly-populated tank needs minimal added nutrients in the form of food.

 

[Krish]

I agree with you totally Don Your tank is probably teaming with all sorts of life to keep your fish's belly's full! My tank...Well, my fish would definately starve(LOL)

 

[Elmo18]

I feed ALL my tanks at least twice, if not three times a day.

My spawning clowns cannot go without that as it will affect egg quality, egg mass, and baby survival....

There is a way to efficiently do this....without adding excess nutrients.

Best,
Ilham

 

[matts125]

if you continue feeding at this rate your fish will all parish over time, it could take many months or longer to completely parish. they will slow their matabolism and scavenge the tank for anything to eat, but what they scavenge is not nearly the nutrional intake they need, not to mention a horible balance of nutrition.

you better start feeding atleast once a day..

Matt