Feeding Fish Multiple Times/day?

S

schnebbles

New member
As I read thru fish on Liveaquaria, I see that some say they need fed 2-3x a day.

Do you all do this with certain fish?

I feed only 1x a day and don't want to feed twice.

Specific fish in question for now is a Wheeler's Shrimp goby.

Just curious
 
I find that Wheeler's Shrimp Goby and pretty much all Gobies I've kept does fine with once a day feedings. I now feed multiple times a day, but it's more to keep the peace in a crowded tank and also to keep the Anthias in good shape. The Gobies did just fine eating once a day.
 
I've always fed once a day when I get home from work but twice with smaller portions on weekends. All occupants seem happy with it.
 
I feed 4 times a day with a mix of flake and pellet foods using a Eheim fish feeder and once a day with a mix of frozen foods. most was for the Anthias and my breeding pairs of clowns but all the fish are happy and my tests come out fine, 0 phosphates and 0 nitrates. do you need to feed that much? no, but I like feeding small ammounts throughout the day rather than a bigger amount once a day. also seems to keep aggression down.
 
I feed small amounts of a frozen food mixture 3-4 times a day, plus nori and some live foods when I can get it.
 
I typically do 2 feedings a day. Can't see myself feeding them less, I feed my dog 2x, the barn animals 2x, chickens and my cats have food down 24/7. I keep the feedings both small, a bit at a time as they eat until it seems they start losing interest.
 
I use autofeeders to feed multiple times a day on all my aquariums. In a couple cases I've seen reduced aggression between tangs when they were switched from once/twice a day to 8 small feedings with NLS in an autofeeder. How much food you feed is going to depend on your fish. And remember frozen food is mostly water (80%-90%) so do your math when comparing frozen to pellets/flakes.
 
Timfish said:
I use autofeeders to feed multiple times a day on all my aquariums. In a couple cases I've seen reduced aggression between tangs when they were switched from once/twice a day to 8 small feedings with NLS in an autofeeder. How much food you feed is going to depend on your fish. And remember frozen food is mostly water (80%-90%) so do your math when comparing frozen to pellets/flakes.
Click to expand...

+1 100 percent agree. feed your tank as much as your tank can handle. each tank is different. its trial and error sometimes, just go slow when increasing your feedings
 
I guess I'm the black sheep. I generally feed a mix of stuff once every other day, and a liquid food for corals, etc. maybe twice a week. Though, I don't have any fish that need constant feedings. Everybody's fat and happy.
 
One good meal a day has always worked well for me too. Flake food today. NLS pellets tomorrow. Live black worms the day after that etc etc. Lot's of variety.
 
When I had fish (yellow tang, a few pajama cardinals, starry blenny, diamond goby, green chromis) it was once every 2 days with just pellets.. No problems at all from that and they always looked "healthy" and not thin by anymeans..
2-3x is fine if you have an auto feeder but crazy IMO if you do it manually..

Now I only have a leopard wrasse and I don't feed it anything.. Its happily just going after pods in the tank..
 
mcgyvr said:
When I had fish (yellow tang, a few pajama cardinals, starry blenny, diamond goby, green chromis) it was once every 2 days with just pellets.. No problems at all from that and they always looked "healthy" and not thin by anymeans..
2-3x is fine if you have an auto feeder but crazy IMO if you do it manually..

Now I only have a leopard wrasse and I don't feed it anything.. Its happily just going after pods in the tank..
Click to expand...

What's wrong with feeding manually, 2-3x a day? A newborn baby is feed manually way more than 2-3x a day. Some people might not trust an autofeeder to feed their fish, in the fear of getting stuck or dispersing way too much. Just like feeding a newborn, I would trust my own hand than a autofeeder. Not trying to argue, just want to know what's crazy about it?
 
My 125 gets feed 2 cubes of Mysis, 1 nori sheet on the days I work, and 2 cubes of Mysis and chunk of reef frenzy twice a day and 1 nori sheet when I am not working.
Once a day tank is fed with flakes (large pinch)
The panther grouper in the sump gets 2 cubes or two shrimp on alternate days, unless the wife decides to give him extra..
I have Copper Band Butterfly, yellow tang,7 different damsels, flame angel, bicolor angel, yellow watchman goby, they all are fat and happy with the schedule..
 
I feed every other day on average. I feed nori in a clip until it doesn't get finished then I feed a wide variety of flake, granules, liquid, frozen and occasional live foods mixed in tank water and fed with a turkey baster. Most of my fish are as 'plump' as I'd like them to be.
 
I guess I can start feeding more on days when I'm off work.

Speaking of feeding, a peppermint shrimp is all over one of my mushroom corals. I am about to go boot him off.
 
The answer to multiple daily feeding is either one really dedicated owner or an autofeeder for pellet or flake: Eheim makes a good simple one that can feed dry food multiple times a day: once a day you do the job by hand and give the 'good stuff.'
 
scooter31707 said:
What's wrong with feeding manually, 2-3x a day? A newborn baby is feed manually way more than 2-3x a day. Some people might not trust an autofeeder to feed their fish, in the fear of getting stuck or dispersing way too much. Just like feeding a newborn, I would trust my own hand than a autofeeder. Not trying to argue, just want to know what's crazy about it?
Click to expand...



Nothing crazy, IMO. It just requires more time. I use a Neptune AFS to dispense feed a day. I also feed LRS a couple times a week.

Something to remember is that you are putting nutrients into your tank, which provides food for an entire mini-food chain.

While some livestock will need frequent manual feeding, most will scavenge for food in between feedings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Need advice
Replies
1
Views
1K
Uncle99
Uncle99
P
Can I get another fish?
Replies
3
Views
1K
griss
griss
NancyT3
Feeding regimen/ feedback
Replies
8
Views
1K
NancyT3
NancyT3
N
Saltwater cycle possible stuck
2
Replies
26
Views
7K
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
T
New 55g setup. Advice for fish appreciated
Replies
6
Views
307
Uncle99
Uncle99
Back
Top