Feeding Fish

[Paul B]

It's built like it looks and it does not have to look like that. The main thing is you need a trough or tray that is shallow. The thing is tilted towards the right side so the water runs to the tank below. There are some shallow bulkheads in it to keep the water about 1/2" deep and it helps to contain the worms. There is also come rings of plastic window screen, the worms like to havg on to something. Any worms that make it to the tank fall into a plastic container. They sink and I suck them out and throw them back or feed them to the fish. The small water pump is usually suspended off the bottom so any free worms don't get sucked in. Now that water line goes to a small container of carbon before it goes back to the trough.
I never get a dead worm and they will live forever.

 

[Robka]

It's built like it looks and it does not have to look like that. The main thing is you need a trough or tray that is shallow. The thing is tilted towards the right side so the water runs to the tank below. There are some shallow bulkheads in it to keep the water about 1/2" deep and it helps to contain the worms. There is also come rings of plastic window screen, the worms like to havg on to something. Any worms that make it to the tank fall into a plastic container. They sink and I suck them out and throw them back or feed them to the fish. The small water pump is usually suspended off the bottom so any free worms don't get sucked in. Now that water line goes to a small container of carbon before it goes back to the trough.
I never get a dead worm and they will live forever.

What kind (size) of pump are u using and how large is that mini glass aquarium so I can get an idea of the scale?

Thanks again,
Robka

 

[Paul B]

The tank is I think 2 1/2 gallons but any size will work. The water pump is a tiny fountain pump, the smallest I could find. If it is too strong, the worms will all end up in the tank in no time. You can see the gallon paint can behind it for size.

 

[huskerreef]

I feed PE Mysis, Artic Pods and Sprirulina Brine. Does any experience any other issues with Algae or cyan from feeding to much? I pretty much just feed once a day in the evening. maybe a couple times a day on the weekend.

 

[iamwrasseman]

personally i feed sparingly but at least 3x daily and have no issues with cyno but always have small battles with algae which i win .
i have service tanks that are so difficult to take care of because of overfeeding as i can find food in some of them from yesterday . i have been "educating " and doing portion control on them but yes overfeeding will lead to cyno and algae for sure so trim you amounts down a bit and see if it helps .

 

[huskerreef]

personally i feed sparingly but at least 3x daily and have no issues with cyno but always have small battles with algae which i win .
i have service tanks that are so difficult to take care of because of overfeeding as i can find food in some of them from yesterday . i have been "educating " and doing portion control on them but yes overfeeding will lead to cyno and algae for sure so trim you amounts down a bit and see if it helps .

It can be challenging to balance a good diet for healthy, happy fish and not going overboard and causing other issues. I have been trying to do my daily feeding a little slower to see if they eat more of what I put in instead of some of it going into the sump etc.

 

[gasman059]

Exclusively Rogers Reef Food.

I used to be one of those multiple fish food fanatics but I get all I want and leave out all I don't i'n one simple package with minimal pollution to my tanks.

 

[uhuru]

Do you use it in the mesh bag exclusively? Do all of the fish pick at it? I feel that this method wouldn't work for many fishes including cardinals and perhaps anthias though I've never tried it.

 

[Mark]

I try to keep things simple. I feed NLS pellets every day, and only feed frozen on the weekends. Instead of having a bunch of different frozen food packs filling up my fridge, I decided to mix them into my own homemade mixture. I'm surprised more folks don't do it. Why bother having all these different frozen foods separately? Blend it all together and throw in some grocery seafood and nori. I also add some coral foods into the mix. Top it off with some selcon, and you're good to go.

 

[Robka]

The tank is I think 2 1/2 gallons but any size will work. The water pump is a tiny fountain pump, the smallest I could find. If it is too strong, the worms will all end up in the tank in no time. You can see the gallon paint can behind it for size.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but do most LFS's carry these live black worms?

Thanks again,

Robka

 

[Paul B]

In NY they do. I don't know about Omaha. They are also sold on line but you have to buy a lot.

 

[gasman059]

Do you use it in the mesh bag exclusively? Do all of the fish pick at it? I feel that this method wouldn't work for many fishes including cardinals and perhaps anthias though I've never tried it.

I use d mesh and even my copperband eats from it.
The rest eat once some of the smallish pieces float.

 

[iamwrasseman]

one of my rules of thumb is to picture the fishes eye and stomach being the same size unless they are large adults .feeding this way will reduce how much to feed in most cases .also feeding with food that is uniform in size ,usually larger will reduce the amount that will get overlooked or lodged in crevices before they can get to it . i use PE mysis which is very uniform and had no mess do to bits and pieces and all of it gets eaten .

 

[SDguy]

Minced scallop/shrimp from the grocery store, and the blackworms are best IME for this approach of no messy bit of waste. Though I admit in a reef with lots of corals, it isn't always an issue.

 

[Merfin70]

What are folks thoughts on refrigerating previously frozen foods and using them for a couple of days? I feed a locally made frozen from the LFS mixed along with PE Mysis that I rinse and some Rods. I've got a relatively small tank so I don't prepare it everyday from scratch but instead mix everything up, add some tank water, and refrigerate. Am I asking for trouble in not making it fresh every day?

 

[iamwrasseman]

IMO its good for three days as longas it doesnt get warm in between .

 

[Jacob D]

Giving this topic a bump.

My fish get the following diet...

Formula 1 flake
Formula 2 flake
Prime Reef flake
Nori Flake (made by me)
NLS Pellet marine fish formula
PE Mysis
Hikari Mysis
Cyclop-eeze (frozen)
Live Black Worms


I have 2 auto-feeders handling the flake and pellet, each of those disperses food twice daily. I alternate between mysis, cyclops, and black worms for an additional feeding later in the afternoon. For the most part all of the foods are high in protein. THe NLS pellet is ~37% protein, nori ~40%, blackworms ~47%, all of the flake are > 50%, cyclops ~62%, PE mysis ~70% protein. The Nori packs a lot of fiber too ~40%. The blackworms and cyclops are highest in fats, 20% and 36% respectively, although I don't know what percentage are "good fats" and which are bad.

I have been transitioning off of Hikari mysis since all of my fish are able to eat the (larger) PE mysis now. The Hikari is only ~10% protein, and probably less after rinsing it which I always do. The PE may cost 4x as much but even if I only feed 1/4 the amount my fish are still getting more protein in their diet! There is something to be said about that since less food in the water = less stray organics in the water.


This is a good topic, I hope it will come back to life for more discussion.

 

[Korrine]

Cool set up paulB! Thanks for sharing

I can't remember what I fed my fish besides PE Mysis, cyclopeeze, a little chunk of frozen brine every now and then. I did have a pellet...I think Forumla 1 or two maybe? It's in storage now since I took down the tank. My staples were the pellets and PE mysis. It was sooo cool to watch my Melanurus wrasse grab the big mysis pieces and bang them on the rocks to break it up. Fascinating fish!!