Feeding regimen/ feedback

[NancyT3]

Hi again,
I have a 140 gal tank, w skimmer. I'm in week 6 of start up. Have not yet done a water change. Thinking I will start this within a week or so and do weekly 10% changes. Water parameters are good - temp is 79, Ph 8.1, zero ammonia, zero nitrates <0.1 Phosphate, 1.022 spec grav salinity, 320 calcium, Alk 11 KH; I have 2 clowns, 1 Talbot's damsel, and 7 small hermits. I just added 2 pyramid butterfly Hemitaurichthys polylepis, 1 longnose hawkfish and a diamond watchman goby. I have added Tigris copopods and feed them with phytofeast microalgae. Everyone is eating vigorously. Butterflies eat flake, and frozen foods. No one likes the pellets yet. Just is ignored.
At every meal there is a frenzy and every fish is eating. I am feeding 3x a day but don't want to overfeed, so I am watching to see it all gets eaten. How do you know how much is the right amount and how often do you feed? Also what is a good balance of foods to use - frozen, what kind of frozen and flake? I have Hikari Frozen Mysis shrimp and LRS Fish Frenzy. Two different LFS recommendations. Also another dumb question - I am full of them. How do you know if the copopods are surviving/ thriving? Thanks

 

[HumbleFish]

Butterflyfish need to be fed often, so I would continue with the 3x light daily feedings. It's better to drop small amounts of food in the tank all day than 1 or 2 large daily feedings.

And I hate to ask, but are you 100% sure this tank is cycled? You should have some detectable nitrates if the tank is fully cycled. Do you ever test for nitrite just to be sure that is also zero??

 

[HumbleFish]

Also, Pyramids are omnivores so you can add nori on a clip for them to pick at.

 

[NancyT3]

Butterflyfish need to be fed often, so I would continue with the 3x light daily feedings. It's better to drop small amounts of food in the tank all day than 1 or 2 large daily feedings.

And I hate to ask, but are you 100% sure this tank is cycled? You should have some detectable nitrates if the tank is fully cycled. Do you ever test for nitrite just to be sure that is also zero??

I have not tested for nitrite. I will do that. Glad you are asking.

 

[NancyT3]

I have not tested for nitrite. I will do that. Glad you are asking.

Tested for nitrites and they are at zero. LFS guy has been stopping by every other week to help teach me and check the water, tank set up etc. He did a full test. He thinks the tank is likely cycled. zero for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. He agrees the nitrates would be a low and detected when fully cycled, but I have a low bioload and a large tank. We cleaned the sand, cleared the algae on glass and infeed and did a very small water change (5 gal of 140) I am changing sock filters every 5 days or so. Skimmer was doing it's job. (nasty). He is recommending once a month water changes of 20%. I am thinking 5-10%weekly. What are your thoughts? Also he recommends feeding one time per day. I was feeding twice a day until now. Trying to keep it small, but my fish are voracious eaters and I am still learning how much is enough. Appreciate your guidance on that.

 

[griss]

Water change regimen is up to you. Either 20% once a month or 5-10% weekly with a low bio-load should be fine. For example, on my 40 breeder (10 gallon sump and 5 gallon refugium) I do a 5 gallon water change every other week.

As far as feeding, as @HumbleFish mentioned, the Butterflies need frequent feedings. So, as he recommended, I'd do several light feedings a day instead of just one large feeding.

 

[HumbleFish]

He is recommending once a month water changes of 20%. I am thinking 5-10%weekly. What are your thoughts?

Is this a fish only or a reef? If the latter, how much alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is your system depleting? Generally speaking, I would do the once a month water change of 20%. You may need to increase the frequency once your bioload grows. Reef tanks sometimes need more frequent water changes to replenish supplements that corals use up. But you can also dose supplements in lieu of doing more frequent water changes. Generally speaking, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium are the "Big 3" that you want to test for consumption. There is an article here on water parameters: https://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

 

[Paul B]

I personally would throw out those flakes and just use frozen. There is also no need to feed three times a day but it will be fine as long as it is a very small amount. Unless you have manatees in your tank everything in there is a cold blooded creature requiring very little food.



When fish are full, they will continue eating because fish don't know if they are full so they just keep eating and whatever is in their intestines, it gets pushed out to make more room for more food. Sort of like some people I know.

Most fish can go for weeks or even months with no food, but "don't" do that. Feed them every day and if you have time you can feed multiple times, but just a very little.

My copperbands and tangs live to about 10 years with no more than one feeding a day about 6 or 7 days a week.

Your tank is very new so most of that extra food will just degrade your water quality but the good part is it will grow copepods which are a good thing.

 

[NancyT3]

Is this a fish only or a reef? If the latter, how much alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is your system depleting? Generally speaking, I would do the once a month water change of 20%. You may need to increase the frequency once your bioload grows. Reef tanks sometimes need more frequent water changes to replenish supplements that corals use up. But you can also dose supplements in lieu of doing more frequent water changes. Generally speaking, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium are the "Big 3" that you want to test for consumption. There is an article here on water parameters: https://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

This is a fish only tank. My alkalinity is 9KH, calcium is 360 and I have not tested magnesium. nitrates and nitrites and ammonia all zero, phosphate is <0.25. I will check out the article - thank you.