How much food is correct and what?

[Foody]

I love this hobby. I especially love it that every person I speak to seems to be an expert and their way is the "best" way. Regardless of who I speak with re: how much I feed they tell me I feed too much. I tend to feed daily and only what the fish seem to eat in about a minute or less. This seems to be less than what I read is "best." Nonetheless, regardless of what issue I ask about (algae, asterina stars, cyano, glass accumulation) the answer I get is invariably 'feeding too much.'

Additionally, I feed a combination of mysis mixed with Rod's Original. This seems to be much more close to what the fish eat in the wild. I doubt seriously that the Spectrum Fairy spreads little pellets over the Great Barrier Reef.

I'm curious what others feed and how much. Thank you, blessings to all, and to all a good night.

 

[DEEP BLUE SIX]

There's lots of variables involved. If your having a problem of some sort, the best thing to do is test. Especially for PO4 as well as Nitrates levels. You may have an excess of 1 or both. Adjust accordingly.. water change(s), try to feed less, maintain good skimming and use GAC as well as GFO to help reduce organic compounds. Keep testing til you get a reduction in those levels. Then you know your heading in the right direction with maintaining a good balance.

But again, there are A LOT of variables. A standard of "less is more" or "feed less" in general certainly is not bad advice. It can help of course. In reducing the input into your system. BUT keep in mind also that not every ones system is the same either. Some people actually feed heavily because of the requirements of their system- fish / corals etc.. But keep in mind, they are set up to export just as much as they are importing with the feeding. So their system still stays well in balance.

Different fish also have different feeding requirements. Yes, Many can take a well rounded standard amount each day with out "feeding too much" per say. But some people have to feed more frequently or a bit more for certain fish.. like Anthias species or goatfish as just 2 examples. Where many other fish can rely on a somewhat lighter feeding schedule. One thing that can help feed well, but lighten the load: try breaking up the feeding into 3 - 5 sessions each one- micro pinches perhaps per day. Instead of 1 - 3 bigger ones. Also turn the circulation pumps off during the feeding. Less gets blown around and your fish often consume most of it. Make sure when the circulation pumps are ON, that they keep detritus blown or scooped up into the water column. So it can be filtered out.

Certainly, the lighter you "can" go with the feeding will help your systems import/export. At any rate you need to get a handle on what your putting in.. is it really too much? How much do your fish specifically really need? Then adjust and most importantly- stay on top of the export of nutrients via a combination of Skimming, GAC / GFO, changing your filter sock or pad regularly, and water changes. In other words, make sure your doing enough for "Your System".

All of mine have been different feeding styles depending on what I had kept in the aquarium. Tank Size, the equipment, the specific livestock actually make situations differ- right down to your importing and exporting. You have to get on handle on your systems need and configure it for what your trying to accomplish.

 

[GMaquarium]

Every aquarium is an incomplete, closed ecosystem. Unlike the wild habitat this one is dependent on us doing the two major components, feeding and cleaning. In reality those two words sum up most of what maintaining a successful aquarium is all about. In order to do it correctly and successfully one must understand the biological processes of nutrition and nutrient.

 

[cramideas]

Only throw a few pieces of of flake a day but then again i only have two damsels in my 150g lol. Im just getting it up & going though. It could be anything though...a piece of equipment not working @ 100%, light cycle, etc. Test & tune is all i know.

 

[DEEP BLUE SIX]

Every aquarium is an incomplete, closed ecosystem. Unlike the wild habitat this one is dependent on us doing the two major components, feeding and cleaning. In reality those two words sum up most of what maintaining a successful aquarium is all about. In order to do it correctly and successfully one must understand the biological processes of nutrition and nutrient.

Perfectly stated with simplicity and perfectly true. :thumbsup:

Foody, I will say a good balance of both meaty & vegetable matter like (Algae based) foods are what most fish need. How much of each type .. ? It all depends on what your trying to accomplish for specific fish. Know their requirements. Some foods have more hufa and protein. Some have more algae. Some are even somewhat balanced with both. I prefer various frozen. Ocean nutrition brands, Hikari, Pro-salt, PE Mysis, & Rods food(especially the new green formula), just to name a few. Even fresh washed in RO water is good. But I will say that Omega and spectrum pellets are not bad food. I use them occasionally. They are generally very clean pellets and cause less mess than frozen foods when fed correctly. Formulated very well for nutrition and less pollutant waste. Pellets also work well in auto feeders (when your on vacation) Frozen... not so well. yuck..

I break my feedings up various different things everyday. So as not all the same foods everyday. They all contain meats and algae no matter what.

As far as "how much" to feed each day.. again, variables there depending on specific system. But several very small to even micro sized sessions are better than fewer feedings of larger amounts.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I've tried different foods and amounts over the years. Everything from frozens, home made, different pellets, and reef chili. Right now I have an auto feeder that feeds a small amount of spectrum pellet 4 times a day. I like this method for the anthias and the mandarin in my tank that have high metabolisms. I do a manual feeding of mysis 1-2 times a week and feed the tangs nori sheets 1-2 times a week.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Great Barrier Reef critters WISH the Spectrum fairy was REAL :spin3:

 

[dunedinplankton]

I find live food is best (brine, mysis) but frozen works and i feed whatever they will eat 80% in about 45 seconds once a day and nems get feed twice a week fingernail size of white meat if your going to feed alot nothing wrong with it just plan accordingly (water changes, oversized skimmer) and as far as everyone is an expert well they are especially if your the one asking for answers to your questions...just messing, just take every piece of advise with a grain of salt you'll weed out the fact and bullcrap

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

this thread is kind of silly

this thread is kind of silly

Bottom line: Skinny fishes aren't being fed enough and they need more food.
How can someone else tell you you're feeding too much, Foody?
Don't listen to them.

Every system is unique. Every sytem has different critters to keep well fed. Nobody else's feeding recommendations are "right" or "wrong" except that you should keep your critters well fed. (Can one recognize when their fish is too skinny? Another matter altogether!)
If nuisance algae, PO4, nitrates become a problem then your bioload is too heavy for your aquarium's filtration. Either improve the filtration or get rid of some critters so you don't have to feed as much.
I've been frustrated in the past taking care of someone's reef aquarium when they told me to feed only one cube of frozen food per day when clearly (to the trained eye) their fishes were way too skinny and malnourished. (In one case I recall a large Hippo Tang died "mysteriously" a couple of weeks after my warnings.)

Pellet food is great. It's low polluting and it goes right into a fish's gut. I can't imagine keeping my fishes well fed on live food (!) or frozen alone. (Can you imagine the cost of feeding a large tank only live foods... or Rod's? And mysis.. great stuff... but my aquarium would be blanketed in Cyanobacteria if that's the only food I used.)

My daily (minimum!) feeding schedule:
*one or two large frozen broccoli florets
*one "shotgun" feeding of small Spectrum pellet or ON flake
*one dozen Iams dog food pellets
*one extremely large chunk of Pro Salt "Marine Supreme"

supplemented with these other foods when I feel necessary:
*frozen peas
*frozen orange slices
*shrimp (uncooked / unpeeled is best)
*nori

If the corals start to suffer due to poor water conditions adjustments are made to correct the environment but all critters in my aquarium MUST be well fed. I think it's safe to say that one day's feeding in my aquarium is the equivalent of what many people feed their aquarium in one week.

 

[Johnny C]

Good advice from everyone here. As for me personally, I've always been a big fan of Spectrum pellets (my Black Tang thrived on them!) and 2x/weekly rinsed PE Mysis. Rod's Food is great, but very rich and a little will go a long way.

An Ehiem auto-feeder is a great investment, and keeps anxious reefkeepers from constantly overfeeding. Your fish will almost always accept food, but it's all about health and balance.

My daily (minimum!) feeding schedule:
*one or two large frozen broccoli florets
*one dozen Iams dog food pellets

supplemented with these other foods when I feel necessary:
*frozen peas
*frozen orange slices

I must admit that I find your feedings of terrestrial fruits/vegetables (and dog food, wth?) to be a bit... err, strange. Then again, I've seen your results... I can't argue with those. :thumbsup:

 

[Foody]

Thanks all. I'm not having an issue with my tank. I have a 55 running a (new) canister filter rated for 70gal with 2 unites of Chemi Pure Elite, a BakPak with a brand new Acela pump (HOB) and 1500gph total between 2 power heads. I do water changes weekly of about 20-25%. I told you what I feed and the vast majority of my food is gone in about a minutes or less. Currently feeding twice daily with a recent addition of a dwarf angelfish but will cut back to single feedings in another week or so once he seems more acclimated. Also about 1/4tsp of Coral Frenzy about once every 2-3 weeks. My stock don't look malnourished and my corals are growing quite well despite being undernourished regarding my lights (156 watts).

I received a gift certificate for Christmas from The Reef Shoppe. While I was in there my wife started talking to one of the associates about the asterina in my tank and the first words out of his mouth were that I was probably over feeding. If he were feeding my tank it would be about 6-8 spectrum pellets every other day. Really, that's what he told me, and perhaps a few mysis once a week. He told me that I was basically bringing my fish to Red Lobster every day.

Anyway, thanks all...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Thanks all. I'm not having an issue with my tank. I have a 55 running a (new) canister filter rated for 70gal with 2 unites of Chemi Pure Elite, a BakPak with a brand new Acela pump (HOB) and 1500gph total between 2 power heads. I do water changes weekly of about 20-25%. I told you what I feed and the vast majority of my food is gone in about a minutes or less. Currently feeding twice daily with a recent addition of a dwarf angelfish but will cut back to single feedings in another week or so once he seems more acclimated. Also about 1/4tsp of Coral Frenzy about once every 2-3 weeks. My stock don't look malnourished and my corals are growing quite well despite being undernourished regarding my lights (156 watts).

I received a gift certificate for Christmas from The Reef Shoppe. While I was in there my wife started talking to one of the associates about the asterina in my tank and the first words out of his mouth were that I was probably over feeding. If he were feeding my tank it would be about 6-8 spectrum pellets every other day. Really, that's what he told me, and perhaps a few mysis once a week. He told me that I was basically bringing my fish to Red Lobster every day.

Anyway, thanks all...

most Asterina feed on microalgae. So a large Asterina population is usually the result of a large amount of microalgae in the aquarium. (Microalgae appears as "green dust" on the aquarium glass.)
I'm going to agree with the LFS on this one. Unless your fishes are skinny, I would be cutting back on frozen food feedings. Use the Spectrum as your staple and the Rod's/Mysis occasionally.

Now... I'd like to know if anyone reading this has successfully trained their Lionfish to take Spectrum....... ?
The autofeeder/Spectrum combo is just too good to be true.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

An Ehiem auto-feeder is a great investment, and keeps anxious reefkeepers from constantly overfeeding. Your fish will almost always accept food, but it's all about health and balance.
I must admit that I find your feedings of terrestrial fruits/vegetables (and dog food, wth?) to be a bit... err, strange. Then again, I've seen your results... I can't argue with those. :thumbsup:

Happy New Year, J!

The dog food is very similar to large Spectrum pellets

 

[Flanders]

Thanks all. I'm not having an issue with my tank. I have a 55 running a (new) canister filter rated for 70gal with 2 unites of Chemi Pure Elite, a BakPak with a brand new Acela pump (HOB) and 1500gph total between 2 power heads. I do water changes weekly of about 20-25%. I told you what I feed and the vast majority of my food is gone in about a minutes or less. Currently feeding twice daily with a recent addition of a dwarf angelfish but will cut back to single feedings in another week or so once he seems more acclimated. Also about 1/4tsp of Coral Frenzy about once every 2-3 weeks. My stock don't look malnourished and my corals are growing quite well despite being undernourished regarding my lights (156 watts).

I received a gift certificate for Christmas from The Reef Shoppe. While I was in there my wife started talking to one of the associates about the asterina in my tank and the first words out of his mouth were that I was probably over feeding. If he were feeding my tank it would be about 6-8 spectrum pellets every other day. Really, that's what he told me, and perhaps a few mysis once a week. He told me that I was basically bringing my fish to Red Lobster every day.

Anyway, thanks all...

I agree with him (and Gary). it sounds like your system isn't set up to export a ton of nutrients (small skimmer, no sump, no macroalgae refugium). I personally wouldn't keep more than 2-3 small fish in a system like that, and only easy feeders.

 

[block head]

what goes in , has to come out. poop is the enemy.

 

[Kirkwood77]

I find the greatest benefit of pellet food is lower PO4 levels and the ease of feedings. I like Elos pellets and all my fish like them too.

 

[block head]

I like feeding pretty fish. Coral is cool too. Everything else is pretty much fluff i could live without. Try pellets and some frozen. See what happens. You'll figure it out. Best tip I'd give is to rinse frozen food(tap water is fine) nori clips suck. Use a magnet. Auto feeders suck. At times they are really convenient or a necessary evil. Practice using one before you need it.

 

[tmz]

Whether or not the food is consumed is of little consequence to nitrogen and phosphate levels. Most of the nitrogen, and phosphorous that is eaten is expelled as excess any way.

Feeding is artsy.

You have to judge it by your fish and the other animals in your tank.. I like variey and have always feed my fish well. A cut back in feeding unless it's truly excessive is putting the cart before the horse ,imo.

If nutrients are an issue , I'll up the ante on export with skimming,gac, refugia,organic carbon dosing .etc. If that's not your style then you have to feed less. or suffer high nutrients and the nuisances and sometimes tragedies they bring to your tank.

My system has about 40well fed well rounded healthy fish including 6 surgeon fish , and angel, a butterfly, rabbit fish, wrasses, cardinals, firefish, 3 mandarins ,5 pair of breeding clowns and more. Most have been in my care for over 6 years. Several are from day one almost 8 or 9 years ago.

I don't claim to know what the best feeding regimen is. I think most would say I feed heavily;some who might be more judgemental might say too much or the wrong types of food.
Overall, I don't think there is enough diffence in carbon,nitrogen and phosphate content in most foods to make a significant difference. Most are close to the Redfield ratio,ie 116 organic carbon to 16 nitrogen to 1 phospahte. I strive for variety and daily consistency in feeding.
There are some exceptions ,like foods with bones,silversides etc.that have high phosphate to protein ratios,krill with low nutritional value, some seafoods for human consumption which are preserved with phospahte and a few others. There are others that have exceptional cartenoid ,hufa and other content of high nutritional value like cyclopeeze for example.

My regimen works for my tanks and keeps my fish healthy. Opinion on a general best methods will vary. Pellets may be just fine and many have success with them; it's just not what I choose to do.So, I say paint your own canvass.

But since you asked here is what I do:

AM,ie,about two hours after lights on: a mix of frozen 50% mysis, 35% brine shrimp and15% bloodwrom( mosquito larvae),sprinkled with frozen cyclopeeze. Broadcast fed to each tank. It totals about 1.3 ozs of frozen food. I do thaw and rinse the frozen food with tap water;not only to remove packing water but also to sanitize it some with the chlorine in the tap water. I also rinse the foods I eat before cooking them.. After draining it out in a brine shrimp net, I add ro water and then feed with a turkey baster.
Then every other day the tanks get strips of nori along with a pinch of Prime Reef flake and some flake spirulina at the AM feeding in addition to the frozen. They also get some chunks of krill for the larger fish to enjoy.

In the PM ,about an hour before lights out, the same amount of frozen food as the AM feeding is provided ,ie,about another 1.3 ozs . No extras in the pm.

Coral Frenzy is also broadcast fed to zoanthids on occasion and what blows around feeds other corals and other animals. I'm inconsistent with this and should be a bit more disciplined with it.

Seahorses get only the frozen mix twice per day .

It is ok to run reef tanks with parsimonious feeding and ightweight nutrient export or vice versa. I like the vice versa . BTW, there are no filter socks ,pads floss ,etc. in the systmen. The food just moves around untill some thing uses it or the skimmer exports some of it.