How much to feed

[arnoldrew]

I've done a tone of research on the topic, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm underfeeding my fish. It's been a long time since I've lost a fish, but I'm worried that I may be slowly starving them to death. I'm pretty sure I'm not overfeeding since my nitrates have been undetectable since about 2 months after I set the tank up (tank was running with sand and urchins before I got it, live rock was transferred directly from another tank to mine, there was effectively no cycle). The tank is a 4-foot 90g with a 20g sump. I have a protein skimmer and I run carbon in a reactor kinda thingy 1 or 2 weeks every month. My stock is as follows:

Fish
3 Pajama cardinals
2 Bangaii cardinals
1 Kole tang (4")
1 Foxface (4")
2 Ocellaris clowns
3 Dalmatian mollies
1 Melanurus wrasse (4")

Inverts
2 Pencil urchins
3 Peppermint shrimp
1 Coral banded shrimp
1 Brittle star
1 Pistol shrimp in there somewhere
Cerith and nassarius snails
Red and blue-leg hermits
Frogspawn
Zoanthids
Kenya tree
Birdsnest
Candy cane

I feed the following:

San Francisco Bay Saltwater Multi-pack (Emerald Entree, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, and Chopped Squid)
A half of one cube every day
I don't even turn off the pumps, just squirt it in about a syringe-full every minute or so and let them chase it. Everybody gets some and eats like they're starving. Then they congregate at the front of the tank wherever I'm standing and beg for more. I was under the impression that frozen food was generally healthier than dry preparations, just more difficult and less convenient, but I recently saw a post from Snorvich that seemed to say they were less healthier, at least as an exclusive diet. Until I read that, I was planning on just feeding my flakes and pellets until they're gone and then switching to nothing but frozen.

Ocean Nutrition Formula One Flakes and Hikari Marine S Pellets
One pinch of either or sometimes both every other day or so, usually mixed in with the frozen food
I use these not because I've chosen them after careful thought and consideration, but because the guy who sold me the tank gave them to me. I also bought some Instant Ocean Marine Chips (Omnivore and Herbivore varieties) because the price was right.

Omega One Red and Green Seaweed
One-half to one-third of a sheet almost every day
The tang, foxface, mollies and wrasse go nuts for this stuff and it's usually gone in minutes. When I release the part still held in the clip the foxface usually slurps it up within seconds.

Silversides
I give one or two a week to the brittle star. Sometimes I cut it in half and give one half to the shrimp to squabble over.
The wrasse usually butts in and tries stealing it from one or the other. If it's floating around the tank any of the other fish will usually take a few bites out of it.

So...any tips, suggestions, opinions, advice?

 

[shifty51008]

I feed alot more than you with close to the same ammount and size fish. I will feed a cube of frozen mysis or marine cusine once a day, and a mix of NLS pellets and IO marine chips 4 times a day. if your nitrates and phosphates are good then I would say you should up the feedings or if all your fish are fine and fat then stay with what your doing.

 

[ca1ore]

It's all about input and output IME. If, at your current feeding levels, nitrates are low, then you have the opportunity to feed a bit more. Probably your feeding is a bit on the low side, so as long as your nutrient export mechanisms (water changes, skimmer, refugium, ATS, etc.) can manage, try adding a bit more per day. Personally, I'd go up to a full cube of frozen and then try adding a bit of NLS pellet food.

 

[arnoldrew]

I haven't been able to detect any nitrates in a while and I don't test for phosphate, but except for the brown dust on my glass I don't really get much algae (either that or all of the grazers gobble it up before I can see it, lol). I will start feeding more, since apparently my tank can handle it and at worst I'm just wasting a little bit of money.

 

[Dan90]

Your fish are surviving on what you give them so you must not be so far off. I would make a small increases and watch parameters. Plan what you should increase. Look at each type of fish you have and figure what is most likely you need more of.

 

[Sk8r]

a fair measure is 'every fish you have needs to completely stuff his mouth once a day'. Size matters. Many of your inverts eat poo, algae and other waste; but your shrimp are going to take a fair amount of 'first round' food themselves. For your corals, I found that a pinch of ground dried jumbo krill was a good way to feed all the lps and keep them happy. There's nothing in the ocean, it seems, that turns down krill.