Keeping fish without feeding?

D

DopeCantWin

Active member
I have a 90 gallon with a 29 fuge holding Cheato. I'm kicking around getting rid off all the fish that I have to feed, leaving me with just my Mandarin. Are there any other fish I could put in there which I wouldn't have to take care of? I'd keep up with the rest of the water parameters, just don't want to keep feeding. Yes, I have an automatic feeder, just don't want to use it.
 
Feeding a cube on a weekly basis to raise nutrients would be preferable, especially if it would raise the pod population. I'd just like to get away from daily feeding.
 
I'm thinking a Two Spot Bimaculatus Blenny. Max size at 1.5". There is a ton of nutrients in the sand and the rocks, so Algae will continue growing.
 
IME feeding the tank is good for your corals and other livestock - in moderation, of course. I've found that our closed systems need regular feedings (inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus, and possibly other nutrients) for the tank to be a healthy system and thrive long-term, even if it contains only light-feeding corals and micro fauna. I suspect that pod populations would also decline in time if not provided adequate nutrient inputs. JMTC & GL!
 
Why don't you want to feed the tank? I just ask because most people have the opposite problem - they like interacting with their fish so much they overfeed.

Unfortunately, the fish that seem to sustain themselves in a healthy tank would compete with your mandarin for food. I've kept bluestripe pipefish that ate mysis but survived for a long time in my 40 gallon before they figured that out. I also have a possum wrasse that didn't eat anything I put in the tank for months. But neither of those fish was competing with a pod-hog like a mandarin.
 
rssjsb said:
Why don't you want to feed the tank? I just ask because most people have the opposite problem - they like interacting with their fish so much they overfeed.

Unfortunately, the fish that seem to sustain themselves in a healthy tank would compete with your mandarin for food. I've kept bluestripe pipefish that ate mysis but survived for a long time in my 40 gallon before they figured that out. I also have a possum wrasse that didn't eat anything I put in the tank for months. But neither of those fish was competing with a pod-hog like a mandarin.
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The Mandarin could be taken out... Or I could wait and see if she gets skinnier, she's extra fat now. I couldn't do a pipefish since there is an MP60 in the tank. I'd put a sponge on it to stop the other small fish from getting sucked in.
 
DopeCantWin said:
I'm kicking around getting rid off all the fish that I have to feed, leaving me with just my Mandarin. Are there any other fish I could put in there which I wouldn't have to take care of? I'd keep up with the rest of the water parameters, just don't want to keep feeding. Yes, I have an automatic feeder, just don't want to use it.
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DopeCantWin said:
I'd just like to get away from daily feeding.
Click to expand...
DopeCantWin said:
Or I could wait and see if she gets skinnier,
Click to expand...

So you are unwilling or too lazy to take proper care of the animals you have, so you want to trade them in for something you dont have to care for... but you expect us to believe that you keep up on your water... water parameter maitenence is even more time consuming than feeding fish...

Thats what Im picking up on.

Why keep a tank at all, seems like 5 mins a day is asking too much....

And the fact that you posted this on the internet, instead of researching yourself, just proves how lazy you are....

lol, ive heard it all now.... I guess dopes really cant win!
 
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FrogfishFeeder said:
So you are unwilling or too lazy to take proper care of the animals you have, so you want to trade them in for something you dont have to care for... but you expect us to believe that you keep up on your water... water parameter maitenence is even more time consuming than feeding fish...

Thats what Im picking up on.

Why keep a tank at all, seems like 5 mins a day is asking too much....

And the fact that you posted this on the internet, instead of researching yourself, just proves how lazy you are....

lol, ive heard it all now.... I guess dopes really cant win!
Click to expand...

Wow. Here are some recent pictures

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2154374

I currently feed up to 4 times a day, each time a different food. My Nitrates are between .5 and 2.5 by my usual tests. An LFS tested the water 2 weeks ago and said my Nitrates were at 0. The only rule of fish keeping I think I'm breaking is having a Blue Tang in a 90, but I'm looking around for a 150. The one I have came the size of a thimble, and is now around 4". I have done some research around this, but I always like a second opinion. My name is a misspelling of Do'h Can't Win, from when I was in Junior High/High School. I can't imagine how you could be more wrong.
 
FrogfishFeeder said:
There seems to be alot of things you cant do....
Like take care of your fishtank....

Im done here, you can defend yourself till your blue in the face, dont change the facts you posted.... :wavehand:
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Why get mad at that the guy. He has an excellent point, daily tasks can get annoying. No matter how long they are. I would much rather spend 3 hours on the tank once a week, then 20 minutes 2 times a day... Thats just me. Get off him. Also if he doesn't like fish. And is more interested in corals, why bother with the fish?
 
In an earlier post, the OP states that he uses an automatic feeder. I'm not sure if they OP is thinking of eliminating the automatic feeder as well or if he is tired of feeding frozen food and other foods during the week. He may want to look into having those fish that can live solely on pellets or flake food and just refill the feeder every so often.
 
Daniel Reef said:
In an earlier post, the OP states that he uses an automatic feeder. I'm not sure if they OP is thinking of eliminating the automatic feeder as well or if he is tired of feeding frozen food and other foods during the week. He may want to look into having those fish that can live solely on pellets or flake food and just refill the feeder every so often.
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Actually I have an automatic feeder, but I hand feed instead, even flakes. My current schedule is brine cube at 2, Rods/Flakes at 530 depending if my new Leopard Wrasse is out (he hasn't started eating anything I've tried to put in the tank, the other Leopard I put in at the same time steals from the Tangs), Herbivore Flakes at 11. Reef Chili every 3 days. So right now I want to change things around and looking at my options. To give you an idea of how different my thoughts are, I've also put out feelers on upgrading to a 150 for the Blue Tang. My corals are completely overgrowing each other in this tank. I've put out a bunch of FS threads.
 
Charley Diesing said:
Why get mad at that the guy.
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Oh, Im not mad.
I just find it fairly ridiculous to spend the kind of money a tank costs, only to see how to get out of the work involved to keep it.

I mean why get it in the first place...

To the op, yes I looked thru your posts and profile, about all i see is forsale posts.
Thats cool, you do it your way, Ill do it mine.

I myself am currently trying to be the first person to produce and raise captive anglers/frogfish, i actually dont spend alot of time on it persay, but daily checking and chores is a must.

I know I came off a little harsh, but this is the internet ,and if I posted something that somebody else thought was ridiculous, by all means... lemme know.

I mean, what does he want to know... "suchnsuch fish" doesnt ever need to be fed or payed attention to so it would be a great addition to your way of reefing?
How bout we throw the op in a box and decide we are sick and tired of feeding him....
Just dont buy animals if you dont want to take care of them.



two good quotes, then Im truly done on your thread...
1) To each their own

2) You get out of it whatever you put into it.
 
FrogfishFeeder said:
Oh, Im not mad.
I just find it fairly ridiculous to spend the kind of money a tank costs, only to see how to get out of the work involved to keep it.

I mean why get it in the first place...

To the op, yes I looked thru your posts and profile, about all i see is forsale posts.
Thats cool, you do it your way, Ill do it mine.

I myself am currently trying to be the first person to produce and raise captive anglers/frogfish, i actually dont spend alot of time on it persay, but daily checking and chores is a must.

I know I came off a little harsh, but this is the ,and if I posted something that somebody else thought was ridiculous, by all means... lemme know.

I mean, what does he want to know... "suchnsuch fish" doesnt ever need to be fed or payed attention to so it would be a great addition to your way of reefing?
How bout we throw the op in a box and decide we are sick and tired of feeding him....
Just dont buy animals if you dont want to take care of them.



two good quotes, then Im truly done on your thread...
1) To each their own

2) You get out of it whatever you put into it.
Click to expand...

1. I do like frogfish. There's an Wartskin I think at an LFS near me. Another option I've been kicking around is setting up a 40 gallon with a Sargassum. How often do those guys need to be fed? From what I read, it is every few days. Which would work well with my Reef Chili schedule. My brain is really all over the place in terms of what I want to do with the tank now, and like I said, this is just one of the routes. It seems like it would be an interesting thing to try out, and even document so somebody else doesn't make the same mistake. Some of the other things I'm doing are trying to get a pair of fancy clown and leopard wrasses to mate. If I keep going, the clowns should mate in about 6-12 months, no idea on the wrasses.

What you posted was ridiculous, not even close to the truth. Daily checking wouldn't be eliminated, just wouldn't feed and let the tank do its thing. Maybe clean the glass, check Alk, etc (I have a pH monitor). I would definitely still watch and take care of as necessary, but some tiny fish in a huge tank could have its own ecosystem. Much better than the usual 10 gallon tanks people put them in. I would still probably do monthly water changes as well. One of my favorite current ideas is to put in a bunch of those 1.5" blennies in the tank and see if they mate, or eat all the acros. Who knows, it's all about trial and error. I could even go for the 150, and they would never even know they're in a fish tank. Either way, the point I'm trying to make is what is a good animal to put in that kind of environment, that will make it thrive. For example putting the dwarf seahorses in a polluted 10 gallon tank and not pay attention to them might be a great idea. I'm not looking to look at these fish and watch them die, which is why I asked and started this discussion.
 
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