How often do you feed your fish?

[Moe_K]

More than just the poll, there is a discussion here.
If you read Scott Michael's book (Marine Fishes), he often recommends feeding two or even three times per day.
If I fed that often, I'd have nuisance algae growing a hairy carpet on every square inch of my tank & sump.
I feed daily. I have a hair algae problem, despite an oversized skimmer.

There are a few fish that might require special attention of tiny feedings a couple of times per day. Please list those fish, and describe what you're feeding.

Maybe there are folks who can get away with 2 feedings per day without any algae impact. If so, I'd love to hear from you.

 

[TomD]

In my previous tank I started feeding everyday and got algae more than I liked. I cut back to every other day in combination with other things and solved my problems.

I have been feeding every other day for a while and have not lost a fish and they all seem healthy. If I think something is wrong or any fish look weak I go back to every day for a little while with garlic.

 

[ron168]

I feed twice a day (late morning, late evening), a random combination of formula one flakes, mysis, and brine. I have 2 clowns, 1 damsel, 1 goby, 1 sixline and 2 tanks in a 120. I don't think I have algae problems and the fish seem happy and fed. Could your hair algae could be caused by something else? How are your water parameters?

 

[Moe_K]

Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphates all are undetectable.
Alk is ually 9-12 dKH
Ca is usually ~400 ppm.
pH is usually ~ 8.3
temp is ~78 degrees F

 

[naturebatslast]

I have the same, but small, algae problems, which is, I think from multiple daily feedings. I feed once everyday and twice everyother day, plus small target feeding for some of my Ricordia and LPS. But I can only export so much nutriet from a glass box, even with a decent skimmer, water changes, good sized cleanup crew, general maintenance and a small refugium.
Actually, tomorrow, I'm planning on redoing my sump. Trying a 2 tier sump, with chaeto on top with high flow, and LR rubble, sponge and eggcrate below with low flow, and a remote DSB (quasi chest,offset from the display above so it's easier to work in). Ideally, this will let me feed more often.
For whatever reason, I want to put off getting a phospate reactor and see if I can do it without one, hoping the DSB and high chaeto growth rate can help out.
But recently watching a Schmek(spelling, I know) lecture, I was convinced I no matter how much I feed my tank is drastically unfed, when comparing that to how much fish and coral consume in the wild.

 

[Liam]

i put once a day but i purposefully miss a day here and there

 

[~Flighty~]

I feed my juvi clowns that I am trying to get to breed about 4x a day, but it is a small quantity each time.

The main display I try to feed meaty stuff twice a day and nori one or two times a day. Sometimes I will forget to feed at all over a day.

Anemones get a tableshrimp or other meaty food about once every three-five days. That is a huge amount of food, but doesn't seem to effect the bioload a lot. I suspect that the magnificas are pretty efficient.

The big reason that my tank seems to handle the large amount of food I put in is (I think) the huge number of clean up crew that I have. The big bulk of that in my tank are critters that reproduce themselves- starfish, bristle worms, hitchhiker snails... Then I have the large water volume and the huge refugium. I really don't skim very heavily.

Of cource I don't keep much SPS right now, so I don't know how things like that would do with my regimen.

 

[SaltCreep]

There have been times when it was once or twice a day.....but for the most part it is several small feedings a day.

Maybe that's why I have a KA-ZILLION spaghetti worms.......

 

[Andy O]

I usually feed M/W/F/S/Su.

 

[Fingolfin]

I feed my fish once a day on weekdays and twice/thrice a day on the weekends, and I feed them a huge amount per feed. The key is not to allow the uneaten food foating/settling in the tank. What I've done is drop a small amount at a time and make sure the fish finish them all before dropping off more.

My tank was free of hair algae for 3-4 years until the past 3-4 months. Of course, I attribute the appearance of hair algae to my own laziness in that I didn't do any water change for 8 months. My tank is dominated by SPS. Unfortunately, the degradation of the water quality has killed quite a few large colony of SPS(two Montipora and 1 Acropora). In spite of it, the nitrate level is still undetectable.

One side note, when SPS are stressed some model-citizen Angels and butterfly start picking on those SPS. I guess they like SPS slime.

 

[penguinsix]

I was feeding every other day, and had hair algae problems, then I went bb and algae was disappearing, so I feed daily now.

 

[RichConley]

Moe, how much flow do you have? In my experience, having a good sized skimmer, and hair algae, generally means too little flow.

 

[Greg Hiller]

>There are a few fish that might require special attention of tiny feedings a couple of times per day. Please list those fish, and describe what you're feeding.<

You often hear that Anthias should be fed many times per day. Might be true for some species, and I'll agree that they are more active than other fish and therefore should be fed more often, but IME the threadfin anthias (P. squamipinnis) do fine with one large feeding per day.

 

[merk1_99]

I add a 3 x 3 sheet of Nori a day (most days). And recently have upgraded from feeding the tank 1x every 3-4 weeks to once per day or every other day. I just added a Potter's and I want to get him to eat a large variety so when I do feed he gets good nutrition.

I also have a low bio-load with a Potter's, YT, and a maroon clown in a 75gal with probably 120-150lbs of rock. The once every 3-4 weeks has worked out well. No deaths and everything looked fat healthy.

 

[ScooterNH]

I typically feed them frozen fish goo in the mornings before work and usually leave a clip of nori and other seaweeds for the nibblers.

I have two mixes of goo (green and white) that I swap for variety.
Occasionally I toss in some invert liquid.

I think I overfeed so have been skipping a day once every week or two.

 

[Chris L]

i feed flake and pellet in the morning and frozen at night

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

Every other day, sometimes even less than that.

 

[muddskipper]

I feed on average once every 2 to 3 days.. fish goo and pellets, nori once a month but usually doesnt get eaten.. the fish are very fat and healthy. Tank is a 29 with a 15 sump .. one rabbitfish, green clown goby, mandarin (8 months and very fat) 6line wrasse, lawn mower blenny.. all chosen to compliment the tank and have a purpose ( except the mandrian)

 

[~Flighty~]

Anthias can't hold a lot of food in their bellies at once, so it is recomended that you feed them often for best results. Fish who are prone to nibble corals or try out a clam are much less likely to do so when they are full. Many breeders will feed as often as they can to induce breeding.

 

[nichols]

I feed once a day. Sometimes I skip a day. I rotate between fishgoo, flake, fresh seafood and pellets. I also have a bunch of small grazing rocks which I rotate out of my fuges. These are covered in different macro algies. I add 1 or 2 to the display every few days and place the old ones back in the fuge. The "grazing" fish love picking at these, and the Yellow Coris, always the hunter inspects for small shrimp and pods.
My foxface and Majestic perfer the Gracilla and the tender new shoots of caulpura over Nori, so I don't feed much Nori anymore.