no feeding?

jnohs

jnohs

Member
does ne1 here feed as little as me. in the last 6 months i have put about 1 tablespoon of homemade reef chile in a 75 gallon tank. with this livestock so you can compare
1 bicolorblenny
1 lawnmower blenny
2 clowns
1 large black brittle star
2 medium black brittle star
1 reef lobster
1 medium black urichen
numorouse corals
1 medium gbta

I have finnaly had serious growth in many corals and just noticed a red christmas tree coral with white polyps. I havent seen in this coral in about 8 months. and boom!! There it is out of no where seems to be making a comeback.

my fish are constantly pooping. reef lobster sheeds once and a while so i figure he is alive usally. unless i dont see a shed for a while.

just some food for thought.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
they are more than likely eating off your reef:) though i would still make sure the clowns and bicolor are getting some food from you every couple days..

HEY you know you can not be talking all about cool little suprises like the corals your talking about without post a couple pics :nono:
 
michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
I feed my fish anywhere from two to six or seven times per day. :) My Nitrate levels are currently at ZERO
My fish are fat and happy. Also, I feed many different things. In a reef habitat fish are feeding constantly throughout the day. It is not sensible to think we can feed our fish every other day, and them be happy and healthy. I am not being harsh just stating my opinion.

Some fish are different than others, but most need much more food than most reefers provide. IMO Blennies and Gobies are in this category. I have seen so many blennies with sunken stomachs. Even in very well fed reef tanks.

~Michael
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I feed my tank every 2-3 days and not much then. This feeding is "consumed" in approximately 2 minutes at the most. On "special occasions" they'll get an additional feeding (guests come over EVERYONE wants to see the Reef Eat).

Been this way for a year this month :)
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
When I can, I try to do several very small feedings. I do like spreading it out a bit just like I don't eat all of my food in one sitting but then again I always seem to be fighting nuisance algae so I have to keep an eye on volume. I also have a dedicated fuge with tons of cheato to grow pods and such so the fish are able to snack to some extent throughout the day.
 
jnohs

jnohs

Member
i just boutgh a ton of different foods for a reef and thawed them out. then rinsed some out. some ingrediants are

cyclopse ezee
oysyer eggs
pe mysids
daphnia

all frozen together

i take a chunk of that then a small squirt of marine snow and a smalll squirt of artic-pods. Now all tgether in a plastic cup with a little aquarium water and administer with an eye dtroper over the course of a few hours.

I used to feed everyday but now once a month. I see my blennys pooping all the time.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
There is actually a food called Reef Chili. Many people say it is great though I have never tried it.
There are any number of us who make our own fish mush with various ingredients and freeze them to feed later.
 
Snelly40

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
I noticed the same thing as Big Al and some others. I used to feed twice a day and things looked good, but then i cut back to feeding every other day and my corals took off!!! Fish are still fat and happy and the overall tank just looks much better
 
motocrosstcw

motocrosstcw

Member
i also do agree with BigAl i feed my fish once a day in my marine aquarium due to i am down to a clarki now my goby died off yesterday but he made a great recovery to the filter insident but i feed my corals once a week and i think they eat what ever is left over from feedin the fish frozen shrimp.mysis.krill what ever i feel like feeding them for that day lol mostly flake food due to its cheaper and i can make a wicked mush out of it.....
 
michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
Not Many People agree with me on the amount of food a reef requires.
I am not saying that those who feed very little are wrong, but I just do not agree.

If you have ever been diving, you will know what I mean. Most fish spend MOST of their time feeding.

This is my current feeding regimen, including the following foods:

Fresh Clams (I crack the shells)
Fresh Oysters (I crack the shells)
Fresh Bay Scallops
Fresh Tuna
Fresh Salmon
Fresh Tiger Prawns
Frozen Krill
Frozen Chopped Clams
Frozen Squid
Frozen Silversides
Frozen Mysis
Frozen Daphnia
Frozen Plankton (sp.)
Frozen San Francisco Bay Brand Angel & Butterfly Diet
Frozen Hikari Mega-Marine Algae
Frozen Mega-Marine Angel
Frozen Ocean Nutrition Special Formula VHP
Frozen SBB Emerald Entrée
Nutamar Ogo
Random varieties of Nori (Red and Green)
Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Flakes

I feed Early in the morning, mid-morning, early lunch, late lunch, early afternoon, late afternoon. Obviously some days are different, but I still try to feed the same amounts, just at different times.


And Yes my fish get to eat differently everyday. And they eat differently at each "Meal". I think that is one of the reasons my fish put on weight so well. (Regal, Bellus, Potters, Mitratus).

But Feeding large amounts can have a downside. If fish eat too much and eat foods high in fat. They are more prone to fatty liver disease. This can be remedied via strong flow. My fish are in a tank with VERY Strong current, which allows for large amounts of "excercise".
~Michael
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Michael I do agree that "Exercise" is good for over-all health I don't believe that "Strong Current" will "Cure" FLD. A change of diet is required to help that problem.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
i dont think you can blanket your feeding and say feeding twice a week is better or feeding three times a day is better. it all depends on the critter you are wanting to feed. examples; fish wise a tank full of anthias, due to their metabolism and swimming habits, need frequent feedings. 2-3x daily to thrive long term, good currents are good too. something like a tank full of clown fish will thrive with 3x a week feeding and the water currents dont matter as much. tangs will eat the food and then eat any algae that grew as a result of leftovers so you can feed more or less depending on the algae growths. now corals and things are the same, a tank full of filter feeders love the heavey feedings but a tank full of sps will have a hard time dealing with all those nutrients. even clams, young clams will need some extra food in the tank to thrive, older clams dont need all that extra feeding as they feed of the zoo's within their mantals. then you have to factor in the reef setup..bio load and biofiltration compacity. then size of tank, if you have a algae blenny in a 24gallon tank you will want to feed more than the same fish in a 100gal tank, in a 100gal there may be enough algae without ever feeding extra to provide enough food, in a 30gal you will need to feed more often, same with a mandrine, you could add foods a 100gal once a day just to feed the pods so the mandrine can eat them up, in a 24gallon daily feeding is not going to be enough without having to deal with excess nutrients.. then of course the type of fish carnavours, omnivore or herbivore, would your feeding schedule be the same for a carnavour as it would be for a herbivore? IMO you take into consideration everthing and feed acording to your tank and critters needs..
 
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