Over feed for happy fish, or under feed for happy tank?

[ScubaSkeets]

Hi folks!
I don't think we can ever really know if the amount that we are feeding our fish is "just right"...can we?
So it's likely that we are all either over feeding, or under feeding...aren't we?

Personally, I would rather over feed to keep the fish fat and happy, although I don't really think I am(6-7 one/two inch fish, a little less than half a cube of mysis shrimp and some shaved pieces of frozen clam, twice a day) There are ways to mitigate the negative effects of over feeding. (Bacteria, protein skimmers, water changes, etc.), and I think the positive effects of over feeding outweigh the negative effects, providing I maintain the mitigation procedure?
So, what say you?

 

[redeyejedi]

As long as nutrients stay on target then feed as much as you can.

 

[WIReefer]

I have always been a fan of heavy import and heavy export.

 

[DucatiGtr]

Depends on the tank and fish..
Large fish and a lot of tangs you have to keep them happy.. mine follow me soon as they see me open the cabinet where their food is from 20 feet away. They swarm like sharks.
I Carbon dose, have socks, added tons of LR and media..I also run gfo but I change it every 3 months and my tests come back the same even when I first use it vs 3 months later.
I feed about a sheet to a sheet and a half of nori, 2 inch cube almost daily and maybe just a tad of flakes.. it’s plenty but for the big guys i May hand Feed them more nori.
I do a wc every 7-10 days even 15 but I like being strict or I get lazy.

my phos are under .1, trates are 15-20..
All my sps are encrusting and doing really well.


mtwo other tanks w just coral I feed once a week.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Large fish and a lot of tangs you have to keep them happy..

Shouldn't you wanna keep all fish happy?

 

[ca1ore]

Seems like a ‘false’ choice to me. Fish wall ALWAYS act as if they’re starving, my suggestion is to not fall for it. Feed your fish so that they maintain a healthy weight. It’s one of my pet peeves that people equate fat with healthy. If you cannot feed your fish to healthy weight because of nutrient problems keep less fish. Fortunately there are a great many ways to manage nutrient expert, thus the ‘false’ choice.

 

[ehealy13]

I was overfeeding for a long time. My only observation was more maintenance and higher cost. I reduced the amount I feed in the morning by about 1/2 and the only change I've noticed is less waste in the filter media and skimmer. If I notice the fish coming near the front/top of the tank, or aggression between them after their 2nd feeding I will give them a 3rd.

 

[DucatiGtr]

Shouldn't you wanna keep all fish happy?

Of course, the little guys fill
Up fast, my larger tanks they can eat forever

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Seems like a ‘false’ choice to me. Fish wall ALWAYS act as if they’re starving, my suggestion is to not fall for it. Feed your fish so that they maintain a healthy weight. It’s one of my pet peeves that people equate fat with healthy. If you cannot feed your fish to healthy weight because of nutrient problems keep less fish. Fortunately there are a great many ways to manage nutrient expert, thus the ‘false’ choice.

I don't know. While I agree fat does not always equal healthy, I don't think I'd wanna see a skinny hippopotamus .
A rhetorical question in a way, but how do you choose that a fish is at a "healthy" weight, besides the two extremes of it obviously being too skinny or it looks like Garfield?

 

[ScottR]

Just to piggyback on what others have said, I feed my tank based on my nutrients. I’d feed bricks of food if my tank allowed. With that said, I do run low nutrients so I feed heavy. My fish are happy but they still act like they haven’t eaten in months. So, feed what your tank can handle.

 

[ca1ore]

I don't know. While I agree fat does not always equal healthy, I don't think I'd wanna see a skinny hippopotamus .
A rhetorical question in a way, but how do you choose that a fish is at a "healthy" weight, besides the two extremes of it obviously being too skinny or it looks like Garfield?

Do you keep a hippo in your reef tank? Hepatus doesn’t count ......

 

[EagleEric]

Hi folks!
I don't think we can ever really know if the amount that we are feeding our fish is "just right"...can we?
So it's likely that we are all either over feeding, or under feeding...aren't we?

Personally, I would rather over feed to keep the fish fat and happy, although I don't really think I am(6-7 one/two inch fish, a little less than half a cube of mysis shrimp and some shaved pieces of frozen clam, twice a day) There are ways to mitigate the negative effects of over feeding. (Bacteria, protein skimmers, water changes, etc.), and I think the positive effects of over feeding outweigh the negative effects, providing I maintain the mitigation procedure?
So, what say you?

I slowed my feeding and now noticed my goby is getting thin. Back to over feeding.
Can worry about exports later

 

[LegendaryCG]

Just keep it consistent and things should balance out. If your feeding a lot you’ll have algae, pods, and other critter populations will expand to take up some excessive nutrient if your export method is insufficient.

 

[Aardvark1134]

As long as you build with overfeeding in mind then your filters will handle it and you can have happy fish and happy tank

 

[schooncw]

My 120 mixed reef is way overstocked with coral and fish and I feed very generously. Nitrates off the chart but the tank looks fantastic, with no algae, negatives, etc....not one! In early January, I added a bio pellet reactor and another reactor with SeaChem denitrate, as my nitrate level just freaks me out and I want to get it down.

 

[40g Nano]

Happy fish!!!

 

[ConnivingPigeon]

I was actually thinking about this earlier -- people say you should only feed what the fish can eat in a minute, so I feed sparingly, but .. the clownfish gobble up everything before the poor goby/inverts get any. How does that rule of thumb work in that case?

 

[Books]

Hi folks!
I don't think we can ever really know if the amount that we are feeding our fish is "just right"...can we?
So it's likely that we are all either over feeding, or under feeding...aren't we?

Personally, I would rather over feed to keep the fish fat and happy, although I don't really think I am(6-7 one/two inch fish, a little less than half a cube of mysis shrimp and some shaved pieces of frozen clam, twice a day) There are ways to mitigate the negative effects of over feeding. (Bacteria, protein skimmers, water changes, etc.), and I think the positive effects of over feeding outweigh the negative effects, providing I maintain the mitigation procedure?
So, what say you?

I do twice a day watching to see everyone eats well. Yes water changes help keeping fat fish

 

[fish farmer]

I was actually thinking about this earlier -- people say you should only feed what the fish can eat in a minute, so I feed sparingly, but .. the clownfish gobble up everything before the poor goby/inverts get any. How does that rule of thumb work in that case?

Clowns are pigs, maybe try target feeding other areas of the tank with a turkey baster. My clowns are notorious at stealing food from my hammer.


I've fed my fish less, I've fed my fish more. When I fed my clowns every other day for a few months they stopped spawning. Now I've upper the food again they are spawning again. They weren't skinny before either.

As long as you can maintain good "head meat" and a full body you fish are being fed well. If they lay on the bottom after being fed, you may want to hold back a bit.

 

[Eddieg]

hi. I am new to this but reading these replies I think I am way over feeding. I have 2 sets off clowns. 1 regal tang 1 scotch wrasse 1 fox face 1 watchman gobby 2 fire gobbys. 1 royal gramma and I feed them 2 cubes off food plus some flakes 3 times a day and a half sheet off nori .
but how do you know how much is enough