Question about when its time to feed

[Simba]

I apologize if this is a bad question but I'm going to ask anyway...a friend of mine has a 10 g and he said he was told to turn off is pump and everthing before feeding. I have a 65 g and was never told this...should I turn everything but the lights off before feeding? I tried feeding flakes once and they got sucked out before they started to sink so I have been feeding frozn food because it goes in the water better and gets blown around. Some is sucked out but the fish are getting most of it. Please tell me if I'm doing the wrong thing. I appreciarte any help!

 

[ShannPeach]

Do whatever works for you. I don't turn mine off when I feed, and I feed a bit of everything (flakes, frozen, pellets, live foods...). If you are feeding flakes instead of sprinkling them on the top try to take a pinch and submerge them and release them under the water. That way they sink and the fish get them instead of the pump

 

[Simba]

Thank-you SannPeach...since I am pretty new I really want to try and do the 'right' thing. I tried your suggestion for the flakes and it helped...Thank-you very much! Now I can use some of them with the frozen food. I haven't tried pellets yet. Is there a certain type that is better? Right now I have 2 Bangaii Cardinals and 1 Flame Hauwkfish so I don't know if they will eat them or not. I'm still trying to figure out the right to feed them. I'm feeding once a day and they are eating. I think if I feed them 1 full cube it seems like too much. All the feeding instructions say only feed what they will eat in several minutes but they seem to be eating a lot. I know I'll figure it out

 

[Pkunk35]

You definitely do not have to, but sometimes turning off pumps can help with target feeding.

For instance, if I do not turn my pumps off it is not guaranteed that my blenny would see or get any food as the current blows by him so i have to pinch a fair amount of food just in case. If i stop the pump and spray the food in his direction i can feed him pellet by pellet.

Pumps can also simulate moving prey however and can make food much more appetizing for certain fish, so there's reasons for both pumps on and off during feeding.

 

[ShannPeach]

I haven't tried pellets yet. Is there a certain type that is better? Right now I have 2 Bangaii Cardinals and 1 Flame Hauwkfish so I don't know if they will eat them or not. I'm still trying to figure out the right to feed them. I'm feeding once a day and they are eating. I think if I feed them 1 full cube it seems like too much. All the feeding instructions say only feed what they will eat in several minutes but they seem to be eating a lot. I know I'll figure it out

My fish like formula one and two pellets and spectrum pellets. Go for a high quality pellet (or flake) if you can. You can tell a good food from bad based on the ingredient list...are shrimp, spirulina, plankton, krill, and other nutritious goodies listed first? Great. If it's something like wheat flour, rice, or yeast, then not so great...these things are more like fillers (similar to corn in dog food) and don't pack as much punch per bite. When trying a new food, always add just a little bit first, just a pellet or two, to see if there is interest. Also try adding some pellets while feeding other items, sort of as a way to trick them into trying something new during their usual feeding frenzy. Also make sure you size your pellets correctly. It won't do you much good to feed a pellet so big your fish can't eat it.

If one cube seems like too much, then just thaw it in one of those little tupperware containers, feed about half, and leave the other half in the fridge to feed later (more than one feeding a day will be appreciated by your fish ) or to feed the next day. I often have to do this with frozen cyclops as one cube is far too much to feed to my pipefish in one sitting.

 

[Simba]

Thanks again...I appreciate the suggestions and I'll be taking advantage of them!

 

[fragmatic]

I feed frozen cubes to both my coral and to my fish. Because of my "who knows" schedule the only time I can feed regularly is about 7:30 AM. In my case a full cube is 3 times too much. Answer, I keep a "kit". This kit is a shot glass, an old drinking glass, an exacto knife, and (in my case) a 4" square sheet of 1/4 thick acrylic. The acrylic is my "cutting board". I use the exacto to carve off 1/3 of the fish food cube and sweep it off the cutting board into RODI water in the shot glass. I then carve off 1/3 cube of coral food and sweep it off the cutting board (ok you have it, it isn't rocket science) into the drinking glass of tank water. I kill the main pump, put the PM-10 into feed mode and dump the shot glass in a special spot, the fish are all ready and waiting. Then I take a large hypo and target feed the coral food to specific coral and areas of my display and frag tank. Next I drop a Algae Wafers tablet into the tank in an area that the fish expect to find it, and may add a 1-1/2" square sheet of algae paper to the plastic algae clip on the other end of a piece of string, and drop it back into the tank. After some time, I don't time it but go by gut feel, according to how the tank is responding, I flip the pump switch back on, the PM-10 knows to restart its program automatically. Sometimes I skip days, sometimes I feed 1/2 cubes. It depends on my gut feeling about tank chemistry and clarity. I feed other things at times, give my refugium a bit of phyto every couple of days or so, and have an additional dosing routine, but this is my basic day to day feeding routine. If I'm concerned I test, but generally this does nothing but reassure me because most often everything is where I expect it to be by gut feeling from experience.

I shared this little scenario so you would have something to compare to.

 

[Zack]

I feed pellets and shrimp. I put it in a small Tupperware And use a pipette to squirt only a few at a time so none of the food goes to waste. That way I don't get any food rotting under a rock or anything. I have a small tank with four fish though. This may not work so.well with a big tank full of fish though.

Sent from my VS950 4G using Forum Runner

 

[andip3]

I only turn off my mp40s sometimes when I feed but usually I leave everything on. My fish love to eat haha so they are quick to pick up the food before it can be sucked out. with flakes it helps to use tongs and put them in the water before letting it go. hope this helps