Wippit Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Here's a question that's really been bugging me. When I read the "wish books" on fish and inverts I often see that the animal should be fed some specific diet 2-3 times a day. I have to wonder if I would be able to perform such a routine and if I'd want to do that every day, year in and year out. Is this accurate? Does the average fish or invert need to eat that often? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrispar Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I personally try and stick with feeding ever 3-4 days. I was feeding way too much in the beginning and it lead to bad algae outbreaks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I feed the tank twice a day with my version of the Eric Bornemann fishy mix recipe (it has stuff mixed in for corals as well). In addition to that I try to feed strictly coral food after the lights go off at least once or twice a week. If it wouldn't screw my water parameters up, I would feed more. It is thoguht that smaller meals more often is better than a lot spaced out. Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Some fish like Anthias, need to be feed at least 2x a day. The rest do fine on 1x a day or less. I feed 1x a day, switching between mysis shrimp soaked in garlic and red nori on a clip. I've never had an ich outbreak and I've had some of my fish close to a year. Most people feed way too much when they first start in the hobby so resist the urge to feed your fish a lot - they will be fine. Here's a story demonstrating my point. I got a pink spot Goby back in mid October and about a week after I got it, it made its way to my sump/refugium. I knew I'd never catch the guy unless I tore apart the whole sump so I left him down there. Last week I took apart my whole sump to put a piece of foam core underneath it and the goby was still down there, well fed and happy. I never fed the goby and all he had to live on was copepods that might have been down there and the occasional piece of food that might have drifted down from the main tank - which probably was rare as my fish eat everything I put in the tank. So they don't need a lot of food. Just make sure you give them some variety of meat/veggies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Agree with Mark. Certain species require multiple daily feeding. If you think the feeding is overwhelming then my advice is to stay clear of these species. Research each occupant before making your purchase. A mixed diet is very important. I feed my tanks every other day w/my tangs (and everyone else) get a sheet of nori on the off feeding days. They are all fat, dumb and happy! Dave- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbody Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I can honestly say Ive been guilt of the over feeding. Its fun. But its hard to put a label on all the fish. Depending on what you keep in the tank fish wise is how much you should feed. Anthias have a high metabolism and their natural diet doesnt contain alot of energy(zooplankton). But if they are eating other foods then it shouldnt matter. But the big one for me is the aggression. I feed several small feedings keeps the tank alot happier. I dont end up with fish with split fins and good color. Of course I have to run extra filters just to be safe. But lack of feeding leads quickly to agression especially if you keep several of the same fish. ie group of tangs. Its something to think about as you stock your system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I agree with rainbody. I would like to feed less, but even when I cut back to once a day, every day, there seems to be a marked rise of aggression (or at least the "tension" level) going on in the tank. I have 3 tangs, so maybe that has something to do with it. Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Fish on the reef feed all day long. I try to feed small amouts 2-3 times per day. If you figure the amount that you would feed daily and cut it into 3 parts you will not over feed. If you need to cut back then calculate that amount and divide it by the times you would feed. If you miss a feeding everything will still be OK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Deep sand beds and seaweed refugiums will feed your tanks naturally. When setting up systems, focus on the bottom of the food chain. Establish micro inverts and fauna diversity before moving on to higher level inverts ( coral and fish ) . The biodiversity in the micro fauna and fana not only provide food but the also process waste (multiple nutriant pathways), "one mans poison is another mans food". Many natural reefers wait 6 months to a year before adding the top of the food chain. Happy reefing. Knowledge without wisdom is useless. Patrick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKilpatrick Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Mark (or anyone) how do you soak mysis in garlic? Do you defrost the mysis first and then drip in the garlic? With or without extra water? I am just nor sure how much garlic the actual mysis will soak up. It seems like I am just making a solution of garlic-water that they are floating in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Mark (or anyone) how do you soak mysis in garlic? Do you defrost the mysis first and then drip in the garlic? With or without extra water? I am just nor sure how much garlic the actual mysis will soak up. It seems like I am just making a solution of garlic-water that they are floating in. I don't know how much the mysis soaks up but I do know that I've never had an ich outbreak. What I do is put about 1/4"=1/2" water from our Brita in the fridge into a Rudy's cup, then add 2 drops of garlic extract, then plop in the piece of frozen mysis. About 30 min later, I swirl the cup to get the mysis to break apart, then let it sit all day till I feed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'm so glad this topic came up! Being so new to all this I feel like I could sit and ask questions all day long and many are so rudimentary! I bought my tank established (2+ years) but neglected. It's been such an adventure ever since. I just pulled all the fish that came with the tank out and now I'm restocking which is both fun and frustrating. So many beautiful fish, so many that won't work together! Right now I have an ocellaris clown and a mandarin. Will be adding a yellow tang today. Thus far the clown ignores pellets and flakes and only eats mysis. The mandarin after a little over a week has already plumper up but that little guy makes me nervous ( 125g tank, 100+ lbs mature live rock and cc, 10g fuge crawling with pods but still...). My biggest concern is adding another fish that would tap the pod popolation. Is there any way to really ensure the pod population stays high? I can see them in my tank, even some tiny free swimming guys (babies?). I research everything to death and feel like I have a great mandarin set up. Would love to teach it to eat 'dead' foods but it shows zero interest so far. Ok, sorry to ramble on! I've wanted a mandarin for a long time. This is **the** saltwater fish for me. Liz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Mark (or anyone) how do you soak mysis in garlic? Do you defrost the mysis first and then drip in the garlic? With or without extra water? I am just nor sure how much garlic the actual mysis will soak up. It seems like I am just making a solution of garlic-water that they are floating in. I thaw my food out in a shot glass before going to work or the night before. Then I add a couple a drops of garlic and let it set in the fridge until feeding time. Let the food come to room temp, add some tank water then feed with and eyedropper. The longer the soak the better. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 KeeperoftheZoo, Scooter Blenny's and Six Line Wrasses compete for the pod population badly. I learned this the hard way with a beautiful male Mandy I had and lost because of it. All of the smaller wrasses will pick pods, but Six Lines are the worse, and you could probably have the other types of wrasses without too big a problem. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'm lucky my mandy eats frozen as well as pellets. but, I also have a sixline and a yellow coris wrasse that are doing good. I have 150 gallon tank and 50 gallon sump/fuge. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) Thanks Stephen, exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Sorry you lost your mandarin. Do you know if anthius (any of them) eat pods? I've debated getting a small school of them but somewhere in my research it was mentioned that they can be heavy pod feeders, but then other sources say not at all. Ack!! Dave, how did you get your mandarin to eat frozen foods and what kind? I read an article that said many will eat roe, specifically the kind used on sushi. I looked at the capelin roe sold at the oriental market, but it's got all kinds of preservatives, soy, etc added. Not sure if that would be ok for the fish. Liz Edited January 2, 2010 by KeeperOfTheZoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I purchased him from Andrew. He was already eating flake. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 I don't know about Anthias eating pods, but I do know they are very hard to keep. I have had 3 over the past 4 years, some longer than others, but none of them have survivied very long term (I did have one for about a year, however). From what I have read, Anthias have a very fast metabolism and is one of those fish that needs to be fed 3-4 times a day. As far as the Mandarins eating Roe, I tried this with the one I lost, and he never touched it. In fact, the size of the Roe seems to me to be too big for them to get in their mouths. go back and dig up the article posted here about raising baby Mandarins. In it he gives a pretty good description on how he trained his Mandarins to eat frozen food. Be aware he started with 3, and one of them didn't survivie the training. the other thing is that you will need to isolate the Mandarin while the training is going on. I am planning on trying this if I get another in the future, but again I think it would need to be done when you first get them. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy J Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 In Jacksonville, Florida, there is a LFS there that has several display tanks that never get fed. The owner has mutliple fish and corals in each tank and says, "If the fish and corals don't eat what's on the reef, they don't eat at all!". While I don't agree with what he says, he did have very healthy fish and corals. Another friend of mine in Florida fed daily and never did a water change in 3 years. He had the largest fish I have ever seen in the hobby. Myself, I feed every other day and I have never had a problem. Just find the right balance in your tank, experiment a little (and watch closely) and you will find what works for you. Like everyone says, less is usually better with aquariums. The less you mess with it, the better off it will be...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Wippit, Did you get your question answered? As you can see different answers for each individual and individual system. I guess the man thing hear is to feed a little if that is 3 or 4 times a day or every other day. Overfeeding is a no no. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Hmm, Well bummer on the anthias being hard keepers but that's good to know. I think I'll avoid them for now. Dave, getting a pretrained mandarin is almost like cheating. I'm jealous! I was thinking of periodically dumping in a bottle of live pods to diversify and restock what is in my tank. I'll keep reading all the various articles on training them to eat other foods and hope for the best. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Let us know if you find anything else on training them besides the article I mentioned. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Leopard Wrasses are also big pod hunters. In fact many have a hard time getting them to eat prepared food just like the mandarins. Honestly I would stay away from any wrasses if you want to keep the Mandarin. I also had one starve to death in a 125. I had 3 wrasses though. I feed 2 days and then skip one. I have a Harlequin Tusk though that I want to keep fat so he doesn't turn to Hermits and Snails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wippit Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Wippit, Did you get your question answered? Each tank is an attempt to reproduce a small slice of a huge and very diverse ecosystem so there can't be once answer for all. But I did get some confirmation that not every animal needs to be fed as often as I see in some of the literature, and that is heartening. The answer that I take away from this thread is that it's possible to not be chained to a tank by a feeding schedule, but reading and posting questions about stocking decisions would be very important to success. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wippit Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Being so new to all this I feel like I could sit and ask questions all day long and many are so rudimentary! Liz, Don't be shy about posting. I've got nearly 100 posts and countless PMs and I don't even have a tank yet. Post lots; this community is well educated and very willing to share information. In fact, my belief is that SW people want to share information to help out new folks, each other, or anything that helps to build up the hobby. I've been told over and over that the only dumb question is the one I didn't ask, and they mean it. Besides, you'll undoubtedly think of something that I didn't, and it'll be an answer that I'll need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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