[punky1991]

so just wanting your guys opinion on this since ive read so much different things. How much should i feed my fish right now ive been feeding a pinch 2 times a day once in morning and once at night. I know on the food container it says feed 2 to 3 times a day?

 

[Sylverclaws]

I used to do it once a day, but I've found it makes fish ravenous by feeding time, and sometimes they'll fight over. It's normally not so bad on low stocking with a planted tank, most omnivorous or vegetarian fishies will forage themselves on bits of algae and plant matter. I like to feed mine in the morning and a little bit before bed. Give them a nice pinch. I wouldn't go with as much as they can eat within a minute, maybe as much as they can eat in half that though. Make sure you suck out all uneaten food after feeding(I use a turkey baster), otherwise it can mess up your water quality and cause fungus and stuff. =p

 

[Roccus]

Better to feed a little too little than too much... I feed pinch of flakes in the morning then dried tubefex or brine shrimp in the after noon... but only what they can clean up in 5-7 minutes....never letting any food get past mid way down in the tank...

 

[jimscott]

It's a judgement call / trial and error. If food is getting to the bottom of the tank - cut back. If it's all getting eaten, they either need a little more or you've approximated well enough.

 

[jaysee]

All my fish eat from the bottom. Food reaching the bottom is not inherently bad.

In my experience there is nothing wrong with letting the fish fill their bellies. Mine do it every day (just once though ), but I feed NLS so I have zero concern about constipation and bloat. If your fish food has a bunch of junk in it, then you should worry about over feeding.

How much to feed is a pretty big window, which is why you get differing opinions. However, there IS a way for you to determine if you are feeding too much or not enough. Get some trumpet snails. They are a feeding barometer. Too much and the population increases. Too little and it decreases. They're a good training aid, in addition to being beneficial to the health of the tank.

 

[henningc]

I don't suggest following what I do. My fish are spoild rotten. They get two different types of flake food rotating 4 times daily followed by live baby brine shrimp, misquito larva, micro worms ect..... I have bare bottom tanks, so it is easy to see if there is too much or too little. I have some fish, Endlers, that eat as much as you want to dish out and then ,Swords, that eat a small portion from the top and pick at the bottom just a tad. I always suggest that folks learn how to culture their own live foods as fish seem happier just being fish.